In Luck

Everybody even remotely interested in the krautrock phenomenon should head over to Butterboy's site for a healthy dose of great musik from both the famous (Can, Neu!, Vuh, Duul et al) and the obscure (nearly all of the others). Three homemade compilations full of German magic both old and more recent, with another volume already in the pipeline. Sehr gut und, as they say, affengeil!

Eiliff - Journey To The 'Ego'
Dzyan - Naga Raga
Vintage Cucumber - Neuland (Ins Glück Hinein...)

Kosmische Inspiration

In Future Days, an excellent book on the krautrock phenomenon by David Stubbs, the author makes the point that the song Doldrums by obscure Boston band Cul De Sac ('95) is possibly the 'strongest, most stratospheric example of krautrock as a launchpad for wholly new adventures'. I see where he comes from.

Cul De Sac - Doldrums

But Of Course

Yesterday's Guardian featured a heartwarming feature on Irmin Schmidt, at 81 the last man standing of krautrockers supreme Can. Wonderful anecdote: "By all accounts a brilliant musician from an early age, he was already a professional classical pianist when he signed up to study under Stockhausen at Cologne’s Rheinische Musikschule. Czukay was a fellow pupil, and Schmidt is rather proud of the fact that, when Stockhausen was later played a selection of experimental German rock tracks, he dismissed all of them except Can’s 1971 track Aumgn. When he found out who had made it, he said: ‘Well, of course it’s good – these were my students.’”

Can - Aumgn

Oh Jenny

"Yellow jokes come out of your mind..." Now that's a compliment. Just rediscovered the krautrock smorgasbord that is Faust IV: very yummy indeed.

Faust - Jennifer

Lovely Times

Just got the sad news that Jaki Liebezeit has passed away. The highly inventive drummer of seminal krautrock formation Can was 78. Miss him.

Can - Millionenspiel
Can - Shikaku Maru Ten
Holger Czukay, Jah Wobble, Jaki Liebezeit - How Much Are They?

Don't Get Lost

Out early October: an interesting sampler on Grönland Records, featuring two handfuls of futuristic, synth-driven tunes cooked up in the fair German city of Düsseldorf. Surprisingly, the seventies krautrock of Neu! and La Düsseldorf sits quite comfortable next to the eighties Neue Deutsche Welle of DAF and Die Krupps. Deutsche gründlichkeit guaranteed.

Harmonia & Eno - Luneburg Heath

Zeit!

Got some time to spare? Then check this one out. The perfect cross beween Neu! and early Roxy Music: glam krautrock that gets me any time.

La Düsseldorf - Time

Super Krauts

Guten Tag, Leute... Continuing our summer tenpack series, For The Sake Of The Song goes all German on you this time. So put on your Lederhosen and enjoy a krautrock primer of sorts,

showcasing the various exciting directions - electronic pop, avant-garde rock, neo-classical, ambient avant la lettre and a mix of all these - this utterly surprising genre could take. Auf wiedersehen!

Faust - It´s A Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl MP3

Can - Splash MP3

Popol Vuh - Brüder Des Schattens MP3

Amon Düül II - Wolf City MP3

Neu - Super MP3

La Düsseldorf - Geld MP3

Guru Guru - Next Time See You At The Dalai Lhama MP3

Cluster - Caramel MP3

Harmonia - Watussi MP3

Kraftwerk - The Model MP3