History
Krautrock is a musical genre that originated in West Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is a fusion of psychedelic rock, electronic music, and experimental jazz. The term "Krautrock" was originally used in a derogatory sense, but it has since been embraced by fans of the genre.
The origins of Krautrock can be traced back to the student protests of the late 1960s in Germany. The protest movements of the time were about rejecting the traditional values of German society and creating a new, more progressive culture. This sentiment was reflected in the music that emerged during this period.
One of the earliest Krautrock bands was Amon Düül. They formed in Munich in 1967 and were part of a commune that rejected the conventions of mainstream society. Their music was experimental and improvisational, incorporating elements of psychedelic rock and free jazz.
Another influential Krautrock band was Can. They formed in Cologne in 1968 and were known for their use of electronic music and minimalist compositions. Their music was highly influential, and many artists today still cite Can as an influence.
Other notable Krautrock bands include Neu!, Faust, and Cluster. Neu! was known for their repetitive, minimalist compositions, while Faust was known for their avant-garde approach to music. Cluster was a pioneering electronic music duo that experimented with ambient sounds and synthesizers.
Krautrock was not just a musical genre, but a cultural movement. The music was often associated with counterculture and political activism. Many of the bands were part of communes or collectives and rejected the capitalist system.
Krautrock's influence can still be heard in contemporary music. Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem, and The Flaming Lips are just a few examples of bands that have been influenced by Krautrock.
Notable artists
Can: One of the most influential Krautrock bands, Can experimented with different sounds, including psychedelic rock, jazz, and electronic music. They were known for their improvisational live shows and their use of unusual instrumentation, such as the Holger Czukay’s Dictaphone.
Neu!: Neu! Was a duo composed of Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger, who were also members of Kraftwerk. Their minimalist sound, based on repetitive rhythms and simple melodies, influenced a generation of post:punk and new wave bands.
Kraftwerk: Although they are often labeled as electronic music pioneers, Kraftwerk’s early albums were heavily influenced by Krautrock. Their early music was characterized by the use of acoustic instruments, such as flute and guitar, blended with electronic sounds.
Faust: Faust was known for their experimental and avant:garde approach to music, which included tape loops, found sounds, and unconventional musical instruments. Their live performances were often chaotic and unpredictable.
Ash Ra Tempel: Ash Ra Tempel was founded by guitarist Manuel Göttsching in 1970. They were known for their improvisational live shows that blended elements of rock, jazz, and space music.
Cluster: Cluster was a duo composed of Dieter Moebius and Hans:Joachim Roedelius. Their music was characterized by minimalism and the use of electronic sounds. They collaborated with Brian Eno on several albums, and their influence can be heard in the work of ambient and electronic music artists.
Amon Düül II: Amon Düül II was a collective of musicians who blended psychedelic rock with elements of folk music and world music. Their music was characterized by long improvisational jams and complex arrangements.
Popol Vuh: Popol Vuh was formed by Florian Fricke in the late 1960s. They were known for their use of traditional instruments, such as flute and harp, blended with electronic sounds. Their music often had a spiritual or mystical quality.
Can’s Damo Suzuki: Although not a band, Damo Suzuki’s collaboration with Can was instrumental in defining the Krautrock genre. His vocals were often abstract and improvisational, blending with the band’s experimental instrumentation.
Guru Guru: Guru Guru was a trio known for their high:energy psychedelic rock. Their music was characterized by complex time signatures and extended improvisations. They were known for their theatrical live shows, which often included costumes and props.
Broader context
One of the seminal works on the genre is Julian Cope’s book, Krautrocksampler. In this book, Cope offers a comprehensive overview of Krautrock, its defining features, and its most significant acts. He describes Krautrock as “a creature born of the bowels of Germany, made by technicians with an uneasy relationship with their own emotions.” Cope characterizes the music as experimental, forward-thinking, and rooted in improvisation, creating a sound that was both cerebral and emotional.
In an interview with NPR, experimental musician Steve Gunn notes the influence Krautrock has had on him. “Krautrock doesn't have a very popular connotation, but for me, it's a very exciting term.” Gunn describes Krautrock as liberating, noting how it allowed musicians to break free from the constraints of traditional song structure and instrumentation.
According to David Stubbs, author of Future Days: Krautrock and the Building of Modern Germany, Krautrock is significant not only for its musical innovations but for its cultural and political implications. In an interview with The Quietus, Stubbs posits that Krautrock emerged as a response to Germany’s post-World War II identity crisis and the country’s fraught relationship with modernity. “They were trying to take an identity for themselves that was autonomous of the Anglo-American influence, and this was very much in the air in terms of post-war Germany rebuilding itself.”
One of the defining features of Krautrock is its use of technology and electronics, something that has been noted by music critics over the years. In a review of Kraftwerk’s Trans Europe Express, Paul Gambaccini, writing in Rolling Stone, wrote, “Kraftwerk doesn't ask that you empathize with its robotic voices: it insists that you accept them as part of the aural landscape, like uptown traffic or birds chirping in the morning.” Gambaccini recognizes Kraftwerk’s influence in forging a new sound based on synthetic textures and motoric rhythms.
Mute Records founder Daniel Miller echoes this sentiment in an interview with The Wire Magazine. “The early Krautrock bands were different from anything else around because they were incorporating new technology, such as synthesizers, into music in a way that had never been done before."
In an article for The Guardian, musician Luke Haines shares his thoughts on the enduring appeal of Krautrock. “The music is both inside and outside of time. It is futuristic yet it remains, in microcosm, undefeated by time itself.” Haines praises the genre’s ability to exist outside of trends and commercialism, noting that Krautrock’s influence can be heard in modern acts such as Radiohead and LCD Soundsystem.
The social context of Krautrock can largely be attributed to the student uprisings of 1968, which primarily took place in France, the United States, and West Germany. These uprisings called for reform, and the students demanded that the state and cultural institutions give them more power. This demand for power was also reflected through Krautrock, with the musicians seeking new ways of creating and sharing music that broke away from traditional music frameworks.
The cultural context that gave rise to Krautrock was a mix of various factors. One significant factor was the influence of psychedelic music from the United States and the United Kingdom, particularly the music of the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and the Doors. The experimental, electronic aspects of psychedelic music fused with local German music produced a unique sound that was brutally honest in its appraisal of post-war Germany.
In the early 1970s, German cities were proud of the thriving counterculture that was centered on artistic and bohemian practices. This manifested itself in the form of record shops selling imported albums and a public appetite for diverse music. It was within this cultural landscape that Krautrock came into being, and it was rapidly embraced by the German populace, including West Berlin's thriving counterculture scene.
The technological context of Krautrock saw the musicians embrace the developments happening around them in terms of new electronic equipment, which enabled them to expand their sound and create entirely new soundscapes. Kraftwerk, for instance, was one of the first bands to embrace electronic instruments, giving birth to what can be called electropop.
Notable record labels that played an essential role in the development of Krautrock include Brain Records, Ohr Records, and Kosmische Musik, which was formed as a subsidiary of United Artists. The founders of these labels, such as Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser and Günter Körber, were instrumental in nurturing the talents of artists, such as Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, and Can, among others.
Journalists and other figures such as the likes of Miloco Friedemann and Rüdiger Lorenz played a critical role by spreading the news about Krautrock, particularly in the music press. They interviewed the artists, gave their opinions on releases, and were crucial ambassadors in promoting the Krautrock sound.