Cluster Biography
The long career of this German collective has embraced many musical styles, from early Krautrock (under their original name Kluster), through progressive rock and ambient to avant garde industrial. Throughout, their willingness to experiment has endeared them to both critics and fans alike.
Formed in the heart of Berlin's underground arts scene, the original line-up comprised multi-instrumentalists Hans-Joachim Roedelius (26 October 1934, Berlin, Germany), Dieter Moebius (b. 16 January 1944, Appenzell, Switzerland) and Conrad Schnitzler (b. 1937, Düsseldorf, Germany). The latter was concurrently a member of Tangerine Dream. The trio had met at the city's experimental music club Zodiak Free Arts Lab, and recorded their debut album (as Kluster) at the end of 1969. Released in an extremely limited run on the Schwann label the following year, the album comprised two lengthy sidelong pieces featuring conventional rock instrumentation alongside woodwind and string, all electronically treated by engineer Conny Plank (b. Konrad Plank, 3 May 1940, Germany, d. 18 December 1987, Köln, West Germany). The 1971 follow-ups, Zwei-Osterei and Kluster Und Eruption, pursued a similar pattern, with the latter recorded live at the trio's final concert (although it was later re-released as the Schnitzler solo album Schwarz). When Schnitzler departed the same year the remaining duo recruited Plank and changed their name to Cluster. Released on the mainstream Philips Records label, the trio's self-titled debut saw the introduction of atmospheric ambient sounds to the discordant experimental rock approach of the Kluster albums, with the influence of Plank a vital part in the band's development. Plank continued to work with Moebius and Roedelius but in a production and engineering capacity, although his fingerprints were again all over the second Cluster album. Cluster II also marked a move away from lengthy experimental jams towards a more concise expression. In 1973, Moebius and Roedelius formed the offshoot band Harmonia with Michael Rother of German Krautrockers Neu! Recording in their recently constructed studio, the trio worked on the debut Harmonia album and the third Cluster release, Zuckerzeit. This masterful album used analogue synthesizers and rudimentary drum machines to create a prototype form of dance music, and would be routinely cited as a major influence by the later wave of UK electronic pop bands of the 80s. Sowiesoso (1976), on which Moebius and Roedelius were reunited with Plank, smoothed out any of the rough edges of Zuckerzeit to forge a hypnotic electronic pop album. English ambient pioneer Brian Eno, who had already worked with Moebius and Roedelius on an as then unreleased Harmonia session, joined forces with the duo and Conny Plank for two late 70s releases that pushed further at the boundaries of electronic pop and ambient music. (The second album, 1978's After The Heat, was credited to Eno Moebius Roedelius.) Former Tangerine Dream member Peter Baumann was recruited as producer for the more experimental Grosses Wasser. The change in emphasis was more pronounced on the live follow-up Live In Vienna, a harsh industrial sounding album recorded with Joshi Farnbauer in June 1980 at the Weiner Festwochen Alternativ. During this period, Moebius collaborated with Plank on two wonderfully diverse albums, 1980's Rastakraut Pasta and the following year's Material. The latter was released concurrently with Cluster's Curiosum, a thoroughly modern and creatively diverse album. For the rest of the 80s Moebius and Roedelius concentrated on solo projects, with the former continuing to collaborate with Plank and also releasing the African-influenced Zero Set in 1983 with Plank and drummer Mani Neumeier. Several Cluster compilation albums were released during this period, with the two Begegnungen instalments collecting material from the Eno collaborations and the Moebius/Plank albums. Moebius and Roedelius re-formed Cluster in 1989 to record Apropos Cluster, which harked back to their lengthy experimental work of the early 70s albeit with an electronic edge. The duo's willingness to experiment was again apparent on 1995's One Hour, which comprised one continuous piece of music spanning a single CD, and alternating between various musical styles. Rare concert tours of Japan and America in 1996 were documented on two live CDs and a DVD released the following year. Following another lengthy hiatus, during which Roedelius recorded an album (Acon 2000/1) with former Kluster bandmate Conrad Schnitzler, the duo reunited in 2007 for a series of live shows.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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