D>Elektro 1.2 - |> expanded concept <|
|1.2.2| Sounds + Elements|> Living in the NEWland
| of Studios | Laboratories + Soundfactories |
| "We
regard our music as industrial
folk-music. It has it's own ethnic character, as it could only
have been come from here.
We are coming from the Rhein/Ruhr area, an industrial landscape. That's clearly audible in our music." Ralf Huetter (Kraftwerk) |
| How and where to begin with in the NEWland? |
| Naturally with the most simple and elementary things. |
| "Inability
is often the mother of restriction - and restriction is the godmother
of inventive playing. In japanese music you restrict yourself immensely
- that's why they receive so much power from it. It is unbelievable - Zen-music really blows you out. And this "blowing-out" is the power we must aim at."
Holger Czukay [CAN]
|
With the non-existing tradition and experience a lot of needless ballast went overboard, resp. didn't enter the stages and studios in the first place.
| "When
we started with CAN, Jaki often asked me, why I would play so much.
Then he told me I should only play one tone - that would be enough.
That was new to me, I thought: 'Is one tone really enough?' To be simple was a whole new concept for me - and reaching that simplicity was very difficult. Hence I became a very simple, minimal bass-player. If I changed anything, than only to suggest a different direction. But I always played just the minimum required!"
Holger Czukay [CAN]
|
| "At
the time I met Kraftwerk I was no longer satisfied with adapting other
musicians' ideas. I wanted to develop my own vision of music - to
start completely anew. To try to overcome all of the unnecessary,
clichéd stuff I'd learned from others and go back to the basics of
music. That was one rhythm
and one note and one idea, to try to find expression in clear
structures and with simple materials. That included not using 3 or 7 or 20 harmonies in one song, but staying on one level."
Michael Rother [NEU! | Harmonia]
|
The sound of the debut-records of Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, CAN, NEU! a.o. is extremly raw and unfiltered - and that is why they -even today- still sound modern and direct - why they still 'work'.
|>Minimal-manic + Repeti-deep
| "In
the case of 'Yoo Doo
Right' everyone restricted himself almost down to zero. And when
everyone plays just the most simplistic and what's really necessary,
you hit the common ground that you share and you feel that power born
out of this restriction. Everyone played as little as possible, and that's exactly where the power of that piece came from."
Holger Czukay on the legendary song of CAN's debut LP
|
Over a simple, somewhat african-like sounding, one-tone bass-figure and the metronomic drumbeat, some rap-like spoken-words-vocals are flowing - while the whole song in it's mono-tone-ness has an irresistible Beat and in it's epic simplicity remains one of the most fascinating of German rockmusic.
| "The
thing that appealed to me was the discipline. It was as if they'd decided that their project, in a typically German way, was to make a pure rock music that was stripped of superfluities, of showbiz."
Brian Eno
|
> Maximum Variety in the Minimal
Minimalism was one of the key-elements, that these experimentalists had in common - out of nessecity or insight.... - but that meant by now means a restriction in stylistic terms. CAN and NEU! are very good examples for that. Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger from NEU! toyed around with simple, children-songs alike melodies and didn't shy away from linking them with ennervating sound-collages and raw, punk-like riffs.
| "...
an ambient, bass-less White-Light-Pop-Rock-Mantra,
that oscillated exactly on the meeting point of two extreme's: pop-music
and German experimental music. NEU! was the product of young sound-magicians who, in a fascinating way set truly beautiful sounds next to the clinking and cut-ups, that dominated most of the comtemporary experimental music. Both of them had a sense for melodies, that came straight from Disneyland - and no worries about sounding beautiful and furious in the same way."
Julian Cope ['Krautrocksampler']
|
| "With
Kraftwerk there is an intellectual process which precedes the musical
process. Their way of making is very thoughtful, but the result
is very minimal. lt reminds me of great painters like Klee, Mondrian or Picasso, who are great technicians but whose works are minimal."
Paul Alessandrini
|
| D>Elektro |1.2.2| |>Sounds + Elements<| |
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