Kluster
Encyclopedia
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 trio originally met when Moebius was working as a steak chef in Berlin, and was invited to join a band by Roedelius and Schnitzler, who were at that time engaged in the joint venture of the Zodiak Club, a Berlin nightclub they had founded. The band was based in West Berlin
. They are often categorized as Krautrock
. Although all three members played many different instruments on the three albums they recorded, the lineup is sometimes described as consisting of Moebius on drums, Roedelius on cello and Schnitzler on keyboards. Unorthodox instruments such as car batteries and electicians' signal generators were also used. Kluster had minuscule sales during the time they were active. Only 300 copies each of the first two LPs were pressed and sold. Each of the members gained a much larger following as a result of their later works and reissues on LP in the 1980s and CD reissues released in 1996 and 1997 garnered much more respectable sales figures. Today Kluster is considered a seminal and influential band from the formative years of the Krautrock movement.
Since then Kluster has been revived twice, with Schnitzler as the only common member. The second lineup lasted from 1971 until 1973, and two albums have been archivally released from that period. Another lineup came into being in 2007, and have released four albums so far, as well as a lone track for a compilation. However, Schnitzler's death in 2011 brought an end to the band.
, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, and Dieter Moebius
in 1969. Both Schnitzler and Moebius had been students of Joseph Beuys
at the Düsseldorf Fine Arts Academy in the 1960s. Schnitzler and Roedelius both participated in the founding of the Zodiak Free Arts Lab
in Berlin
in 1968 and had worked together in the avant-garde groups Gerausche (literally "Noises") and Plus/Minus. The trio first performed at the Zodiac Club in Berlin that year and were billed in early performances as Ensemble Kluster or Die Klusters. In a 1980 interview with David Elliott, Schnitzler recalled: "...it all started at the "Zodiac Club" in 1969 because there was something THERE and Roedelius and me played with Moebius then using instruments, amps and echoes." He also describes their music at the time as having "A lot of feedback and all those crackling sounds." In addition to violin
, flute
, piano
, cello
, percussion, and organ
the trio used alarm clocks and kitchen utensils as instruments, Steven and Alan Freeman, writing in The Crack In The Cosmic Egg, describe the musicians and their music: "All three were long-established musicians and radicals on the Berlin underground scene, and naturally what they would come up with was unlike anything heard before!"
Late that year Schnitlzer read a newspaper advertisement by a church organist interested in new music
. The result was church sponsorship for the first two albums, Klopfzeichen
and Zwei-Osterei
, provided Kluster was willing to add religious text to the first side of each LP. Both records were released by Schwann, a label known for church music, and a total of 300 copies of each were pressed and sold. Schnitzler's comments about the text: "If you don't understand the German words, it sounds better. [...] . If you know what it means, you'll find it terrible." Klopfzeichen were recorded at Rhenus-Studio in Gordorf, Germany
in one session on December 21, 1969 and Zwei-Osterei was recorded at the same location on February 23, 1970. Both sessions were engineered by Conny Plank
and produced by Oskar Gottlieb Blarr. The music of the first two albums is described by Steven and Alan Freeman, in part: "Although they never possessed any electronic instruments, the music of Kluster was quite extraordinary, featuring guitars, percussion, organ, cello, etc., with an abundance of sound processing devices, echo, tape machines and filters, to create a music that oozed electricity - stark, bleak, industrial, and nightmarishly unnerving." The trio also toured Germany extensively during 1969-70.
Kluster's third and final album, Eruption
, was recorded live in 1971 during the trio's last concert together and was recorded by Klaus Freudigmann, who was also a member of Conrad Schnitzler's other band, also called Eruption
. It was initially released as a private pressing with the incorrect (according to Schnitzler) name of Kluster Und Eruption. The original pressing totaled 200 copies. It was reissued in 1973 as Schwarz as a Conrad Schnitzler solo album, though Roedelius and Moebius performances are credited. The album was finally reissued with what Schnitzler insists is the correct title, Eruption, on CD by the German Marginal Talent label in 1997.
Conrad Schnitzler left Kluster in mid 1971, briefly to continue work with the band Eruption
and then to pursue a solo career. Schnitzler claims that Eruption toured under the name 'Kluster' at the time, and under that pretext re-released two albums originally labelled as being by Eruption under the cluster name in 2009.
After the original lineup of Kluster split, Roedelius and Moebius continued with an anglicized version of the name, Cluster
, initially together with Conny Plank, and from 1972 onwards as a duo. They were intermittently together until 2010, when Roedelius announced that the band had split up.
In 2007, Schnitzler did indeed resurrect Kluster. Aided by American musician Michael Thomas Roe and Japanese musician Masato Ooyama (Ooy), Schnitzler released "Kluster 2007", a three CD set on the private label Real Vine Music (2008). The music was tagged as "global playing" as each member came from a different continent. Continuing in this direction, "Kluster 2008" (Real Vine Music, 2009) was released in early 2009. This one subtitled "Three Olympic Cities Mix". Again, stressing the global collaboration. And, again, with Michael Thomas Roe and Masato Ooyama.
In 2008 two additional albums were released by Important Records under the Kluster name: Admira and Vulcano. This material was recorded during 1971-1972 by Schnitzler, Freudigmann, and Wolfgang Seidel. Much of the material for these albums had been previously released by Qbico Records with the trio identified as Eruption
. There is some debate as to whether the renaming of the records was just a ploy for extra circulation, but there is some record of Schnitzler continuing to use the name Kluster after 1971.
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 musical group whose work often resembles later industrial music
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
.
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
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...
. The trio originally met when Moebius was working as a steak chef in Berlin, and was invited to join a band by Roedelius and Schnitzler, who were at that time engaged in the joint venture of the Zodiak Club, a Berlin nightclub they had founded. The band was based in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
. They are often categorized as 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...
. Although all three members played many different instruments on the three albums they recorded, the lineup is sometimes described as consisting of Moebius on drums, Roedelius on cello and Schnitzler on keyboards. Unorthodox instruments such as car batteries and electicians' signal generators were also used. Kluster had minuscule sales during the time they were active. Only 300 copies each of the first two LPs were pressed and sold. Each of the members gained a much larger following as a result of their later works and reissues on LP in the 1980s and CD reissues released in 1996 and 1997 garnered much more respectable sales figures. Today Kluster is considered a seminal and influential band from the formative years of the Krautrock movement.
Since then Kluster has been revived twice, with Schnitzler as the only common member. The second lineup lasted from 1971 until 1973, and two albums have been archivally released from that period. Another lineup came into being in 2007, and have released four albums so far, as well as a lone track for a compilation. However, Schnitzler's death in 2011 brought an end to the band.
Core members
- Wolfgang SeidelWolfgang SeidelWolfgang Seidel was a racing driver from Germany. He participated in 12 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 2 August 1953...
(1969-1971) - Klaus Freudigmann(1969-1971)
- Conrad SchnitzlerConrad SchnitzlerConrad 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...
(1969–1971; 2007-2011) - Hans-Joachim Roedelius (1969–1971)
- Dieter MoebiusDieter MoebiusDieter 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...
(1969–1971)
Other members
- Christa Runge (1970)
- Manfred Paethe (1971)
- Michael Thomas Roe (2007-2011)
- Masato Ooyama (Ooy) (2007-2011)
Additional personnel
- Konrad (Conny) PlankConny PlankKonrad "Conny" Plank was a German record producer and musician. He was born in Hütschenhausen. His creativity as a sound engineer and producer helped to shape some of the most important and innovative recordings of postwar European popular music, covering a wide range of genres including...
(1969–1970) - Oskar Gottlieb Blarr (1969–1970)
1969 - 1971
Kluster was founded by Conrad SchnitzlerConrad 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...
, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, 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...
in 1969. Both Schnitzler and Moebius had been students of Joseph Beuys
Joseph Beuys
Joseph Beuys was a German performance artist, sculptor, installation artist, graphic artist, art theorist and pedagogue of art.His extensive work is grounded in concepts of humanism, social philosophy and anthroposophy; it culminates in his "extended definition of art" and the idea of social...
at the Düsseldorf Fine Arts Academy in the 1960s. Schnitzler and Roedelius both participated in the founding of the 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,...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1968 and had worked together in the avant-garde groups Gerausche (literally "Noises") and Plus/Minus. The trio first performed at the Zodiac Club in Berlin that year and were billed in early performances as Ensemble Kluster or Die Klusters. In a 1980 interview with David Elliott, Schnitzler recalled: "...it all started at the "Zodiac Club" in 1969 because there was something THERE and Roedelius and me played with Moebius then using instruments, amps and echoes." He also describes their music at the time as having "A lot of feedback and all those crackling sounds." In addition to violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, percussion, and organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
the trio used alarm clocks and kitchen utensils as instruments, Steven and Alan Freeman, writing in The Crack In The Cosmic Egg, describe the musicians and their music: "All three were long-established musicians and radicals on the Berlin underground scene, and naturally what they would come up with was unlike anything heard before!"
Late that year Schnitlzer read a newspaper advertisement by a church organist interested in new music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
. The result was church sponsorship for the first two albums, Klopfzeichen
Klopfzeichen
Klopfzeichen 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...
and Zwei-Osterei
Zwei-Osterei
Zwei-Osterei is the second full-length album by German experimental music trio Kluster. The album title translates to English as "Two - Easter egg"....
, provided Kluster was willing to add religious text to the first side of each LP. Both records were released by Schwann, a label known for church music, and a total of 300 copies of each were pressed and sold. Schnitzler's comments about the text: "If you don't understand the German words, it sounds better. [...] . If you know what it means, you'll find it terrible." Klopfzeichen were recorded at Rhenus-Studio in Gordorf, 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...
in one session on December 21, 1969 and Zwei-Osterei was recorded at the same location on February 23, 1970. Both sessions were engineered by Conny Plank
Conny Plank
Konrad "Conny" Plank was a German record producer and musician. He was born in Hütschenhausen. His creativity as a sound engineer and producer helped to shape some of the most important and innovative recordings of postwar European popular music, covering a wide range of genres including...
and produced by Oskar Gottlieb Blarr. The music of the first two albums is described by Steven and Alan Freeman, in part: "Although they never possessed any electronic instruments, the music of Kluster was quite extraordinary, featuring guitars, percussion, organ, cello, etc., with an abundance of sound processing devices, echo, tape machines and filters, to create a music that oozed electricity - stark, bleak, industrial, and nightmarishly unnerving." The trio also toured Germany extensively during 1969-70.
Kluster's third and final album, Eruption
Eruption (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....
, was recorded live in 1971 during the trio's last concert together and was recorded by Klaus Freudigmann, who was also a member of Conrad Schnitzler's other band, also called Eruption
Eruption (German band)
Eruption was a short-lived German krautrock or experimental music super group founded by former Tangerine Dream member and then current Kluster member Conrad Schnitzler.- Core Members :* Conrad Schnitzler * Wolfgang Seidel...
. It was initially released as a private pressing with the incorrect (according to Schnitzler) name of Kluster Und Eruption. The original pressing totaled 200 copies. It was reissued in 1973 as Schwarz as a Conrad Schnitzler solo album, though Roedelius and Moebius performances are credited. The album was finally reissued with what Schnitzler insists is the correct title, Eruption, on CD by the German Marginal Talent label in 1997.
Conrad Schnitzler left Kluster in mid 1971, briefly to continue work with the band Eruption
Eruption (German band)
Eruption was a short-lived German krautrock or experimental music super group founded by former Tangerine Dream member and then current Kluster member Conrad Schnitzler.- Core Members :* Conrad Schnitzler * Wolfgang Seidel...
and then to pursue a solo career. Schnitzler claims that Eruption toured under the name 'Kluster' at the time, and under that pretext re-released two albums originally labelled as being by Eruption under the cluster name in 2009.
After the original lineup of Kluster split, Roedelius and Moebius continued with an anglicized version of the name, 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...
, initially together with Conny Plank, and from 1972 onwards as a duo. They were intermittently together until 2010, when Roedelius announced that the band had split up.
Kluster revived
In a 1999 interview Conrad Schnitzler expressed the hope that Kluster might reunite in 2000. While that never occurred Schnitzler did collaborate with Hans-Joachim Roedelius for the first time in nearly three decades. The resulting recording, Acon 2000/1, was released by the Japanese label Captain Trip in 2001. The style of the album is very reminiscent of Kluster, albeit with modern electronic instrumentation.In 2007, Schnitzler did indeed resurrect Kluster. Aided by American musician Michael Thomas Roe and Japanese musician Masato Ooyama (Ooy), Schnitzler released "Kluster 2007", a three CD set on the private label Real Vine Music (2008). The music was tagged as "global playing" as each member came from a different continent. Continuing in this direction, "Kluster 2008" (Real Vine Music, 2009) was released in early 2009. This one subtitled "Three Olympic Cities Mix". Again, stressing the global collaboration. And, again, with Michael Thomas Roe and Masato Ooyama.
In 2008 two additional albums were released by Important Records under the Kluster name: Admira and Vulcano. This material was recorded during 1971-1972 by Schnitzler, Freudigmann, and Wolfgang Seidel. Much of the material for these albums had been previously released by Qbico Records with the trio identified as Eruption
Eruption (German band)
Eruption was a short-lived German krautrock or experimental music super group founded by former Tangerine Dream member and then current Kluster member Conrad Schnitzler.- Core Members :* Conrad Schnitzler * Wolfgang Seidel...
. There is some debate as to whether the renaming of the records was just a ploy for extra circulation, but there is some record of Schnitzler continuing to use the name Kluster after 1971.
Discography
- 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) - 1971 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) - 2008 Vulcano: Live in Wuppertal 1971
- 2008 Admira
- 2008 Kluster 2007: CMO (studio album)
- 2008 Kluster: 1970-1971 (Box Set)
- 2009 Kluster 2008: Three Olympic Cities Mix (studio album)
- 2009 CMO 2009: Three Voices (germany-usa-japan) (studio album)
- 2011 A unique remix of the material from Kluster 2007 featured in the Compilation CD VOL K compilation by Zelphabet Records.
- 2011 Kluster CMO 2010 (studio album)