CLUSTER: I have fallen in love with this band, please help

1. cluster/eno live metz 77, 29:54
2/3. cluster/farnbauer, live vienna 80, 16:00 / 15:09

the last two tracks are taken directly from the two bonus tracks at the end of the Kluster reissues (if anyone has a copy of the entire tape, please drop me a line). the Cluster/Eno gig is a hissy cassette transfer of a room recording, but the music is one long throbbing drone piece, closer to Cluster II than their late 70's albums, good to know and I'll probably listen to it more than twice.

Following up the Water reissues, Captain Trips is doing limited editions of some of the Moebius this month -- Rastakraut Pasta, Material, Zero Set, Tonspuren & Blue Moon. Blue Moon is the only one of those that isn't a straight-up classic, and even that one has a few tracks I can't live without.

I picked up Moebius' new album Nurton a few months ago. He's definitely trying harder than he was on the last one Blotch -- feels more composed & layered. this structurally sounds the most like Tonspuren than anything since (short motorik pieces built out of weird sounds and riffs) but I still prefer his earlier synth sounds to the all-digital palette he's been working with since 1996 -- plenty of quirky noises, but they just don't sound as elliptical and abstract as the analog days. Still, since most of his other solos & groups since 1996 have been mostly long improvisation jam-band records, I'm happy about Nurton and my favorite couple of tracks are towards the end.

german blogger babelfished on the Paris show this month:

I left myself mental ever more deeply down-slide into the labyrinth from tones and fantasies and horchte up only if a piece were times terminated and the applause of the public a break formed. Occasionally I used also the opportunity to take in or other photo. Pieces of "sugar time" I recognized by the way none, however no miracle, becausethe set consisted to the majority of new, yet veroeffentlchten pieces...

During well the 70-minuetigen of concert I did not bore myself a second, despite the kontemplativen character of the music. In the opposite, I found that high-inspiring and excitingly all. I believe it to the other spectators also very well fell, her donated long lasting applause. Moebius and Roedelius gave themselves the hand briefly and thank you scarcely in national language: "Merci!, Merci beaucoup ".

http://meinzuhausemeinblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/cluster-paris-180507.html

Roedelius is coming to the US in October. I don't see any other shows scheduled besides two in Big Sur, which I can make, but seeing as he and Moebius seem to be playing together again, it seems like one extra plane ticket for Moebius is all it would take for a handful of US Cluster appearences, so I sure hope some electronic-music-loving promoter has enough of their business together to make something happen soon

Let's talk about the records with Eno.

Or...not.

All 3 Kluster (Schnitzler, Roedelius, Moebius) albums - 'Klopfzeichen', 'Zwei Osterei', and 'Schwarz' are fantastic.

I take issue with the characterization of Zwei Osterei as fantastic - unless your definition of fantastic encompasses side-long tracks of a monotonous male voice intoning in German with faint buzzy electronic sounds in the background.

the speaker isnt monotonous at all! hes just very, very serious, which, given the nonsensical cut-up sermon hes reading, is funny as hell.

you'd think those Cluster/Eno collabs. would be great. but they aren't. dry and boring compared w/ Cluster lps.

which, given the nonsensical cut-up sermon hes reading, is funny as hell

Unfortunately, not being a German speaker, the comedy is lost on me.

reposted from upthread

http://mitglied.lycos.de/neuschnee/Clusterdiscs01.htm
http://mitglied.lycos.de/neuschnee/Clusterdiscs02.htm

the Kluster records aren't the most inviting or accessible, but I think they're really effective for what they are, and with every passing year of recent noise / drone shows and CDRs they sound better and better. when I started hearing Yellow Swans drone records, the Kluster CDs are the first things I thought of. Eruption is the one without recitations if you find the vocals too distracting.

tour pushed to spring

in other old news that I missed --

moebius & neumeier 'zero set II' -- http://www.cisco-records.co.jp/html/item/002/114/item241559.html

I read somewhere that this was a japanese reissue of 2003's 'live in japan', which I haven't returned to much, but it's a new album and the samples sound promising

I've also been playing moebius' 'nurton' from last year and it is definitely a grower

um wtf is up with that 6CD box set on Captain Trip, is that stuff legit? looks like it was also released as separate discs.

I love the Eno/Cluster stuff, but that's the only Cluster I've heard. I need to go out and get some more...

You should, you really should..

Milton, where did you get that tour info news? Does that regard the entire tour or just the North American dates?

just the North American dates are being pushed back, so they can do it right. friends are trying to book them in SF.

Captain Trip's pretty legit, they started releasing Moebius & Dinger solo projects in the 90's and now they've worked up to Schnitzler, Pinhas & Cluster reissues. the choices of what they're grouping together for the boxes is a little random though:

BOX 1 - six discs
CLUSTER / '71 / Sowiesoso / Grosses Wasser / Curiosum
MOEBIUS + BEERBOHM / Strange Music / Double Cut

BOX 2 - five discs
CLUSTER & ENO / same
ENO - MOEBIUS - ROEDELIUS / After The Heat
MOEBIUS + ROEDELIUS / Apropos Cluster
CLUSTER / One Hour
MOEBIUS & PLANK / En Route

Box 1 is solid (not everyone loves those Moebius & Beerbohm records but I definitely do -- first one has live punk drumming & instruments, and the side two of 'double cut' is 1982 minimal techno). the last three in box 2 have been out of print for over a decade so it's nice to have them back but those are definitely three of their weaker albums all in a row

Got my Captain Trip reissues of Sowiesoso, '71, and Curiosum last week. The sound is definitely an improvement over the older versions I've got. They're probably worth $20 just for the magical shrunken down LP format.

Also, Lilith have now released Zuckerzeit, Cluster II, Musik Von Harmonia and Deluxe on LP/CD. I think they're using the same tapes as the German Universal versions from a few years ago, but it's nice to have LP's of these. Plus, liner notes by Asmus Tietchens in delightfully botched English and Cyrillic.

I have the Lilith "Zuckerzeit" reissue and it sounds fantastic. Is there a difference between the Captain Trip and Water versions of "Sowiesoso"?

stupid to have 3 labels reissuing the same shit while roedelius solo albums remain oop

Captain Trip's Sowiesoso is supposedly a remastered version, but who knows? I think Water's released were remastered, too.

Agree with am0n. Does anyone know what the hell Captain Trip mean when they put "EMBARGO!" by Roedelius' Jardin Au Fou on their website? Just an awkward way of telling me "not for you!" or are they saying it's sold out? Does it mean that somewhere in the world (like, say, Japan) you can still get it? So frustrating!

Maybe I have to buff up my trade relations with Captain Trip before I get a copy.

Cluster (Moebius & Roedelius) performing live at Dampfzentrale Bern 15. September 2007 feat. Dorit Chrysler on Theremin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srrQ7jLjb24

including that last minute of solo Dorit wasn't the best way to end that montage, but rest of it sounds good to me

http://kraut-team.blogspot.com/2007/10/krautrockteam_7048.html

re: the authenticity of 'Cluster & Eno live Metz 1977' as discussed upthread - this sounds right to me

Greatings from Dennis in South Africa

I listened to the two 1977 pieces , with interest. I should perhaps first explain that I used to be in close personal contact with Hans Joachim Roedelius ( of Cluster ) through the late Seventies and early eighties. I immediately recognised the music and extracted my own tape out of my archives.

My recording was sent direct to me by Roedelius soon after the event. Please note it was performed by Cluster ( Moebius and Roedelius only ) without the involvement of Brian Eno. Also that it was recorded on the 23rd September 1977 , not during November. The music that was performed was from a concert at the Metz Sci Fi festival : in France , but quite some distance from Paris. The full recording is quite a bit longer than that uploaded.

...

Hope this helps to set the record straight

Thanks to Dennis

Conan

Apr 18 2008 8:00P Queen Elisabeth Hall London
May 10 2008 8:00P Palazzo Dei Congressi Rome
May 11 2008 8:00P Camber Sands Rye
May 16 2008 8:00P Detroit Institute of Arts Detroit
May 17 2008 8:00P Knitting Factory New York
May 22 2008 8:00P CINESPIA at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Los Angeles
May 23 2008 8:00P Henry Miller Library Big Sur
May 24 2008 8:00P Brookdale Lodge Santa Cruz
May 25 2008 8:00P Great American Music Hall San Francisco

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