Artist Spotlight: Hans-Joachim Roedelius
Hans-Joachim Roedelius, experimental composer and longtime collaborator with Brian Eno, has released over 100 albums and is still actively performing in festivals around the world. The BBC has said, "If you're a fan of contemporary electronic music, but Roedelius is an unfamiliar name to you, then you're missing out on one of that genre's most important well-springs."
Not only has the man left an indelible mark on the musical world, his life has played out like an extraordinary film. Suffice it to say Roedelius grew up as a child actor in Berlin, was forced into the Hitler Youth and later the German Volksarmee during its firebombing campaigns, deserted, was arrested, and was sentenced to work in a coal mine 3000 feet underground for two years -- after which he sold fake jewelry, dabbled in jazz, worked as the masseuse to the president of the French Republic, and eventually set out as a professional composer.
After creating an artist commune in Berlin called Human Being, Roedelius formed the group Cluster with Conrad Schnitzler and Dieter Mobius. British music magazine The Wire placed Cluster's self-titled 1971 debut on their list of "100 Records That Set The World On Fire (while no one was listening)," and Roedelius' work with the band is considered a pillar of what is now known as krautrock.
This double album collects a variety of periods, styles, and collaborative efforts (band names are in parentheses after the track titles), and although it is expertly curated does not need to be listened to in order. A really nice place to jump in is an excerpt from Roedelius' performance with Tim Story at the 2005 More Ohr Less Festival in Austria:
Lunz Live (Lunz)
Hearing the first few notes of this track and seeing there are 8+ minutes remaining I can only compare to that wonderful feeling of starting a long book. I hope you enjoy it.
Additional Tracks:
Hollywood (Cluster)
By This River (Roedelius & Eno)
