Initially printed in Uncut’s February 2022 concern
“What I miss most about Moebi,” explains Hans-Joachim Roedelius, “is his bizarre sort of humour. Our partnership was very particular, and primarily based on the identical roots as my solo work: curiosity, curiosity, friendship, love.”
Throughout 40 years, a number of albums and collaborations with the likes of Michael Rother, Conrad Schnitzler and Brian Eno, Roedelius and his inventive companion Dieter Moebius crafted the music of Cluster and helped outline the sound and aesthetic of kosmische synth music. Moebius handed away in 2015, however Roedelius, now 87 and nonetheless prolifically composing and releasing music, is the keen guardian of the duo’s legacy, answering Uncut’s questions from his dwelling in Austria. “The final 12 months or so has been somewhat exhausting due to all of the dangerous and troublesome circumstances inside the Covid state of affairs – nevertheless it has been very fascinating engaged on music with [American collaborator] Tim Story from either side of the ocean.”
Regardless of the exterior circumstances, the mild channelling of inspiration “out of the stomach” has been Roedelius and Cluster’s lengthy mission. “Thought is simply to manage the entire course of,” he explains. “I see my work as one lengthy steady thread, and it’ll proceed till I’ve to go away the soil of this planet.”
TOM PINNOCK
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KLUSTER
KLOPFZEICHEN
SCHWANN AMS STUDIO, 1971
The debut, created as a trio with Conrad Schnitzler, their music overlaid with numerous non secular texts
HANS-JOACHIM ROEDELIUS: My musical expertise began with me as a bush-drummer within the macchia of Corsica, after I lived there for a while. Initially, I obtained in a trance hitting an outdated iron oil barrel round midnight, ending with bloody fingers within the morning. There have been no medicine in any respect, not even alcohol, simply heavy curiosity and enjoyable. Then I obtained concerned in free improvisation in Berlin within the late ’60s and we went alongside this manner till Conrad Schnitzler left Kluster, and Moebius and I continued in the identical experimental means as Cluster. Did we’ve got a robust bond from the beginning? Effectively, it was an adventurous journey from the primary second, as a result of we wished to do what was unimaginable to know intimately originally. I used to be a physiotherapist and masseur and Moebius was a graphic designer, and we have been very curious whether or not we’d be capable of change into actual musicians and artists. The state of affairs in Berlin and the muse of the [experimental arts club] Zodiak on the time was one of the simplest ways to search out out whether or not it might work and what it might convey us as human beings and artists with reference to consciousness, consciousness, understanding. This album was our entrance into all of it. The recording course of consisted of sitting down, hitting a primary key and ready the way it developed by ‘itself’. It was the primary actual manufacturing with Conny Plank in his studio in Godorf close to Cologne. The spoken texts occurred after a priest heard us performing. Kluster simply sat down there attempting to create related soundscapes that happy our ears, Conny recorded it and the composer Oskar Gottlieb Blarr listened via to search out out what he preferred as background for the textual content or poetry from the chosen artists of the ecumenic motion.
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CLUSTER
CLUSTER 71
PHILIPS, 1971
With Schnitzler departed, Conny Plank turns into the third, silent member of the renamed Cluster
This was recorded in Hamburg’s Starmusik Studio. I don’t recall a lot about it, solely that we had nice enjoyable and have been completely happy with the end result, as a result of it was our first actual studio work. We had no synthesisers as such at first – as a substitute we used guitar, cello, keyboards, tone turbines and little handmade digital toys from our aspect, after which Conny was properly conscious on the time of the specifics of his grand studio mixer, because the artist that he was. We did a really collaborative job. Our curiosity in improvisation got here purely from curiosity. There was no different means than practising it with no matter instrument or gear we needed to change into conscious whether or not we may do it and the way. It was pure curiosity, simply our curiosity wherein means a chunk developed by ‘itself’. The tracks on listed here are untitled, sure – we simply didn’t wish to give names to it originally, maybe as a result of we thought that music evokes its personal strengths and feelings. Did this album lay the groundwork for every little thing that got here after? In fact.
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CLUSTER
CLUSTER II
BRAIN, 1972
Six beautiful items, much less industrial and extra melodic, with “Im Süden” prompting Michael Rother to recommend a collaboration between Cluster and Neu! – as a substitute, Cluster and Rother shaped Harmonia the next 12 months
This looks like a breakthrough? Effectively, we have been simply getting extra into it, and getting extra skilled at having the ability to elaborate it. Conny was working with us once more – in addition to being a multi-talented artist, he was a really skilled sound grasp and nice human being. He contributed as a fellow musician, including sounds together with his mixing desk akin to reverb, delay and different results enriching the entire items in order that they lastly turned someway distinctive. I don’t bear in mind a lot concerning the classes, which have been once more at Hamburg’s Star Studio, however we have been completely satisfied being allowed to attempt to work there the best way we wished to. It was a traditional studio, so not as particular as Conny’s studio afterward, nevertheless it helped us so much to open the doorways to new sonic territories. Moebi and I interacted as a duo in the course of the recordings in the identical means we performed stay, it was normally a form of Q&A.
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CLUSTER
ZUCKERZEIT
BRAIN, 1974
With Rother on manufacturing duties, Roedelius and Moebius every created 5 solo tracks and pieced them collectively to create this up-tempo, beat-driven report
Moebi and I made a decision to work individually on this album, as a result of we wished to see what we’d convey if we confirmed up individually. Michael Rother is listed as producer, sure, however what did that entail? Effectively, he supplied a few of his equipment that we used. We weren’t attempting to create a ‘pop’ album, although there are quick monitor lengths, it was simply one other step on our approach to learn to create related music out of the second. We have been dwelling in Forst [a rural community by the river Weser in Lower Saxony] by this level. Once I moved with Moebius there, it appeared at first to be like paradise – dangerously idyllic! However we didn’t know {that a} plant up-river was damaged and children have been dying close by and down-river. In our group in Forst three folks, one child and two adults, died. As quickly as we obtained to find out about this truth, my household and I left Forst, however for some years it was our paradise, after travelling a lot and having no actual place to remain in peace and calm down.
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***UNCUT CLASSIC***
CLUSTER
SOWIESOSO
SKY, 1976
The final word kosmische album, Cluster’s fourth album bottles the essence of their rural dwelling with its stress-free, quasi-ambient textures
It wasn’t our plan to seize the temper of Forst and the countryside – no intention, simply reflection. However the affect got here from the great thing about the place at Forst, after all, and the happiness to have been in a position to cool down after so a few years of travelling. On a private stage, I had obtained along with my spouse, and our first little one was born in a homebirth in entrance of an open hearth there. The classes for Sowiesoso simply occurred when Moebi and I felt relaxed sufficient after a tough day’s work to go all the way down to Harmonia’s studio. Have been we collaborating totally once more? I believe so. And dealing in Harmonia with Michael Rother had positively modified Cluster’s music – for positive, it had influenced us to take Cluster in a extra harmonic course. How have been these tracks developed? Principally within the Cluster means and course – as I stated earlier than, out of the stomach, that’s the Cluster means.
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CLUSTER & ENO
CLUSTER & ENO
SKY, 1977
The duo’s first collaboration with Brian Eno, additionally that includes appearances from Can’s Holger Czukay and synthesist Asmus Tietchens
What drew us and Eno collectively? A friendship that had began a very long time earlier than we lastly labored collectively. We had met Eno two years earlier at a live performance in Hamburg, and had come to love him due to his pleasant nature and his companionship, and appreciated him due to his delicate jamming with us at one in all our live shows, and we invited him to affix us in Forst for a joint manufacturing. As a result of we had many day by day duties in our quasi-commune in Forst – for instance, gathering firewood from the forest for the winter, taking good care of our lately born little one, tending the backyard – Eno, who would have somewhat spent all day within the studio, agreed to assist with some work, however other than often carrying round our child Rosa, he didn’t actually do a lot. However he discovered how we mastered our life in Forst interesting, how we made music collectively. We recorded with him as Harmonia, which was launched a long time later [as 1997’s Tracks & Traces]. [We then made] music as Cluster with him at Conny Plank’s a few 12 months after his go to to Forst. We shared curiosity, an eagerness to experiment, love for nature and love for folks. The music “By This River” [released on Eno’s Before And After Science, 1977] turned one in all Brian’s most well-known songs – I wrote the fundamental music, Brian the melody and phrases.
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CLUSTER
CURIOSUM
SKY, 1981
The ultimate album earlier than Cluster’s decade-long break, a weird however compelling experiment in cartoonish, absurd synths and electronics
We recorded this on a four-track machine in a monastery within the north of Austria. It was, although it’d now have modified, an outdated constructing within the midst of a giant forest. The proprietor gave it to artists to remain and work there so long as wanted – what a splendid present! A traditional studio in a metropolis is one thing, however doing ‘it’ in locations like this monastery, for instance, makes it particular. It was inspiring to be on this non secular surroundings, after all, we by no means denied to be non secular. I don’t bear in mind us having any new gear for this. We at all times have been Cluster as character and trademark, two guys collectively in a deep friendship on their very own means in life. I’ve lived in Austria for a few years now; my Austrian-born spouse obtained me there, however I imagine [my destiny to live there] was already fastened lots of of years in the past by my ancestors. One among them, preacher and cantor Johann Christian Roedelius, was a up to date of the godfather of classical music, Johann Sebastian Bach, and the 2 of them performed the identical organ in St Thomas Church in Leipzig.
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CLUSTER
ONE HOUR
PRUDENCE/MÚSICA SECRETA, 1994
The second album produced from Cluster’s reunion, an formidable hour-long soundscape
Why did we resolve to get again collectively for [1991’s] Apropos Cluster and this album? Cluster is Cluster is Cluster is Cluster is Cluster advert infinitum. The story is that this album got here from hours of improvisation, nevertheless it didn’t come from ‘hours’, it got here from one hour. We used two keyboards, tone-generators, self-made little electrical toys, a knee-viola, a cello and a guitar. What have been we listening to on the time? I bear in mind Hapshash And The Colored Coat, Captain Beefheart and Jimi Hendrix. However actually Cluster is at all times unmistakeable, at the least to my ears. Did Moebi and I disagree a lot over time? As we started in 1969 to remain and work with one another, there was after all an expiration date for one thing that was so distinctive and additional on the time as Cluster or Kluster. The inventive air was operating out after greater than 40 years. It was a traditional means of getting drained doing at all times the identical factor.
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CLUSTER
QUA
NEPENTHE/KLANGBAD, 2009
The ultimate album by the duo, 17 assorted miniatures and epics recorded in Maumee, Ohio
That is Cluster’s swansong, essentially the most related up to date digital music of all time ever. This was recorded in Ohio in Tim Story’s studio, it was one other station within the Cluster journey, and in Tim we had one other silent member of the group as soon as once more. He’s the grandmaster of sound design – a Grammy nominee as soon as for his music for The Legend Of Sleepy Hole narrated by Glenn Shut. How had the spark and musical connection between Moebi and me modified? We have been versatile on a regular basis, we did what we did with no different function than ‘we wish to do what we wish to do what we wish to do’ out of the second, and thankfully we have been in a position to. So long as one is ready to hold his pursuits contemporary, to remain genuine from the start, to point out up with understanding and love, why shouldn’t he be cherished and appreciated by his viewers endlessly?
