Moebius, Plank, Neumeier - 1983 - Zero Set

Review

Zero Set is the only album by the German electronic music trio of Dieter Moebius, Conny Plank, and Mani Neumeier. It followed two collaborations by Moebius & Plank as a duo. Zero Set was recorded in September, 1982 at Conny's Studio outside Cologne, and released by Sky Records in 1983.

The music on Zero Set is strongly influenced by African rhythms and music. One track, "Recall", features Sudanese vocals by Deuka. Matthew Weiner describes it for Soulmind Online: "Though not a dance record per se, Zero Set is one of the earliest extensions of Krautrock’s possibilities on the dance floor, pitting the profoundly electronic sequence patterns of Plank and Moebius against the hyperactive percussives of Guru Guru drummer Mani Neumeier. On tracks such as the prophetically titled 'Speed Display' and 'Pitch Control', the phasing, chattering and decidedly Germanic grooves found on Zero Set constitute vibrant proto-techno at its earliest and finest." David Ross Smith, writing for Allmusic, describes the album: "...a highly percussive affair with Mani Neumeier. The album is saturated in drum and synth rhythms and polyrhythms, resulting in compositions that are energetic and infectious." Zero Set was a turning point for Moebius and Plank, a fact lamented by Steven and Alan Freeman in their book The Crack In The Cosmic Egg. They say, in part: "...working with Mani Neumeier on Zero Set strangely took the music too close to techno for comfort..."

Track Listing

1 - "Speed Display" (5:13)

2 - "Load" (5:20)

3 - "Pitch Control" (6:23)

4 - "All Repro" (3:28)

5 - "Recall" (8:34)

6 - "Search Zero" (8:38)

Moebius & friends - 1978 - Liliental

Review

Another of krautrocker Dieter Moebius's many side projects, Liliental boasted the participation of producer Conny Plank as well as several German jazz musicians who injected a sense of dynamics into the works. The range of sounds on this one-shot 1978 album is impressive, from the sparkling ambience of "Gebremster Schaum," with its gentle slide guitar and harmonics offsetting the weird, hushed vocal grunts in the background, to the drum-kit-centric "Nachsaison," a bit of Floydian funk

Track listing

1 - Stresemannstraae

2 - Adel

3 - Wattwurm

4 - Vielharmonie

5 - Gebremster Schaum

6 - Nachsaison.

Or

Harmonia - 1975 - Deluxe

Review

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.

Deluxe was recorded in June, 1975 in Harmonia's studio in Forst, Germany. It was first released on the Brain Records label in 1975. It was produced by the band members and legendary Krautrock producer, Conny Plank.Ned Raggett's review for Allmusic opens: "A touch more immediate and song-oriented than its predecessor, but no less enchanting and lovely to hear, De Luxe again features the trio experimenting with a variety of approaches, most particularly including vocals here and there for the first time."The Ground and Sky review by Joe McGlinchey describes Deluxe, in part: "The album also has more of a drive to it than the first Harmonia album, perhaps in part to Rother's guitar being much more upfront and noticeable, as well as the addition of Guru Guru drummer Mani Neumeier on some tracks."Neumeier performs a lengthy jam on the track "Walky Talky". Ned Raggett adds: "The motorik pulses and rhythms, however soft and subtle, still dominate the proceedings, while the glazed, warm feeling of the whole album is astounding."

Deluxe ranked at #41 among Krautrock albums in sales at Amazon.com as of September 3, 2007. Musician, writer, and rock historian Julian Cope included Deluxe in his Krautrock Top 50.

CDs of Deluxe first appeared in 1994 on the Germanofon label. This dubious company based in Luxembourg released numerous Krautrock albums without proper authorization or paying royalties, in effect producing bootlegs that somehow found their way into mainstream distribution. The Germanofon CDs were transfers from vinyl LPs and generally were of inferior sound quality. The album was not properly released on CD until October 24, 2004 on the Motor Music label, a subsidiary of the Universal Music Group.It was also reissued by Universal in Japan in 2005, by the Russian label Lilith in 2006, and by the Revisited Records label in 2007.

Track Listing

1 - "Deluxe (Immer Wieder)" – 9:45

2 - "Walky-Talky" – 10:35

3 - "Monza (Rauf und Runter)" – 7:07

4 - "Notre Dame" – 4:15

5 - "Gollum" – 4:35

6 - "Kekse" – 5:35

Cluster - Begegnungen II - 1985

Review

Begegnungen II is a Sky Records 1985 compilation album by Brian Eno, Dieter Moebius, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, and Conny Plank, recording as Cluster, from solo albums, and from various collaborations between the artists. All of the tracks had been previously released elsewhere. The albums these tracks were drawn from are: Material by Moebius & Plank, Zero Set by Moebius, Pank, Neumeier, Durch Die Wuste and Lustwandel, both Roedelius solo albums, After The Heat by Eno, Moebius, Rodelius, Tonspuren, the first solo album by Moebius, Sowiesoso by Cluster, and the eponymous Cluster & Eno. These albums were released by Sky between 1976 and 1983.

The title is the German word for "Meetings" or "Encounters".

Begegnungen II was issued in the US on CD in 1996 by the Gyroscope label. It was also reissued on the San Francisco-based Water label in 2006.

Track listing

"Conditionierer"  – 4:50

"Speed Display" – 5:14

"Mr. Livingstone"  – 5:41

"Broken Head"   – 5:22

"Langer Atem"  – 7:14

"Hasenheide"  – 2:39

"Es War Einmal" – 5:20

"Für Luise"  – 5:01

Cluster - Begegnungen - 1984

Review

Begegnungen is a Sky Records 1984 compilation album by Brian Eno, Dieter Moebius, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, and Conny Plank, recording as Cluster, from solo albums, and from various collaborations between the artists. All of the tracks had been previously released elsewhere. The albums these tracks were drawn from are: Durch Die Wuste, Roedelius' first solo album, Rastakraut Pasta by Moebius & Plank, After the Heat by Eno, Moebius, Rodelius, Tonspuren, the first solo album by Moebius, Zero Set by Moebius, Pank, Neumeier, Sowiesoso by Cluster, and the eponymous Cluster & Eno. These albums were released by Sky between 1976 and 1983.

The title is the German word for "Meetings" or "Encounters".

Begegnungen was issued in the US on CD in 1996 by the Gyroscope label . It was also reissued on the San Francisco-based Water label in 2006.

Track listing

"Johanneslust" – 4:58

"Two Oldtimers" – 6:58

"The Belldog" – 6:14

"Nervös"  – 3:26

"Pitch Control"  – 6:21

"Dem Wanderer" – 3:52

"Schöne Hände" – 3:02