Like the Whispering of the Wind (Roedelius-1987) Indebted to iTunes for this exceedingly rare album, definately my favourite of all his albums. Piano solo but played in a way that you've never heard before, a pity he didn't do more like this.
I just bought this on iTunes the other day on KosmischeSynth's recommendation -- agree it's very interesting and need to listen more.
Milton, what do you think of it?
― Naive Teen Idol, Monday, 24 January 2011 22:16 (thirteen years ago) link
Ok, so I just pulled down Durch Die Wüste -- and was not expecting the guitar jam that opens this record. Whoah.
― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 25 January 2011 02:41 (thirteen years ago) link
guitar jam at the beginning of Durch Die Wüste I always took as a direct reference to the opening jam of David Bowie's Station To Station, with inserted spacey-pastoral breaks
Like the Whispering of the Wind
I should download the mp3's, my vinyl copy is noisy to a degree that interferes which is maybe why I never quite got into it. But it is a unique record for him, most of his other solo piano records are mantric & pulsey and this one is just washes, it takes work to keep music this formless.
― Milton Parker, Tuesday, 25 January 2011 19:08 (thirteen years ago) link
it takes work to keep music this formless
It sure does. I realized while I was listening to it walking home last night that there's some sort of tape delay system at work. Certain phrases he's playing that repeat for a long while as he plays new parts over them. The result, in places, sounds a little like Harold Budd.
It made me think that I'd love to read an interview with Roedelius about his working methods more generally. A lot of his non-Cluster material is just him alone in the studio (or with Baumann or Plank at the board) -- with lots of overdubbed parts. I'd be sort of interested in hearing how he builds all his stuff (whether he sits and plays loops for five minutes or uses tape edits to loop smaller parts, etc.) and how he constructs compositions out of them. All of this, of course, has been made so much easier to do in the modern studio. But when these records were made, it was brutally hard.
― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 25 January 2011 19:20 (thirteen years ago) link
there's some mentions in all the liner notes of the re-releases and a lot of details in Ilife's book on Roedelius.
one of the big selling points of the 70's Cluster / Harmonia / Roedelius Selbstportrait albums is that the repetitive riffs are all hand-played, the layers keep evolving & varying because they're not loops, they're manual
― Milton Parker, Tuesday, 25 January 2011 19:27 (thirteen years ago) link
Yes, that's true. Was there no tape looping at all? In the case of Like the Whispering of the Wind, it really does sound like a loop, not a manual part. But then again, these guys are loop machines.
Just ordered the book online -- it sounds fascinating.
― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 25 January 2011 20:10 (thirteen years ago) link
Haven't gotten the book yet, but I've been listening quite intently to Lustwandel, Durch Die Wüste, Selbstportraits I, II and III, and Like the Whispering of the Wind. I'm really digging Selbstportrait stuff, which I've actually had for a while but only listened to intermittently.
As Milton had said some of the tracks are works-in-progress, it's worth noting that "Staunen Im Fjord" off of Selbstportraits I is an early version of "The Belldog" without the Eno vocal or synth sequence.
― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 22:57 (thirteen years ago) link
hey you're right! never noticed that before.
Other Selbstportrait tracks that are demos for later tracks:
vol 1 'Inselmoos' = Eno Moebius Roedelius' 'The Shade'vol 2 'Übern Fluß' = Eno's 'By This River'vol 6 'Homage du Forst' begins with the basic track for Harmonia's 'Watussi'
― Milton Parker, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 23:06 (thirteen years ago) link
hey you're right! never noticed that before.Other Selbstportrait tracks that are demos for later tracks:vol 2 'Übern Fluß' = Eno's 'By This River' --Milton Parker
vol 2 'Übern Fluß' = Eno's 'By This River' --Milton Parker
"Allen Jahre Wieder" on vol. 1 is also a great demo of "Legende" on Lustwandel with that great rising melodic cadence.
― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 23:43 (thirteen years ago) link
The Roedelius book is pretty good though I'm not too keen on the odd reviews of his records at the end. I love Roedelius' music. Having chatted with him once last year I can also attest to his being one of the straight-up nicest, most unpretentious artists I've met.
― A happenstance discovery of asynchronous lesbians (Capitaine Jay Vee), Wednesday, 2 February 2011 00:28 (thirteen years ago) link
The man himself is doing a show at cafe oto on monday, anyone seen any recent shows?
― straightola, Wednesday, 2 February 2011 12:56 (thirteen years ago) link
^ Many thx for telling us about this, I'd have missed this otherwise!
― Tom A. (Tom B.) (Tom C.) (Tom D.), Thursday, 3 February 2011 12:06 (thirteen years ago) link
Oh no, I've just received an email, it's been cancelled! He's in hospital in Germany, his gall bladder's playing up (my Mum is just out of hospital with the same problem)
― Tom D (Lenin's his feir and Liebknecht's his mate) (Tom D.), Thursday, 3 February 2011 13:27 (thirteen years ago) link
just now getting into all the Roedelius piano solo stuff—Bimble otm as usual
thoughts on Momenti Felici here
― i genuinely thought when i first joined that he was the admin (ilxor), Monday, 23 May 2011 18:57 (twelve years ago) link
My good friend Tobias (does he still post here?) did a long and wonderful interview with Roedelius a few years ago in Austria, where Roedelius lives now. Roedelius treated Tobias like his son, from what I remember. (The whole interview was in German.) I have it somewhere, and I'll post it once I find it.
― geeta, Monday, 23 May 2011 20:51 (twelve years ago) link
One of the nicest musicians/inspirations I've met. We sat and talked for awhile before and after his last concert in NYC. Very sweet person.
― Winky Dinky Dawgz (Capitaine Jay Vee), Monday, 23 May 2011 21:08 (twelve years ago) link
Oops - forgot I posted almost the same thing a few months back. Damn short-term memory lapse.
― Winky Dinky Dawgz (Capitaine Jay Vee), Monday, 23 May 2011 21:09 (twelve years ago) link
does he speak good English?
― i genuinely thought when i first joined that he was the admin (ilxor), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 00:39 (twelve years ago) link
Perfect English.
― Winky Dinky Dawgz (Capitaine Jay Vee), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 01:36 (twelve years ago) link
Yes a lovely guy. I met him a few months ago in Vienna in the unlikely surroundings of a Lloyd Cole gig. I think they share a label or something and there was even some talk of them collaborating on music.
― ban this sick stunt (anagram), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 02:54 (twelve years ago) link
I've grabbed a mini-slew of the Bureau B reissues lately, and they've been slaying me, particularly the first two "Selbstportrait" volumes and "Wenn der Sudwind Weht"... A shame I went so long without delving in, given how long I've been a Cluster lover, but Roedelius on his own is really its own thing. I appreciate the way his less self-consciously experimental style allows the tenderness of the melodies and the beauty of the textures to take center stage.
― Clarke B., Tuesday, 24 May 2011 13:15 (twelve years ago) link
thats probably due to lloyd cole doing a remix for the lunz project that roedelius was involved with.
http://www.discogs.com/Tim-Story-Hans-Joachim-Roedelius-Lunz-Reinterpretations/release/476107
― mark e, Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:47 (twelve years ago) link
they're making an album together for Bureau B. i think Roedelius was a big fan of Lloyd Cole's Plastic Wood album or something and really wanted to work with him
― corpse pose (missingNO), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 14:56 (twelve years ago) link
hearing wie das wispern des windes for the first time. wow. so beautiful
― corpse pose (missingNO), Saturday, 9 July 2011 12:27 (twelve years ago) link
a good reminder i need to get some of those bureau b reissues.
also, he has some live dates coming up:29.09.2011 CA Montreal Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival 01.10.2011 US Asbury Park, NJ ATP Silver Qluster02.10.2011 US Brooklyn, New York Littlefield 04.10.2011 US Pittsburgh, PA The Thunderbird Cafe 05.10.2011 US Richmond, VA Strange Matter 07.10.2011 US Asheville, NC The Grey Eagle 08.10.2011 US Atlanta, Georgia Eyedrum 09.10.2011 US Knoxville, TN The Pilot Light 12.10.2011 US Washington, DC Velvet Lounge 13.10.2011 US Philapelphia, PA M Room 17.10.2011 CA Toronto, Ontario The Garrison 23.10.2011 US Portland, OR Mt. Tabor Theatre 26.10.2011 US San Fransisco, CA Swedish American Hall / Cafe Du Nord 27.10.2011 US Los Angeles The Echo 30.10.2011 US Asheville, CA Moogfest
the pilot light is such a tiny, scummy, awesome joint. may have to take a bit of a roadtrip.
― dronestreet, Saturday, 9 July 2011 16:08 (twelve years ago) link
No Chicago? :(
― Fa la la (La Lechera), Saturday, 9 July 2011 16:31 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, weird routing. Maybe a Chicago date will appear between Toronto & Portland?
― dronestreet, Saturday, 9 July 2011 17:01 (twelve years ago) link
no boston either :(
― nerve_pylon, Saturday, 9 July 2011 17:21 (twelve years ago) link
no texas!!
― i genuinely thought when i first joined that he was the admin (ilxor), Saturday, 9 July 2011 23:37 (twelve years ago) link
a good reminder i need to get some of those bureau b reissues.also, he has some live dates coming up: 29.09.2011 CA Montreal Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival 01.10.2011 US Asbury Park, NJ ATP Silver Qluster 02.10.2011 US Brooklyn, New York Littlefield 04.10.2011 US Pittsburgh, PA The Thunderbird Cafe 05.10.2011 US Richmond, VA Strange Matter 07.10.2011 US Asheville, NC The Grey Eagle 08.10.2011 US Atlanta, Georgia Eyedrum 09.10.2011 US Knoxville, TN The Pilot Light 12.10.2011 US Washington, DC Velvet Lounge 13.10.2011 US Philapelphia, PA M Room 17.10.2011 CA Toronto, Ontario The Garrison 23.10.2011 US Portland, OR Mt. Tabor Theatre 26.10.2011 US San Fransisco, CA Swedish American Hall / Cafe Du Nord 27.10.2011 US Los Angeles The Echo 30.10.2011 US Asheville, CA Moogfestthe pilot light is such a tiny, scummy, awesome joint. may have to take a bit of a roadtrip.― dronestreet, Saturday, July 9, 2011 11:08 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark
wait--what?? no midwest dates?!?! not even chicago?!?! it's funny, my g.f. is from knoxville but we never seem to be there when great shows are happening.
― by another name (amateurist), Sunday, 10 July 2011 08:08 (twelve years ago) link
also asheville, for a town of its size, gets great live music.
yeah...still hoping for a chicago or columbus date in-between the 17th & 23rd. knoxville is closest for me but still a 6-hr drive...boo.
― dronestreet, Sunday, 10 July 2011 13:04 (twelve years ago) link
I am stoked to see this in DC.
― Naive Teen Idol, Sunday, 10 July 2011 13:34 (twelve years ago) link
so odd that so many of these tours skip Boston, too...there are plenty of people willing to drop money on a show like this
― geeta, Monday, 11 July 2011 18:18 (twelve years ago) link
The Asheville date is part of Moogfest.
― QuantumNoise, Monday, 11 July 2011 18:55 (twelve years ago) link
I'm going to keep this thread bookmarked until he announces a Chicago date, like a vigil.
― Fa la la (La Lechera), Monday, 11 July 2011 21:37 (twelve years ago) link
http://wiesenfeuer.ansteorra.org/animated-flame.gif
― by another name (amateurist), Monday, 11 July 2011 22:40 (twelve years ago) link
that animated gif is hurting me
'durch das Feuer' - the long-awaited sequel to 'durch die Wüste'
― geeta, Monday, 11 July 2011 22:46 (twelve years ago) link
a couple more dates have been added here: http://www.media-loca.com/roedelius/dates
i'm definitely going to make the cincinatti show. anyone know anything about this "mockbee" space? their web presence seems to be woefully underdeveloped for 2011.
― dronestreet, Friday, 16 September 2011 17:45 (twelve years ago) link
dang, cincinnati and oberlin but not chicago?! i would love to see him, but i don't think i'm able to drive for 4+ hrs each way in order to do it.
― some lady (La Lechera), Friday, 16 September 2011 17:50 (twelve years ago) link
yeah, no chicago is still really strange. oberlin kind of blows my mind. must be some college radio person who has money to blow to throw a show for 10 people. :) (or wait, maybe that's what i did in college).
i live in indianapolis...just drove 3 hours each way to see olivia tremor control, so i am psyched to only drive 90 minutes to see roedelius in cincinatti of all places.
― dronestreet, Friday, 16 September 2011 17:54 (twelve years ago) link
yeah the cincinnati show is on a thursday -- so not gonna happenthis is disappointingi want to see roedelius in a beautiful pastoral setting, like a country church
― some lady (La Lechera), Friday, 16 September 2011 18:01 (twelve years ago) link
or preferably in a small venue in Chicago
― some lady (La Lechera), Friday, 16 September 2011 18:04 (twelve years ago) link
We are going tonight! Did anyone see him this past weekend?
― My So-Called Squelchy Life (doo dah), Tuesday, 4 October 2011 11:19 (twelve years ago) link
seeing him on saturday + I'm super-stoked.
― Logg \ O / Logg (crüt), Tuesday, 4 October 2011 11:32 (twelve years ago) link
I'm planning on seeing him next Wednesday in DC. Very stoked.
― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 4 October 2011 15:17 (twelve years ago) link
I missed him in NY the other night. bummer.
what type of material is he doing on this tour?
― original bgm, Tuesday, 4 October 2011 15:50 (twelve years ago) link
saw him in montreal last weekend - was so charming and great. piano & gear was on the floor of the theater and we were basically sitting right in front of it as he played away in his white suit. and then whenit was over he smiled and said, "well, that was eet!"
― the jazz zinger (s1ocki), Tuesday, 4 October 2011 20:30 (twelve years ago) link
It was great! Xambuca started, and played for about 15 minutes, then Roedelius joined him on the stage and they played together for a while, then Xambuca left and Roedelius played on. He had a keyboard, mixer and a couple CD players. About half of his time on stage he played various piano bits and the other half tweaked the keyboard and mixer. We talked to him before and after the show, he is wonderful and charming!Ha, also, several times before and after he payed, he stood around and shot video of the club and audience with his Iphone. We had a great time!
― My So-Called Squelchy Life (doo dah), Thursday, 6 October 2011 11:07 (twelve years ago) link
roedelius is playing the john cage conference at black mountain college this weekend!
http://www.blackmountaincollege.org/index.php/bmc-conference/193-bmc-international-conference-2011-draft-schedule
― geeta, Thursday, 6 October 2011 18:16 (twelve years ago) link