Krautrock / Kosmische Musik and related

Two musicians from the glory days of Tangerine Dream meet up and capture some of the old magic, but not in a retro way.

“Neuland started the way many long overdue projects do: with Paul Haslinger and Peter Baumann asking themselves, "Why isn't there anything out there like this?" In their case, that meant a deeply immersive debut album that's respectful of their roots in Tangerine Dream but exists on it's own astral plane.
Far more restless than most ambient records, the pair's self-titled...

"Mani Neumeier has been at the helm of Germany's legendary Krautrock group Guru Guru for over 35 years and for 20 of those years he's been working on Sketches, his first solo album. Sketches is an absolutely sacred collage of rare field recordings...

"A damn good one-million-euro question: Who was the first German musician to have his likeness displayed at the Tokyo Wax Museum? Answer: Mani Neumeier, founder and drummer of the legendary Krautrock band Guru Guru. And how come? Simple: The Japanese...

Niagra released 3 albums (two on United Artists) in Germany in the heady early Krautrock days. The first album is a all percussion album (that's all percussion, not all drum solos). The second album adds other musicians/instruments as does the third...

“Originally released in 1974, Nine Days Wonder with their third album took the opportunity to do a recording session at London's Chipping Norton Studios in September 1974. With guest musicians Dave Jackson on flute and saxes (of Van der Graaf Generator-fame) and keyboarder Steve Robinson (2066 and then-and-early-AERA) the album shows the band on its musical peak. The album is richly texted and features a mellow progressive rock with slightly glam-rock touches and reminds to David Bowie's Ziggy...

“Banished Bridge is dominated by keyboard-driven symphonic prog and features an instrumental palette that sounds straight out of 1971. This means lots of ELP-inspired Hammond organ and a relatively "organic" production style, with little of the atmospheric synth work that would dominate the band's subsequent work. There's also a vaguely Krautish vibe in the rhythm section that isn't horribly dissimilar from Floating-era Eloy, even if the overall style here is miles away from Krautrock or Eloy-esque space...

“Early unreleased recordings of prog legends OCTOPUS released for the first time!
In mid-1972 Peter Hensel, Claus D. Kniemeyer, Dieter-Paul Becke and Jennifer Hensel founded the band Octopus. At this time, all members are studying or living in student residences at the University of Frankfurt am Main. Werner Littau responded to an advertisement on the bulletin board at the University of Frankfurt in autumn 1972 and became Octopus' keyboardist. "Time in my Hand" is determined by many rhythms and...

The German/Dutch band Odin are best known for their one release on German Vertigo. This is an interesting release of mostly cover tunes (Neil Young! Frank Zappa, King Crimson) from early in their career. More than decent sound considering the age of the recordings, but definitely on the 'good bootleg' side of sonics.

"This live concert is an impressive documentation of Odin, captured at the birth of the band’s search for its individual identity. The four musicians had agreed to cast in their lots..

The German/Dutch band Odin are best known for their one release on German Vertigo. This archival release is actually probably better than the album on Vertigo! Excellent quality radio tapes of 2 originals and 2 (17') of Frank Zappa covers!...

All previously unreleased recordings!
"Os Mundi from Berlin became known because of their two LPs on Metronome and Brain. In 1975, when they had almost reached the period of breaking up, their guitarist Udo Arndt was doing a practical training in...

"A new studio album from legendary German medieval prog-rock outfit Ougenweide. While countless Ougenweide epigones have sprung up out of the ground like mushrooms over the past decade, the originals took the same length of time to prepare their new...

Ougenweide are a now forgotten German folk-rock with medieval influences. As someone very perceptively put it on the avant-progressive list, "...some lovely extended cuts which almost crossed over into jazz land. Kind of like a cross between Gryphon (f...

This is the fifth album by this German folk rock band, which was originally a double live album and which all fits here on CD and is released on CD for the very first time...

Classic third and final (and best!) album by this German band, who released this one in 1972.

"Existing for ten years or so, Out Of Focus were amongst the finest of German rock fusion bands. Formed in late 1968 in Munich, they rapidly...

Classic second album by this early German band, who released this one in 1971.

"The second, self-titled album is a bit more diverse - the first track is fast, saxophone and organ dominated, relating to the first album, while "It's Your Life"...

"Out of Focus from Munich released three LPs during their lifetime. Their last one was a double LP which was done after they had toured in Italy, a musical journey which had been sponsored by the Goethe Institute. The gigs had been recorded on an...

For their 3rd and final album, Out Of Focus added many musicians on reeds and brass, in addition to their usual guitar, organ, sax, bass, drums lineup. This record, the well known "Four Letter Monday Afternoon", was released as a double album, but...

"German prog rock band discovered by Klaus Schulze and praised as "one of the best fusions between electronic and rock-oriented music".
The band was founded as "Peacock" in 1975 by Tommy Betzler and first toured the extended Rhine-Main area and built up a small but loyal fan base. Recording a demo tape and sending it to record companies proved to be unsuccessful. There were a lot of rejections, especially with the reason that the time of "progressive rock" is really over and "disco" is now the latest..

"P2O5, founded in Wendelstein near Nuremberg in 1970, released their only LP in 1978 on the Brutkasten label which is today in high demand. There is to be heard hard rock with progressive elements and English lyrics. The Brutkasten studio was only...

"Pancake from Winnenden near Stuttgart in Suabia emerged from their psychedelic predecessor Nyrvana Pancake in 1974 and now played progressive rock with clear symphonic tendencies. With changing members they released three LPs with self-written tracks...

"Panko from West Berlin - not to be confused with the much later GDR band Pankow - are somewhat reminiscent of Xhol Caravan or the early Embryo. They mostly presented long jazzy instrumental passages dominated by the transverse flute and alto saxophone, temporarily interrupted by mainly English vocals and some follies.

The band existed from the late sixties until the end of 1972. During their lifetime, the group didn't release anything, although they would have had the potential to do so....

"Sula Bassana and Komet Lulu from Electric Moon, all the guys from Papir and Mogens Deenfort from Øresund Space Collective met the second time - to play their first and exclusive live show together: The Papermoon Sessions live at Roadburn 2014....

This set features the five great albums that this early German jazz/rock/progressive band released between 1972 and 1976. The albums are: Passport (aka Doldinger), Hand Made, Looking Thru, Cross-Collateral and Infinity Machine. As far as I am concerned, this is everything you will ever need, for only $6.00 per CD, by this very sample-able, early, fusion outfit who had a unique voice.

"Amongst the most legendary of Austrian underground bands, but with a virtually undocumented history, Paternoster originated from Vienna, and existed for only two years in the early-70's, disbanding after the release of just one album."-The Crack In The Cosmic Egg

"Before releasing their lone self-titled debut album, one of the most rare rock records to be released in Europe in the 1970s, Paternoster provided the soundtrack for a film that could only have been made while the psychedelic movement...

"Reissue of Paternoster's self-titled album, originally released in 1972. Not every kraut album comes from a German band. Brainticket were in fact Swiss with a Belgian mastermind, for example. Paternoster on the other hand, who play an organ-driven solemn progressive rock with a heavy edge, come from Austria and really enlighten the heart of all fans of dark and often morbid rock music. It might be a good idea to overhear the pronunciation and the whole lyrics and take the vocals as another instrument...

“Conny Plank died when his son Stephan was only thirteen years old. The opening stages of this music documentary about the pioneering music producer, directed by Stephan with Reto Caduff, see Stephan embarking on a journey to discover more about his father. The footage, of differing cities and modes of transportation is underscored by one of Plank’s earliest and most seminal productions, ‘Hallogallo’ by Neu!. The footage conveys visually the cinematic feeling of motion, urbanity, and the modern that is...

Nice reissue of Popol Vuh's seventh album, which was used as the soundtrack to the Hertzog film and which includes a booklet of photos and more. This includes a bonus track (total time 7:16) that has never been heard before.
This features Florian Fricke on piano, the great Daniel Fichelsher on guitar and drums and Djong Yun on vocals.
How can such a low-key band be so cosmic? That question is one of the great wonders of the universe (and one of the great space-out/innerspace albums of all time).

3rd and 16th albums. The 3nd album, from 1973 is the beginning of a LONG line of classic trance-inducing, spacey, acoustic discs. [High Tide]

Nice reissue of Popol Vuh's 15th album, and their last really great one, featuring a great lineup of Florian Fricke, Daniel Fichelscher, Conny Veit & Renaute Knaup.
This album contains more than 20 minutes more music, compared to the original release of the legendary Nosferatu soundtrack; you get the complete soundtrack and the songs of the album Brüder des Schattens - Söhne des Lichts which have been used in the film together on one album.
One of the greatest of the German 70's bands and they..

A progressive rock band with symphonic touches from Karlsruhe, Germany, featuring vocals, guitar, organ/electric piano/synths, bass & drums. This was recorded in 1975, & this this reissue includes 8 bonus tracks, including some funny covers of late...

Prosper were a dual guitar, Fender Rhodes/mellotron/mini-Moog, bass and drums progressive band. The keyboards give it a jazzier/fusion touch.

“With a history going back to various 1960's blues and early-1970's prog bands, Prosper were part of a family of bands that included Wallenstein, Tobogan, Aera and Contact Trio.
After splitting up once, they reformed in 1975. Guitarist Evert Brettschneider played with both Contact Trio and Prosper at this time, doing the technical noodly jazz with one...

Originally released by Garden of Delights, this is what Garden of Delights do, which is finding completely unknown German rarities and reissuing them in the best possible manner. For vinyl, it came out on the equally well curated Long Hair label!
Prosper were a dual guitar, Fender Rhodes/mellotron/mini-Moog, bass and drums progressive band. The keyboards give it a jazzier/fusion touch.
At its best, this has some great guitarwork and a fusion underpinning. At its worst? Well, the vocals ain't so..

"... from trippy phases with echo guitars and Mellotron onto headfirst plunges into space-rock overdrive territory. In all, an excellent album of spacey krautrock"-Alan Freeman

33 minutes of pure, unadulterated, psychedelic krautrock courtesy of Pyramid, an obscure studio project produced by Toby Robinson, aka The Mad Twiddler.
These sessions were recorded circa 1975-76 in Cologne for the underground Pyramid label, which was operated by Toby and his friend Robin Page (the Fluxus artist)...

"... from trippy phases with echo guitars and Mellotron onto headfirst plunges into space-rock overdrive territory. In all, an excellent album of spacey krautrock"-Alan Freeman

33 minutes of pure, unadulterated, psychedelic krautrock courtesy of Pyramid, an obscure studio project produced by Toby Robinson, aka The Mad Twiddler.
These sessions were recorded circa 1975-76 in Cologne for the underground Pyramid label, which was operated by Toby and his friend Robin Page (the Fluxus artist)...

"Antworten (meaning: answer) is the third installment in a trilogy of Qluster music, following on from the Fragen (meaning: question) and Rufen (BB 075CD/LP) studio albums. The fact that the music on Antworten was created before Rufen and Fragen were...

"Antworten (meaning: answer) is the third installment in a trilogy of Qluster music, following on from the Fragen (meaning: question) and Rufen (BB 075CD/LP) studio albums. The fact that the music on Antworten was created before Rufen and Fragen were...

"The third incarnation of the legendary krautrock project Kluster/Cluster expands its audience with the contemplative, mature, and intelligent electronic music of Echtzeit. Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Onnen Bock, and Armin Metz are Qluster, founded under the name of Kluster in 1969 by Roedelius, Dieter Moebius, and Conrad Schnitzler. Kluster were responsible for two milestones of electronic music. Schnitzler quit the band two years later, leaving Roedelius and Moebius to carry on as Cluster. When the duo....

“Elemente -- album number seven from the third incarnation of the legendary krautronic project Kluster/Cluster springs a surprise with a minor sensation: sequencer lines. Using an array of exclusively analogue instruments, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Onnen Bock, and Armin Metz have recorded eight tracks which, at one and the same time, are intrinsically hypnotic and sublimely beautiful. In principle, Elemente was created in much the same fashion as earlier Qluster albums: the three musicians met up in...

“Elemente -- album number seven from the third incarnation of the legendary krautronic project Kluster/Cluster springs a surprise with a minor sensation: sequencer lines. Using an array of exclusively analogue instruments, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Onnen Bock, and Armin Metz have recorded eight tracks which, at one and the same time, are intrinsically hypnotic and sublimely beautiful. In principle, Elemente was created in much the same fashion as earlier Qluster albums: the three musicians met up in...

"Kluster -- Cluster -- and now Qluster. Fragen documents the extraordinary shedding of skin of one of the most important German electronic groups. Hans-Joachim Roedelius was there from the beginning (1969), with Onnen Bock taking the place of Dieter...

"Kluster (1969) metamorphosed into Cluster (1971) and Cluster became Qluster (2011). In a period spanning over 40 years, Hans-Joachim Roedelius was a driving force behind this unique transformation. Now, as Qluster, he has recorded together with Onnen...

"Kluster (1969) metamorphosed into Cluster (1971) and Cluster became Qluster (2011). In a period spanning over 40 years, Hans-Joachim Roedelius was a driving force behind this unique transformation. Now, as Qluster, he has recorded together with Onnen...

"The artists:
Hans-Joachim Roedelius (piano)
Onnen Bock (piano)
Armin Metz (piano)

The music: minimalist, spherical sounds by three grand pianos. Introverted, minimalist "classical" music has reached full bloom as devotees of the.

Interestingly enough, this release is a soundtrack to a documentary. There are 4 long-ish tracks (short by their standards, but still) and a bunch of very short tracks. But it still sounds like them!

"Artistic director Chris Zelov was in the...

After much, much too long silent, the stunningly prolific R.M.I. return with another set of wonderment.

"This hour long collage of Radio Massacre International material consists of previously unreleased material from various sessions between 2003-15, and might be seen as their version of `The Faust Tapes' in its construction. Endlessly fascinating, playing as a continuous suite, it is an unpredictable journey through many of the places RMI have found themselves in whilst working and improvising...

In addition to their many albums, RMI have also released a number of very limited edition CDRs. The musical and sound quality of these releases is excellent; as good as their regular releases, but do remember that these are CDRs in simple, flat packaging.

"For our headline appearance at the E-Live festival in Eindhoven we planned material designed to reflect every aspect of the band, from more composed material to pure improvisation. This release contains the entire set, and ranges from a...

In addition to their many albums, RMI have also released a number of very limited edition CDRs. The musical and sound quality of these releases is excellent; as good as their regular releases, but do remember that these are CDRs in simple, flat packaging.

"A brand new compilation of recordings made in The Greenhouse Studios , Stockport before the US tour in late 2002. Although you'll see some worryingly short pieces listed be assured that as usual they form a segued suite, although there are some...

Mixed & edited from concerts recorded at the Y-Theater, Leicster, September 1, 2007 & at Orion Sound Studios, Baltimore, November 18, 2007
Special Guests:
Martin Archer : Reeds, Wind Synth (Leicester)
Cyndee Lee Rule : Electric Violin (Baltimore)
Premik Russell Tubbs : Reeds, Wind Synth (Baltimore)

Radio Massacre International is a unbelievably prolific British trio of Steve Dinsdale (keyboards, electronics, drums), Duncan Goddard (keyboards, electronics, bass) and Gary Houghton

Recorded at The Gatherings, St. Mary's Church, November 17, 2007 (part one)

Radio Massacre International is a unbelievably prolific British trio of Steve Dinsdale (keyboards, electronics, drums), Duncan Goddard (keyboards, electronics, bass) and Gary Houghton (guitar, synthesizers). These three musicians have worked together in various configurations since they were 16 year old students in the 70's and formed R.M.I. in 1993.

In addition to their many 'regular' albums, RMI have also....

Recorded at The Gatherings, St. Mary's Church, November 17, 2007 (part two)

Radio Massacre International is a unbelievably prolific British trio of Steve Dinsdale (keyboards, electronics, drums), Duncan Goddard (keyboards, electronics, bass) and Gary Houghton (guitar, synthesizers). These three musicians have worked together in various configurations since they were 16 year old students in the 70's and formed R.M.I. in 1993.

In addition to their many 'regular' albums, RMI have also....