Music from Germany

Aidan Baker's (Nadja) Triptychs takes inspiration from Erik Satie's compositions Gymnopédies and his notion of "furniture music," which many consider a precursor to contemporary ambient music. Each "triptych" is based around a simple, slow-moving melodic line, which repeats three times with the addition of a harmonic line upon each repetition, culminating in a three part harmony. Various musicians from different ensembles and musical backgrounds -- Peter Broderick, Julia Kent, Leah Buckaref…

All but unknown to most but the most hardcore Can fanatics, 1978's Out of Reach is one of the group's rarest albums. This is due in large part to the fact that bassist Holger Czukay left the band before the recording sessions, and drummer Jaki Liebezeit has a greatly reduced role, leaving most of the rhythm duties to percussionist-come-lately Reebop Kwaku Baah. As on the group's proper swan song, 1977's Saw Delight, new bassist Rosko Gee largely leads the group, and his jazz-inflected playing is…

1977's Saw Delight is the German progressive group's farewell. Percussionist Reebop Kwaku Baah and bassist Rosko Gee from a late-era lineup of Traffic to add a sort of Afro-Cuban jazz feel to their sound. Similarly, Rosko Gee's handling of the bass duties (which he performs superbly throughout, adding an almost Mingus-like rhythmic intensity to even the loosest songs) frees Holger Czukay to add electronics and sound effects to the proceedings. The opening "Don't Say No" recalls the controlled fu…

The second of Can's three Virgin albums, 1976's Flow Motion, is a divisive record in the group's canon. It was their most commercially successful album (the opening track, "I Want More," was released as a single in the U.K. and actually charted, thanks to its smoothly percolating near-disco groove, which makes it resemble a late-period Roxy Music hit), but many fans dismiss it as the group's feint toward commercial success. That fluke hit aside, the charge doesn't really hold water. There's a ne…

After its introduction to the public 40 years ago, the compact cassette (aka audio cassette or cassette tape) quickly became the most popular medium for copying music, allowing consumers to record directly from radio or record player to tape. soon the record industry started to worry about a decline in record sales, which led to the notorious "home taping is killing music" campaign. as a side effect, the medium has produced an independent and distinctive underground music scene in the early 1980…

If you got a quid for each time Can were referenced as influencing a given band or artist, we'd have taken the Bank Of England down years ago. Remastered to a clarity that will come as a shock to those who've been suffering the original cd releases, 1975's 'Landed' is notable for marking the return to Can's debut line-up (barring Malcolm Mooney of course), following the love-sick Damo Suzuki's departure. Their 7th full-length release, 'Landed' also saw the band getting their mitts on a 16 track …

With Suzuki departed, vocal responsibilities were now split between Michael Karoli and Irmin Schmidt. Wisely, neither try to clone Mooney or Suzuki, instead aiming for their own low-key way around things. The guitarist half speaks/half whispers his lines on the opening groover, "Dizzy Dizzy," while on "Come Sta, La Luna" Schmidt uses a higher pitch that is mostly buried in the background. Holger Czukay sounds like he's throwing in some odd movie samples on that particular track, though perhaps i…

Most bands stick out a 'unreleased and bonus bollocks' album when they're bereft of new ideas and need some filthy lucre to keep the country estate fully stocked with coy carp. You get the feeling this was the last thing on Can's mind. Having amassed a serious quantity of recordings between 1969 and '74, 'Unlimited Edition' (now giving a thorough spring-clean for this remastered release) was put out on a 15,000 only run to proceed 'Soon Over Babaluma', portraying a much rougher Can that tended n…

Truly an outstanding live document, by the trio comprising Peter Kowald (1944 - 2002), doublebass. Daunik Lazro, alto & baryton saxophones. Annick Nozati (1945 - 2000), voice. Recorded in Instants Chavirés, Montreuil, February 2000 by Jean-Marc Foussat. Duos, trios and one solo from Annick Nozati. The only time they did play together.

One take, one hour, no overdubs. Moebius and Roedelius let a single improvisation unfurl in real time, gently evolving electronic tides, meditative and unforced. Late-period Cluster at its most patient and hypnotic.

Repressed; LP version. "Harald Grosskopf was in his early twenties when LSD 'blew [his] reality away,' as he recalls. Born in Hildesheim in 1949, he had previously drummed in fairly conventional rock bands, most recently for Wallenstein. Their label-boss Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser was fond of facilitating jam sessions for musicians on his Ohr und Pilz label, often supplying his 'cosmic couriers' with LSD (unbeknown to them, on occasion). In one such session, the drug inspired something of an epiph…

Humoresken und Vekotren takes up a work that was started upon the invitation of Francisco Lopez for the spanish Störung label. The task was to deliver thirteen 2-minute original compositions for a compilation release. "Humoresken und Vektoren" recycles these miniatures from 2010 and undfolds it into eight new works having no resemblance with the original sourcings whatsoever. These eight tracks are bound together by eight short pieces entitled "Tristia" that function as bridges between the longe…

Probably our favourite release on RVNG Intl comes from metal duo Lee Buford and Chip King aka The Body produced by Bobby Krlic aka The Haxan Cloak for their crushing 4th album, 'I Shall Die Here'. Abetted by Krlic's visceral production, The Body sound more fearsome and physical than ever before, shaping a series of tracks which only seem to get more intense and nightmarish as the trip takes hold. From the funereal trudge of opener 'To Carry the Seeds of Death Within Me' we pass through successiv…

I got to know Joe Sachse's playing through the band Doppelmoppel. The jazz scene in the former GDR created a special music that expressed an independence and pleasure in playing. Our idea of playing together as a duo has now become reality and from the very first moment playing together was easy and inspiring. There happened to be a recording of this first concert and listening to it we wanted to have it published. Thanks to Jazzwerkstatt this wish has now also become reality. - Nils Wogr…

This discography of musical work by the bassist Peter Kowald, who died in 2002, was compiled in honor of his 70th birthday. It includes an alphabetical catalogue of all 143 published recordings up to 2014 by and with Peter Kowald, as well as the cover designs and additional information relevant to the discography. The 208-page book also contains an index of all the films that Peter Kowald was involved in, texts by Bert Noglik, Floros Floridis, Wolfgang Schmidtke and Günter Baby Sommer, and sever…

There is only one prior release existing of Brötzmann and Sharrock as a duo (vinyl-only on Okka Disc 2003). This live recording from the archives of Peter Brötzmann was mixed by Lou Malozzi in Chicago, mastered by Martin Siewert in Vienna. Sonny Sharrock was one of the first American free-jazz guitarists. He played in the '60s with Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, Roy Ayers and many other greats. His career started again in the beginning of the '80s when he met Bill Laswell, who hired him to form t…

Performed by Michele Marelli (basset horn): Traum-Formel (1981); Evas spiegel (1984); Susani (1984); Die 7 lieder der tage (1986); Freia (1991); In freundschaft (1977).  

Peter Brötzmann, alto & tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, Bb-clarinet. Paal Nilssen-Love-drums, percussion. Recorded October 2008 in Oslo, Norway.Second album from the godfather of European free-jazz, Peter Brötzmann and Norwegian virtuos Paal Nilssen-Love. This is the follow-up to 'Sweet Swea' from 2007. Woodcuts is another free jazz mastodont from the two masters. This is European free-jazz at its best. Recorded live in concert at Kampen in Oslo, Norway. 

'Rimski' with Mats Gustafsson, tenorsax, sopranino. Wolfgang Fuchs, bass clarinet, sopranino. Sven-Ake Johansson, drums vocal. Recorded by Christian Fnghaus, (Audionauten) Berlin 6.9.1990. 'Erkelenzdamm' with Richard Teitelbaum, piano, electronics, and Sven-Ake Johansson, drums, accordeon. Rec. at Institut Unzeit, Berlin 1985. 'Splittersonata' with Günther Christmann, trombone. Wolfgang Fuchs, bass clarinet, sopranino. Sven-Ake Johansson, vocal, accordeon, percussion. Torsten Müller, double bass…

LP version. Cafe OTO\'s tenth Otoroku release sees a return to the group that kick-started the label -- the veteran German reedsman and free-jazz pioneer Peter Brötzmann with the long-running London bass/drums partnership of John Edwards and Steve Noble. After the release of The Worse The Better, that group went on to play a series of devastating shows in Europe and to emerge as one of Brötzmann\'s finest working groups. Over the same period, Peter was developing a deep rapport with Jason A…