Cluster - Zuckerzeit vinyl lp (due to size and weight, this price for the USA only. Outside of the USA, the price will be adjusted as needed)
SKU
05-BB 447LP
After recording their classic II, the duo joined forces with Michael Rother (ex Neu!) for two fabulous albums as Harmonia. So this, their 2nd album for Brain, was not released until the later 70's, & features more sophisticated electronics & less obvious 'junk' than before. Having said this, I think that this is one of their very best and is essential Krautrock / early electronics listening. Hugely recommended!
“Released in 1974, Zuckerzeit marks a clear turning point in Cluster's work, introducing shorter formats and a more defined rhythmic framework. The increased use of drum machines and structured sequencing sets it apart from the duo's earlier, more diffuse recordings, while maintaining a focus on texture and tone.
Developed in close proximity to Michael Rother and under increasingly independent production conditions, the album establishes a more direct and accessible approach without simplifying its underlying ideas. A key recording in Cluster's catalogue, capturing a pivotal moment of transition and refinement.
In 1974, Cluster entered the sugar era. Many a thing had changed for band members Moebius and Roedelius since Cluster II: They had moved from boisterous Berlin to this calm rural village, they had founded the band Harmonia, had set up their own studio and had bought new equipment. As a result of this and many other things, new impulses were noticeably spurring the evolution of their music. The album Zuckerzeit ("sugar era") launched a revolution for Cluster. Strictly speaking, Zuckerzeit is not really an album by Cluster. More precisely, the LP contains two mini solo albums by Moebius and Roedelius. Those who were familiar with the stylistic peculiarities of the two musicians could easily relate the solo pieces to either one of them. As Roedelius and Moebius had not yet released any solo works by the time, it was actually not possible to draw up any comparisons yet. Zuckerzeit is light and cheerful, freed from the Germanic gravity and the mystic incense fumes that were so fashionable at the time. Cluster managed to keep both feet on the ground without becoming plain or even sterile. The friendliness of the music is clearly due to the two personalities of Roedelius and Moebius; its down-to-earth character possibly comes from Michael Rother, the album's coproducer.
When comparing Zuckerzeit to the works of other electronic combos produced at the same time, it is first of all the shortness of the tracks that seems most striking. The fact that Cluster worked in such a calm and collected way, that they concentrated on their musical ideas instead of losing themselves in long-windedness -- all this taken together gave way to the creation of electronic miniatures that sounded as extraordinary in the 1970s as they still do today.”
- LabelBureau B
- UPC4015698176056