Hans Joachim Roedelius
Encyclopedia
Hans-Joachim Roedelius is a German
experimental
, ambient
and electronic
musician. He is best known as a co-founder of the krautrock
groups Cluster
and Harmonia
and for his work in the ambient jazz trio Aquarello
.
films such as "...reitet für Deutschland" (Riding for Germany, 1941) and "Verklungene Melodie" (Dead Melody, 1938).
In 1968 Roedelius co-founded the music commune known as "Human Being" and co-formed Zodiak Free Arts Lab
, the center of Berlin's Underground Culture at the time, with conceptual artist Conrad Schnitzler
. He met Dieter Moebius
at the Zodiak. In 1970 Roedelius, Schnitzler and Moebius formed Kluster
.
In 1971 Schnitzler left the group to start a long-running solo career and Moebius and Roedelius anglicised the band's name to Cluster. At first Cluster worked along the same lines as their parent group, signed first to Philips
then to Brain
. In 1974, they worked with Neu!
guitarist Michael Rother
for the first time.
Rother co-produced their third album, Zuckerzeit
, moving the band's style further from avant-garde 'noise' to a more melodic music, similar to modern-day trance
. The trio had been touring Germany
and the Low Countries
since early 1973 and decided to record an album together under the moniker of Harmonia. Musik von Harmonia
was released on the back of a huge publicity campaign by Brain.
Harmonia released one further album initially, 1975's Deluxe
. British musician Brian Eno
, who had become a fan of both Cluster and Harmonia, joined them for several jams, the result of which was released in 1997 as Tracks & Traces
.
Rother left Harmonia to pursue his solo career and Cluster returned to the studio to record Sowiesoso
which was released on Sky Records
. Brian Eno, who had returned to Germany to work with David Bowie
, improvised two albums worth of music with Cluster: 1977's Cluster & Eno
and 1978's After the Heat
, the latter of which gained the band much attention in the British music press.
A further Cluster album, Großes Wasser
which extended Cluster's music into long form. Roedelius' solo career began with Durch die Wüste
in 1978 and then Jardin au Fou
in 1979. This album laid down Roedelius' future style: melodic piano and (often faked) acoustic instruments played with a sharp tinge of electronics.
The first of the lengthy Selbstportrait series was released in 1979, being outtakes from his work with Cluster and Harmonia, without the input of his collaborators. Consisting of only two tracks and recorded very unprofessionally, the Selbstportraits make up the backbone of Roedelius' early solo recordings.
Leaving Sky in 1982, his work took a more New Age
style as he signed to Virgin
's Venture sub-label. During this period, his best selling solo album Geschenk des Augenblicks - Gift of the Moment
was released.
He was dropped by Venture in 1989 and began releasing on a variety of small labels, notably Multimood and Prudence. He began to venture into the newly emerging genre of techno
, starting with 1991's Der Ohrenspiegel, whose 25-minute opener, Reflectorum displays some of the characteristics of the later Sinfonia Contempora series.
By 1994 Roedelius' style was a heady mix of amateur electronics and sometimes clichéd ambient
jazz. An album from this year; Theatreworks, was rewarded with the title "album of the month" by experimental music magazine The Wire
.
Arguably the biggest turning point in Roedelius' career came in 1994 as well. The release of Sinfonia Contempora No. 1: Von Zeit zu Zeit marked, in Roedelius' own words, "Since the beginning of my career nothing was more important to me than to find my own musical language. I have, so I believe, eventually found it." The album consists of mismatched tape fragments (from numerous jams ranging from the mid-eighties to the mid-nineties) multitracked over the top of each other to create a disjointed but oddly musical sound.
Sinfonia Contempora No. 2: La Nordica (Salz Des Nordens) was released in 1996, making for a much more sinister and muddy sound than its predecessor. Also released in this period was Selbstportrait VI: The Diary of the Unforgotten, the first of the modern Selbstportraits. Now, rather than merely remastering the seventies DAT tapes, Roedelius also played over them, the sound montage Homage á Forst samples many Harmonia and Cluster tracks into the mix.
In the meantime, Cluster had reformed. 1990's Apropos Cluster
was an update for the band, being a work of avant-techno not dissimilar in style to Großes Wasser. In 1996 Cluster embarked on two international tours, one of Japan and one of America. Both tours would be summarised on the following years live albums. The new sound of Cluster learns from the Sinfonia Contempora sound whilst adding Moebius' distinctive sound.
The turn of the century was Roedelius' most productive year, an astonishing eight albums being released between 2000 and 2001. Reprising the Selbstportrait series for the seventh time in 2000, Roedelius composed entirely new tracks for the first time on Selfportrait VII: dem Wind voran - ahead of the wind. The new millennium also saw Roedelius begin to work with other, usually younger, musicians than he had done since the late eighties.
Another series is Lieder vom Steinfeld. Begun in 1995, Roedelius recites poems over these pieces, primarily in his native German dialect. In 2001 Roedelius worked with Conrad Schnitzler again for the first time since 1971. The independently released and extremely rare Acon 2000/1 was the result.
Roedelius had been growing substantially in fame since Cluster began touring again in 1996. He is now often cited by electronic musicians and releases several albums a year, many of which are collaborations with modern musicians who are fans. He works extensively with Tim Storey
and recently released Fibre with the help of Noh 1 (a.k.a. George Taylor), an album which has reached 13th place in "the Third Uncut Playlist of 2009" for Uncut Magazine
, ahead of Bruce Springsteen
's Working on a Dream
.
In November 2010 it was announced that Cluster had split up for the third time. In the official announcement, the split up was described as Moebius
leaving the group. In the wake of this news, Roedelius announced that he was beginning a new project called Qluster, to follow on from Cluster and Kluster
. The band is made up of Roedelius and accomplished electronic musician Onnen Bock and will release a trilogy named "Rufen", "Fragen" and "Antworten" (Calling, Asking and Answering) in 2011. "Fragen" will be released on 27 May.
In Human Being
In Kluster
In Cluster
In Harmonia
In Aquarello
In Global Trotters Project
In Qluster
Solo Work
Collaborations
With Brian Eno
, Dieter Moebius
and Michael Rother
With Brian Eno
and Dieter Moebius
With Brian Eno
and Dieter Moebius
on Eno's solo album
With Alexander Czjzek
With Aqueous
With Barbieri
and Chianura
With Alquimia
With Tim Story (sometimes collectively referred to as Lunz)
With Conrad Schnitzler
With Fabio Capanni, Felix Dorner, Hirishi Nagashima and Robin Storey
With Lynn
With Nikos Arvanitis
With Noh 1
With Morgan Fisher
With David Bickley
With Kava
With Tim Story and Dwight Ashley
With Alessandra Celletti
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
, ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
and electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
musician. He is best known as a co-founder of the krautrock
Krautrock
Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music scenes that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in Britain. The term is a result of the English-speaking world's reception of the music at the time and not a reference to any one...
groups Cluster
Cluster (band)
Cluster is a German experimental musical group who influenced the development of contemporary popular electronic and ambient music. They have recorded albums in a wide variety of styles ranging from experimental music to progressive rock, all of which had an avant-garde edge. Cluster has been...
and Harmonia
Harmonia (band)
Harmonia is a Krautrock supergroup from Germany. They formed as a collaboration between Michael Rother of Neu! and Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Möbius of Cluster and later included the British musician Brian Eno.-Musical style:...
and for his work in the ambient jazz trio Aquarello
Aquarello
Aquarello was a musical group which blended ambient music and jazz. The trio included keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, based in Austria, and two Italian musicians, multi-instrumentalist Fabio Capanni, and saxophonist Nicola Alesini...
.
Biography
As a child he acted in UFAUniversum Film AG
Universum Film AG, better known as UFA or Ufa, is a film company that was the principal film studio in Germany, home of the German film industry during the Weimar Republic and through World War II, and a major force in world cinema from 1917 to 1945...
films such as "...reitet für Deutschland" (Riding for Germany, 1941) and "Verklungene Melodie" (Dead Melody, 1938).
In 1968 Roedelius co-founded the music commune known as "Human Being" and co-formed Zodiak Free Arts Lab
Zodiak Free Arts Lab
The Zodiak Free Arts Lab, sometimes known as the "Zodiak Club" or "Zodiac Club," was a short-lived but highly influential experimental live music venue, founded in the then West Berlin in late 1967 by German artists/musicians Conrad Schnitzler and Hans-Joachim Roedelius The Zodiak Free Arts Lab,...
, the center of Berlin's Underground Culture at the time, with conceptual artist Conrad Schnitzler
Conrad Schnitzler
Conrad Schnitzler was a prolific German experimental musician.Schnitzler was born in Düsseldorf. He was an early member of Tangerine Dream and a founder of the band Kluster. He left Kluster in 1971, first working with his group Eruption and then focusing on solo works...
. He met Dieter Moebius
Dieter Moebius
Dieter Moebius is a German/Swiss experimental/krautrock/ambient/electronic musician.Moebius studied art in Brussels and Berlin and met there Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler . They founded a band Kluster in 1969. After the departure of Schnitzler, they changed their name to Cluster...
at the Zodiak. In 1970 Roedelius, Schnitzler and Moebius formed Kluster
Kluster
Kluster is a German experimental musical group whose work often resembles later industrial music.The original Kluster was short-lived, existing only from 1969 until mid-1971 when Conrad Schnitzler left and the remaining two members renamed themselves Cluster...
.
In 1971 Schnitzler left the group to start a long-running solo career and Moebius and Roedelius anglicised the band's name to Cluster. At first Cluster worked along the same lines as their parent group, signed first to Philips
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
then to Brain
Brain Records
Brain was a Hamburg-based record label prominent in the 1970s releasing several important Krautrock records by bands such as Neu!, Cluster and Guru Guru...
. In 1974, they worked with Neu!
Neu!
Neu! was a German band formed by Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother after their split from Kraftwerk in the early 1970s...
guitarist Michael Rother
Michael Rother
Michael Rother is a German experimental Krautrock musician and composer.- Early life and education :Born in 1950, Rother went to school in Munich, Wilmslow , Karachi, and Düsseldorf. He also lived in Pakistan in the early 1960s where he was exposed to Pakistani music that would influence his own...
for the first time.
Rother co-produced their third album, Zuckerzeit
Zuckerzeit
Zuckerzeit is the third full-length album by German electronic music outfit Cluster. It was co-produced by Michael Rother, their bandmate in Harmonia...
, moving the band's style further from avant-garde 'noise' to a more melodic music, similar to modern-day trance
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
. The trio had been touring Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
since early 1973 and decided to record an album together under the moniker of Harmonia. Musik von Harmonia
Musik Von Harmonia
Musik Von Harmonia is the debut album from the highly influential Krautrock/Kosmische Musik group Harmonia. Harmonia, was formed by the addition of Neu! guitarist Michael Rother to Cluster, the duo of Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius....
was released on the back of a huge publicity campaign by Brain.
Harmonia released one further album initially, 1975's Deluxe
Deluxe (Harmonia album)
Deluxe is the second album from the highly influential Krautrock/Kosmische Musik group Harmonia. Harmonia was formed by the addition of Neu! guitarist Michael Rother to Cluster, the duo of Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius....
. British musician Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, who had become a fan of both Cluster and Harmonia, joined them for several jams, the result of which was released in 1997 as Tracks & Traces
Tracks and Traces
Tracks and Traces is the one and only album credited to Harmonia '76, but it is generally regarded as the third album by the highly influential Krautrock/Kosmische Musik group Harmonia. Harmonia was formed by the addition of Neu! guitarist Michael Rother to Cluster, the duo of Hans-Joachim...
.
Rother left Harmonia to pursue his solo career and Cluster returned to the studio to record Sowiesoso
Sowiesoso
Sowiesoso is the fourth full-length album by German electronic music outfit Cluster.Sowiesoso was recorded in just two days in Forst, Germany in 1976...
which was released on Sky Records
Sky Records
Sky Records was a Hamburg, Germany based independent record label specializing in Krautrock/Kosmische Musik and electronic music. Some of their releases could be classified as progressive rock or art rock, experimental music, industrial, ambient, or New Age...
. Brian Eno, who had returned to Germany to work with David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, improvised two albums worth of music with Cluster: 1977's Cluster & Eno
Cluster & Eno
Cluster & Eno is a collaborative album by the German electronic music group Cluster and British ambient musician Brian Eno. The style of this album is a collection of gentle melodies: a mixture of Eno’s ambient sensibilities and Cluster's avant-garde style.In June, 1977 the duo of Hans-Joachim...
and 1978's After the Heat
After the Heat
After the Heat is a 1978 album by Brian Eno, Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius . The album represents the second collaboration by the trio, the first being 1977's Cluster & Eno...
, the latter of which gained the band much attention in the British music press.
A further Cluster album, Großes Wasser
Grosses Wasser
Grosses Wasser is the seventh album by the electronic music outfit Cluster. It was co-produced by former Tangerine Dream member Peter Baumann...
which extended Cluster's music into long form. Roedelius' solo career began with Durch die Wüste
Durch Die Wuste
Durch die Wüste is the first full-length solo album by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, best known for his work with Cluster, Harmonia, and Aquarello. The title is German for "Through the Desert."...
in 1978 and then Jardin au Fou
Jardin Au Fou
Jardin Au Fou is the second solo album by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, best known for his work with Cluster. The title is French for "Garden of Madness"....
in 1979. This album laid down Roedelius' future style: melodic piano and (often faked) acoustic instruments played with a sharp tinge of electronics.
The first of the lengthy Selbstportrait series was released in 1979, being outtakes from his work with Cluster and Harmonia, without the input of his collaborators. Consisting of only two tracks and recorded very unprofessionally, the Selbstportraits make up the backbone of Roedelius' early solo recordings.
Leaving Sky in 1982, his work took a more New Age
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
style as he signed to Virgin
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
's Venture sub-label. During this period, his best selling solo album Geschenk des Augenblicks - Gift of the Moment
Geschenk des Augenblicks - Gift of the Moment
Geschenk des Augenblicks - Gift of the Moment is the eleventh solo album by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, best known for his work with Cluster, Harmonia, and Aquarello.-Recording and Release:...
was released.
He was dropped by Venture in 1989 and began releasing on a variety of small labels, notably Multimood and Prudence. He began to venture into the newly emerging genre of techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
, starting with 1991's Der Ohrenspiegel, whose 25-minute opener, Reflectorum displays some of the characteristics of the later Sinfonia Contempora series.
By 1994 Roedelius' style was a heady mix of amateur electronics and sometimes clichéd ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
jazz. An album from this year; Theatreworks, was rewarded with the title "album of the month" by experimental music magazine The Wire
The Wire (magazine)
The Wire is a British avant garde music magazine, founded in 1982 by jazz promoter Anthony Wood and journalist Chrissie Murray. The magazine initially concentrated on contemporary jazz and improvised music, but branched out in the early 1990s to various types of experimental music...
.
Arguably the biggest turning point in Roedelius' career came in 1994 as well. The release of Sinfonia Contempora No. 1: Von Zeit zu Zeit marked, in Roedelius' own words, "Since the beginning of my career nothing was more important to me than to find my own musical language. I have, so I believe, eventually found it." The album consists of mismatched tape fragments (from numerous jams ranging from the mid-eighties to the mid-nineties) multitracked over the top of each other to create a disjointed but oddly musical sound.
Sinfonia Contempora No. 2: La Nordica (Salz Des Nordens) was released in 1996, making for a much more sinister and muddy sound than its predecessor. Also released in this period was Selbstportrait VI: The Diary of the Unforgotten, the first of the modern Selbstportraits. Now, rather than merely remastering the seventies DAT tapes, Roedelius also played over them, the sound montage Homage á Forst samples many Harmonia and Cluster tracks into the mix.
In the meantime, Cluster had reformed. 1990's Apropos Cluster
Apropos Cluster
Apropos Cluster is a full-length studio album by Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius also known as German electronic music outfit Cluster. It was also their first album after an eight year long hiatus....
was an update for the band, being a work of avant-techno not dissimilar in style to Großes Wasser. In 1996 Cluster embarked on two international tours, one of Japan and one of America. Both tours would be summarised on the following years live albums. The new sound of Cluster learns from the Sinfonia Contempora sound whilst adding Moebius' distinctive sound.
The turn of the century was Roedelius' most productive year, an astonishing eight albums being released between 2000 and 2001. Reprising the Selbstportrait series for the seventh time in 2000, Roedelius composed entirely new tracks for the first time on Selfportrait VII: dem Wind voran - ahead of the wind. The new millennium also saw Roedelius begin to work with other, usually younger, musicians than he had done since the late eighties.
Another series is Lieder vom Steinfeld. Begun in 1995, Roedelius recites poems over these pieces, primarily in his native German dialect. In 2001 Roedelius worked with Conrad Schnitzler again for the first time since 1971. The independently released and extremely rare Acon 2000/1 was the result.
Roedelius had been growing substantially in fame since Cluster began touring again in 1996. He is now often cited by electronic musicians and releases several albums a year, many of which are collaborations with modern musicians who are fans. He works extensively with Tim Storey
Tim Storey
Timothy Brian Storey is an American speaker, author, life coach, media personality, and entrepreneur. He is Founder of Tim Storey Enterprises and StoreyDreams Foundation.- Family :...
and recently released Fibre with the help of Noh 1 (a.k.a. George Taylor), an album which has reached 13th place in "the Third Uncut Playlist of 2009" for Uncut Magazine
UNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
, ahead of Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's Working on a Dream
Working on a Dream
Working on a Dream is the 16th studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released on January 27, 2009 through Columbia Records. It has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, with over 585,000 in the United States as of September 2010.-History:...
.
In November 2010 it was announced that Cluster had split up for the third time. In the official announcement, the split up was described as Moebius
Dieter Moebius
Dieter Moebius is a German/Swiss experimental/krautrock/ambient/electronic musician.Moebius studied art in Brussels and Berlin and met there Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler . They founded a band Kluster in 1969. After the departure of Schnitzler, they changed their name to Cluster...
leaving the group. In the wake of this news, Roedelius announced that he was beginning a new project called Qluster, to follow on from Cluster and Kluster
Kluster
Kluster is a German experimental musical group whose work often resembles later industrial music.The original Kluster was short-lived, existing only from 1969 until mid-1971 when Conrad Schnitzler left and the remaining two members renamed themselves Cluster...
. The band is made up of Roedelius and accomplished electronic musician Onnen Bock and will release a trilogy named "Rufen", "Fragen" and "Antworten" (Calling, Asking and Answering) in 2011. "Fragen" will be released on 27 May.
Chronology
Roedelius' recorded career can be split into roughly 7 eras:- The Schwann Years (1968–1971)
- The BrainBrain RecordsBrain was a Hamburg-based record label prominent in the 1970s releasing several important Krautrock records by bands such as Neu!, Cluster and Guru Guru...
Years (1972–1975) - The SkySky RecordsSky Records was a Hamburg, Germany based independent record label specializing in Krautrock/Kosmische Musik and electronic music. Some of their releases could be classified as progressive rock or art rock, experimental music, industrial, ambient, or New Age...
Years (1976–1982) - The VirginVirgin RecordsVirgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
Years (1983–1989) - The Early BadenBaden bei Wien-Points of interest:The town offers several parks and a picturesque surrounding, of which the most frequented is the Helenental valley. Not far from Baden, the valley is crossed by a widespread aqueduct of the Vienna waterworks...
Years(1990–1993) - The Symphonic Years (1994–1998)
- The Modern Years (1999–present)
Discography
In BandsIn Human Being
- 2008 : Live at the Zodiak - Berlin 1968 (live album)
In Kluster
Kluster
Kluster is a German experimental musical group whose work often resembles later industrial music.The original Kluster was short-lived, existing only from 1969 until mid-1971 when Conrad Schnitzler left and the remaining two members renamed themselves Cluster...
- 1970 : KlopfzeichenKlopfzeichenKlopfzeichen is the first full-length album by German experimental music trio Kluster.Klopfzeichen was recorded on December 21, 1969 at Rhenus-Studio, Gordorf, Germany. Liner notes on the CD reissue on the Hypnotic label as well as some websites place the recording date precisely one year later in...
(studio album) - 1970 : Zwei-OstereiZwei-OstereiZwei-Osterei is the second full-length album by German experimental music trio Kluster. The album title translates to English as "Two - Easter egg"....
(studio album) - 1971 : EruptionEruption (album)Eruption is the third and final full-length album by German experimental music trio Kluster. It is also the only live recording issued by Kluster....
(live album, originally released as Kluster und Eruption)
In Cluster
Cluster (band)
Cluster is a German experimental musical group who influenced the development of contemporary popular electronic and ambient music. They have recorded albums in a wide variety of styles ranging from experimental music to progressive rock, all of which had an avant-garde edge. Cluster has been...
- 1971 : Cluster '71Cluster (album)Cluster is the eponymous first full-length album by German electronic music outfit Cluster. It is also the only album on which Conrad Plank is credited as a member. Cluster was recorded at Star-Studio in Hamburg, Germany in January, 1971...
(studio album) - 1972 : Cluster IICluster IICluster II is the second full-length album by German electronic music outfit Cluster and their first album with the band reduced to a duo. Conny Plank, who was credited as a member on the first album, decided to concentrate on production and engineering...
(studio album) - 1974 : ZuckerzeitZuckerzeitZuckerzeit is the third full-length album by German electronic music outfit Cluster. It was co-produced by Michael Rother, their bandmate in Harmonia...
(studio album) - 1976 : SowiesosoSowiesosoSowiesoso is the fourth full-length album by German electronic music outfit Cluster.Sowiesoso was recorded in just two days in Forst, Germany in 1976...
(studio album) - 1979 : Großes WasserGrosses WasserGrosses Wasser is the seventh album by the electronic music outfit Cluster. It was co-produced by former Tangerine Dream member Peter Baumann...
(studio album) - 1980 : Live In ViennaLive in Vienna (Cluster album)Live in Vienna is the eighth full-length album by German electronic music outfit Cluster and their first and only album with Joshi Farnbauer. It is the first of four live albums recorded by Cluster....
(live album) - 1981 : CuriosumCuriosumCuriosum is the ninth album by the electronic music outfit Cluster. It was also the final collaboration between Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius before an eight year hiatus....
(studio album) - 1984 : Stimmungen (compilation album)
- 1990 : Apropos ClusterApropos ClusterApropos Cluster is a full-length studio album by Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius also known as German electronic music outfit Cluster. It was also their first album after an eight year long hiatus....
(studio album, credited to Moebius + Roedelius) - 1994 : One HourOne HourOne Hour is the eleventh full-length album by German electronic music outfit Cluster. It was recorded live in the studio in Vienna, Austria in July, 1994 and released on January 24, 1995 on the U.S. based Gyroscope label. Precisely one hour of music was culled from four hours of improvisation in...
(live album) - 1997 : Japan 1996 LiveJapan 1996 LiveJapan 1996 Live is the eleventh full-length album by German electronic music outfit Cluster. It was the second of three live albums released by Cluster.Japan 1996 Live was recorded at On Air West in Tokyo and also in Osaka, Japan in June, 1996...
(live album, credited to Roedelius Moebius on some editions) - 1997 : First Encounter Tour 1996First Encounter Tour 1996First Encounter Tour 1996 is the thirteenth full-length album by German electronic music outfit Cluster. It is also the third live album released, and the only double album released by Cluster....
(live album) - 2008 : Berlin 07Berlin 07Berlin 07 is an album by German experimental music group Cluster. It was recorded in 2007 at a Cluster concert in Berlin, their first there since 1969.-Background:...
(live album) - 2009 : QuaQua (album)Qua is an album by German Krautrock band Cluster, released in May 2009 on Nepenthe Music. It is the band's twelfth studio album and first in fourteen years.-Critical reception:...
(studio album)
In Harmonia
Harmonia (band)
Harmonia is a Krautrock supergroup from Germany. They formed as a collaboration between Michael Rother of Neu! and Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Möbius of Cluster and later included the British musician Brian Eno.-Musical style:...
- 1974 : Musik Von HarmoniaMusik Von HarmoniaMusik Von Harmonia is the debut album from the highly influential Krautrock/Kosmische Musik group Harmonia. Harmonia, was formed by the addition of Neu! guitarist Michael Rother to Cluster, the duo of Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius....
(studio album) - 1975 : DeluxeDeluxe (Harmonia album)Deluxe is the second album from the highly influential Krautrock/Kosmische Musik group Harmonia. Harmonia was formed by the addition of Neu! guitarist Michael Rother to Cluster, the duo of Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius....
(studio album) - 2007 : Live 1974 (live album)
In Aquarello
Aquarello
Aquarello was a musical group which blended ambient music and jazz. The trio included keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, based in Austria, and two Italian musicians, multi-instrumentalist Fabio Capanni, and saxophonist Nicola Alesini...
- 1991 : Friendly Game (studio album, credited to Roedelius, Capanni, Alesini)
- 1993 : To Cover The Dark (studio album)
- 1998 : Aquarello (live album, credited as Roedelius solo album)
In Global Trotters Project
- 1999 : Vol. 1: Drive (studio album)
- 1999 : Drive - Remix (remix album)
In Qluster
- 2011 : Fragen (live album)
- 2011 : Rufen (studio album)
- 2011 : Antworten (studio album)
Solo Work
- 1978 : Durch die WüsteDurch Die WusteDurch die Wüste is the first full-length solo album by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, best known for his work with Cluster, Harmonia, and Aquarello. The title is German for "Through the Desert."...
(studio album) - 1979 : Jardin au FouJardin Au FouJardin Au Fou is the second solo album by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, best known for his work with Cluster. The title is French for "Garden of Madness"....
(studio album) - 1979 : SelbstportraitSelbstportraitSelbstportrait is the third solo album by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, best known for his work with Cluster, Harmonia, and Aquarello. The title is German for "Self Portrait", a title which clearly reflects the gentle, introspective nature of this album of ambient or New Age music...
(studio album) - 1980 : Selbstportrait - Vol. IISelbstportrait - Vol. IISelbstportrait - Vol. II is the fourth solo album by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, best known for his work with Cluster, Harmonia and Aquarello. The title is German for "Self Portrait - Vol. II", a title which clearly reflects the gentle, introspective nature of this album of ambient...
(studio album) - 1980 : Selbstportrait Vol. III "Reise durch Arcadien" (studio album)
- 1981 : LustwandelLustwandelLustwandel is the sixth solo album by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, best known for his work with Cluster, Harmonia, and Aquarello. All the pieces on the album were composed by Roedelius with the sole exception of "Wilkommen", which was composed by Roedelius and Will Roper...
(studio album) - 1981 : Wenn Der Südwind WehtWenn Der Südwind WehtWenn Der Südwind Weht is the seventh solo album by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, best known for his work with Cluster, Harmonia, and Aquarello. All the pieces on the album were composed by Roedelius. It was released by Sky Records in 1981 and has been reissued on CD by Sky Records in...
(studio album) - 1981 : Offene TürenOffene TürenOffene Türen is the eighth solo album by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, best known for his work with Cluster, Harmonia, and Aquarello. The music of Offene Türen is more avant-garde than other Roedelius solo albums of the 1970s and 1980s...
(studio album) - 1982 : Flieg' Vogel fliegeFlieg' Vogel FliegeFlieg' Vogel fliege is the ninth solo album by keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, best known for his work with Cluster, Harmonia, and Aquarello. According to Roedelius biographer Stephen Iliffe this album is also titled Selbstportrait IV, but that name does not appear on the album sleeve or label...
(studio album) - 1982 : Wasser im Wind (studio album)
- 1984 : Auf leisen SohlenAuf leisen SohlenAuf leisen Sohlen is a compilation by Sky Records of works by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, best known for his work with Cluster, Harmonia, and Aquarello. It is subtitled Das Beste von H. J. Roedelius and includes tracks from seven of the eight albums he recorded for Sky Records...
(compilation album) - 1984 : Geschenk des Augenblicks - Gift of the MomentGeschenk des Augenblicks - Gift of the MomentGeschenk des Augenblicks - Gift of the Moment is the eleventh solo album by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, best known for his work with Cluster, Harmonia, and Aquarello.-Recording and Release:...
(studio album) - 1984 : BegegnungenBegegnungenBegegnungen is a Sky Records 1984 compilation album with recordings by Brian Eno, Dieter Moebius, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Conny Plank, from solo albums, and from various collaborations between the artists. All of the tracks had been previously released elsewhere...
(compilation album) - 1985 : Begegnungen IIBegegnungen IIBegegnungen II is a Sky Records 1985 compilation album with recordings by Brian Eno, Dieter Moebius, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Conny Plank, Cluster, from solo albums, and from various collaborations between the artists. All of the tracks had been previously released elsewhere...
(compilation album) - 1986 : Wie das Wispern des WindesWie das Wispern des WindesWie das Wispern des Windes - Like the whispering of the wind is an album by German musician Hans-Joachim Roedelius, released in Norway by independent record label Cicada Records in 1986. The electronic, ambient and experimental musician here delivers ambient piano music...
(studio album) - 1987 : Momenti Felici (studio album)
- 1989 : Bastionen der Liebe - Fortress of love (studio album)
- 1990 : Variety of Moods (studio album)
- 1991 : Der Ohrenspiegel (studio album)
- 1991 : Piano Piano (studio album)
- 1992 : Cuando... Adonde (studio album)
- 1992 : FrühlingFrühlingFrühling may refer to*German for Spring People*Tim Frühling , German disc jockey and Radio personality*Carl Frühling , Austrian composer and pianistCulture*Im Frühling Frühling may refer to*German for Spring (season)People*Tim Frühling (born 1975), German disc jockey and Radio personality*Carl...
(studio album) later re-released as Romance in the Wilderness - 1993 : Tace! (studio album)
- 1994 : Sinfonia Contempora No. 1: Von Zeit zu Zeit (studio album)
- 1994 : Theatre Works (studio album)
- 1995 : Selbstportrait VI: The Diary of the Unforgotten (studio album)
- 1995 : Vom Nutzen der Stunden - Lieder vom Steinfeld Vol. I (studio album)
- 1995 : 61sechzigjahr (compilation album, released privately)
- 1996 : Sinfonia Contempora No. 2: La Nordica (Salz Des Nordens) (studio album)
- 1996 : Pink, Blue And Amber (studio album)
- 1999 : Selfportrait VII: dem Wind voran - ahead of the wind (studio album)
- 1999 : Amerika Recycled by America Inc (studio album)
- 1999 : Vom Nutzen der Stunden - Lieder Vom Steinfeld Vol.II (studio album)
- 2000 : Roedeliusweg (studio album)
- 2001 : Roedelius 2001 - Orgel Solo (studio album)
- 2001 : Das Verwirrte Schaf - Wort-Klang Collage zum Aschermittwoch (studio album)
- 2002 : Selbstportrait VIII - Introspection (studio album)
- 2003 : American Steamboat (studio album)
- 2003 : Counterfeit (studio album)
- 2003 : Lieder vom Steinfeld Vol.III (studio album)
- 2003 : Roedelius 1969-2002 (compilation album)
- 2006 : Works 1968-2005 (compilation album)
- 2007 : Snapshots/Sidesteps (studio album)
- 2008 : Back Soon (compilation album)
- 2010 : Ex Animo (studio album)
Collaborations
With Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, Dieter Moebius
Dieter Moebius
Dieter Moebius is a German/Swiss experimental/krautrock/ambient/electronic musician.Moebius studied art in Brussels and Berlin and met there Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler . They founded a band Kluster in 1969. After the departure of Schnitzler, they changed their name to Cluster...
and Michael Rother
Michael Rother
Michael Rother is a German experimental Krautrock musician and composer.- Early life and education :Born in 1950, Rother went to school in Munich, Wilmslow , Karachi, and Düsseldorf. He also lived in Pakistan in the early 1960s where he was exposed to Pakistani music that would influence his own...
- 1997 : Tracks and TracesTracks and TracesTracks and Traces is the one and only album credited to Harmonia '76, but it is generally regarded as the third album by the highly influential Krautrock/Kosmische Musik group Harmonia. Harmonia was formed by the addition of Neu! guitarist Michael Rother to Cluster, the duo of Hans-Joachim...
(credited to either Harmonia '76 or Harmonia and Eno '76) - 2009 : Harmonia & Eno '76 Remixes (remix album)
With Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
and Dieter Moebius
Dieter Moebius
Dieter Moebius is a German/Swiss experimental/krautrock/ambient/electronic musician.Moebius studied art in Brussels and Berlin and met there Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler . They founded a band Kluster in 1969. After the departure of Schnitzler, they changed their name to Cluster...
- 1977 : Cluster & EnoCluster & EnoCluster & Eno is a collaborative album by the German electronic music group Cluster and British ambient musician Brian Eno. The style of this album is a collection of gentle melodies: a mixture of Eno’s ambient sensibilities and Cluster's avant-garde style.In June, 1977 the duo of Hans-Joachim...
(credited to Cluster & Eno) - 1978 : After the HeatAfter the HeatAfter the Heat is a 1978 album by Brian Eno, Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius . The album represents the second collaboration by the trio, the first being 1977's Cluster & Eno...
(studio album) - 1985 : Old LandOld LandOld Land is a Relativity Records 1985 compilation album by Cluster and Brian Eno. All of the tracks had been previously released on two prior albums: Cluster & Eno and After the Heat, which were released on LP by Sky Records in 1977 and 1978 respectively...
(compilation album) (credited to Cluster and Brian Eno)
With Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
and Dieter Moebius
Dieter Moebius
Dieter Moebius is a German/Swiss experimental/krautrock/ambient/electronic musician.Moebius studied art in Brussels and Berlin and met there Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler . They founded a band Kluster in 1969. After the departure of Schnitzler, they changed their name to Cluster...
on Eno's solo album
- 1977 : Before and after ScienceBefore and after ScienceBefore and After Science is the fifth studio album by British musician Brian Eno. Produced by Eno and Rhett Davies, it was originally released by Polydor Records in December 1977. Unlike Eno's previous albums which were written and recorded quickly, the album took over two years to complete...
(studio album)- Track: "By This River"
With Alexander Czjzek
- 1987 : Weites Land (studio album)
With Aqueous
- 1994 : Grace Notes (studio album)
- 1997 : Meeting The Magus (studio album)
With Barbieri
Barbieri
Barbieri is a surname, and may refer to:* Antonio María Barbieri* Anthony Barbieri* Domenico del Barbieri* Don Barbieri* Fedora Barbieri* Francesco Barbieri* Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, composer of zarzuelas* Gato Barbieri...
and Chianura
- 1998 : T'ai (studio album)
With Alquimia
- 2000 : Move and Resonate
With Tim Story (sometimes collectively referred to as Lunz)
- 2000 : The Persistence of Memory (studio album)
- 2002 : Lunz (studio album)
- 2005 : Lunz-Reinterpretations (remix album)
- 2008 : Inlandish (studio album)
With Conrad Schnitzler
Conrad Schnitzler
Conrad Schnitzler was a prolific German experimental musician.Schnitzler was born in Düsseldorf. He was an early member of Tangerine Dream and a founder of the band Kluster. He left Kluster in 1971, first working with his group Eruption and then focusing on solo works...
- 2001 : Acon 2000/1 (studio album)
With Fabio Capanni, Felix Dorner, Hirishi Nagashima and Robin Storey
- 2001 : Evermore
With Lynn
- 2001 : Act of Love (studio album)
With Nikos Arvanitis
- 2002 : Digital Love (studio album)
With Noh 1
- 2003 : Imagine Imagine (soundtrack album, released as Roedelius and Fratellis)
- 2009 : Fibre (studio album)
With Morgan Fisher
Morgan Fisher
Morgan Fisher is an English keyboard player / composer, and is most known for being a member of Mott the Hoople in the early 1970s. However, his career has covered a wide range of musical activities, and he is still highly active in the music industry...
- 2005 : NeverlessNeverlessNeverless is a collaboration between ambient composers and musicians Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Morgan Fisher. Basic tracks were recorded at Roedelius Studio in Austria and The Handmade Studio in Tokyo. Tracks were overdubbed and mixed by Morgan Fisher at The Handmade Studio between July, 2002...
(studio album)
With David Bickley
- 2008 : Bonaventura (studio album)
With Kava
- 2008 : The Gugging Album (studio album)
With Tim Story and Dwight Ashley
- 2008 : Errata (studio album)
With Alessandra Celletti
Alessandra Celletti
Alessandra Celletti is an Italian pianist, vocalist, songwriter and composer, best known as an interpreter of Erik Satie.-Biography:...
- 2009 : Sustanza di cose sperata (studio album)