No one has an exact definition, but everyone knows what is meant when we talk about Krautrock. "Krautrock is not a musical genre, but a term for a phase: 1969 to 1974," explains Dirk Jan Müller of the band Electric Orange. "Krautrock can be anything. "He was most exciting when he wasn't Anglo-American." Exactly this independence is embodied by bands like Faust, CAN, Amon Düül II, Popol Vuh, Guru Guru or Kraan, who showed a creative unconcern unknown to local conditions.
Vienna, one of the first days of spring after a mild winter. The man who turned music history upside down with "Phaedra" forty years ago is sitting in a venerable café on the Ring. The years have left their mark on Edgar Froese's face, but his unrestrained desire to fable, experiment and provoke has not been harmed. Music was and is never an end in itself for him. Froese wants to get to the bottom of things and put everything into a big world context.
It was pure sex, above all. Along with Jimmy Page's ubiquitous guitar and John Bonham's powerful drums, he seemed to be the driving force in the Led Zeppelin cosmos. Their highly potent and vibrant hardrock seemed like a permanent penis to the audience of the late sixties and early seventies. And not like a little one. The boys were jealous, the girls shuddered, fainted or cheered - depending on temperament and moral disposition. It was exciting.
After the creative bang "Caravanserei", the classic Santana line-up was finally separated in 1972. Carlos Santana is neither the type who regrets anything nor extends artistic differences to the private sphere. Over the years he has cultivated a friendly relationship with his former companions: Wherever he met former members of his band, he hugged them warmly, chatted with them and invited them to a joint jam. Nevertheless, it took more than forty years before all those involved sat down at the same table and pondered new joint projects.
For the third and definitely last time after the two "Thick As A Brick" albums Ian Anderson lets his alter ego Gerald Bostock have his say with "Homo Erraticus" (Review in eclipsed 4/2014). The latter again takes a stand on current political and social issues. In the eclipsed interview, the Jethro Tull boss explains why he is currently particularly concerned about migration and immigration.
eclipsed: Is "Homo Erraticus" your most political album yet?
Jack Bruce has produced a late work that underlines why the Scotsman is one of the greatest bassists and singers in music history. "Silver Rails" oscillates between hard rock, blues and jazz and is bursting with energy. eclipsed visited the 70-year-old on his country estate in Devon in southern England.
eclipsed: "Silver Rails" has an impressive guest list, which also includes Phil Manzanera and Robin Trower.
The story Thomas Anderson tells about the new album sounds exciting and creepy. The musician is reminiscent of a fairytale uncle when he starts to lead us into the world of a demon: "My father used to work for an international company in Prague. There he was told the story of a manuscript found in an abandoned apartment, in which a man claims to be many hundreds of years old and to hunt down a demon who is mischievous all over the world. But it is not just any demon, but the embodiment of evil par excellence that lurks everywhere. And the man found this demon.
The album title "Illusory Blues" is meaningful. After all, the seven airily arranged songs have very little to do with blues. Rather the core trio Khaled Lowe, Barnaby Maddick and Jaime Gomez Arellano want to show with their music how one can productively use one's own worries - the "blues" - and thereby draw new strength. You yourself have achieved this in an impressive way.
The Innsbrucker Trio was founded in 2008 in order to create funky, hard-rock and progressive-rock music. According to drummer Jan Haußels, Yves Krismer (vocals, guitar) and Benedikt Trenkwalder (bass) have been making music together since they were children, while he was just taking a more "normal" path. "My humble self came to music late and thanks to the other two. Before that, everything went according to plan: graduation, studies, office job. Now the direction seems to be a different one," he comments on the development of the band.
When Gotthard frontman Steve Lee was killed in a traffic accident in the USA in 2010, the Swiss hard rock heroes first had to think about their own future. Almost two years later they dared a cautious new beginning with singer Nic Maeder on "Firebirth", whereby Maeder's vocal talent already appeared. Now the Swiss go one step further on the bear-strong follow-up album "Bang!", in which they show themselves from their rockiest side and only sporadically sprinkle in ballads.
