is there a particular origin for the redeemed/struggle dichotomy?
― rob, Wednesday, 5 December 2018 23:49 (five years ago) link
Not entirely, it’s kind of a personal fixation, but it sprang from an interview in the wire with Scott Walker shortly after tilt came out in which Sylvian comes up and, at least the way I remember it, SW contrasted his music and Sylvian’s by describing the latter’s music as coming from a “redeemed” place. Stuck in my mind. Struggle is not a great polar twin term but you see what I’m getting at.
― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Thursday, 6 December 2018 00:24 (five years ago) link
Found it tucked away quoted by a commenter on one of momus’ live journal posts:He's much more of an ethereal merchant than I am. I'm a man who struggles with spirituality whereas he's given in to it. My album and the one before it is about struggle in a Dostoyevskian sense. It's a real fight for me in every line. Whereas he's given in to a state of grace.
― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Thursday, 6 December 2018 00:32 (five years ago) link
First part of a long interview: https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2019/02/20/39086811/german-guitar-god-michael-rother-talks-kraftwerk-neu-and-the-dubious-term-krautrock
― JoeStork, Thursday, 21 February 2019 20:15 (five years ago) link
his first four albums are re-released, also available on spotify now.
― JoeStork, Saturday, 23 February 2019 23:26 (five years ago) link
another good interview: https://aquariumdrunkard.com/2019/03/06/michael-rother-the-aquarium-drunkard-interview/I like michael rother, he seems like a cool guy.
― tylerw, Wednesday, 6 March 2019 15:44 (five years ago) link
Played live in London earlier this month, with Thurston Moore opening. Review: https://thequietus.com/articles/26329-michael-rother-neu-live-review
Amazing setlist (4 to 9 constitute Sterntaler, but Scheisse, look the songs that make up the rest of the set!)1. Katzenmusik 1/Katzenmusik 5/Katzenmusik 62. Neuschnee3. Seeland4. Sonnenrad5. Blauer Regen6. Stromlinien7. Sterntaler8. Fontana di Luna9. Orchestrion10. Deluxe (Immer Wieder)11. Hallogallo12. Dino13. Negativland (with Thurston Moore)14. E-Musik (with Thurston Moore)
― willem, Tuesday, 16 April 2019 20:39 (five years ago) link
oh damn, I'd pay like....20 bucks for a live album of that
― frogbs, Tuesday, 16 April 2019 20:41 (five years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtYvda-Q2Nc
― Elvis Telecom, Tuesday, 16 April 2019 21:23 (five years ago) link
that was AWESOME thank you
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Tuesday, 16 April 2019 22:19 (five years ago) link
wow <3
― nxd, Wednesday, 17 April 2019 09:01 (five years ago) link
it's now impossible for any vaguely avant-garde gig to happen in London without Thurston Moore showing up, apparently
― Neil S, Wednesday, 17 April 2019 09:14 (five years ago) link
Pretty much.
― Do you like 70s hard rock with a guitar hero? (Tom D.), Wednesday, 17 April 2019 09:22 (five years ago) link
and an irresistible, groove-driven ‘Hallogallo’ from the first Neu! album, that gets the crowd dancing wildly. An audience member shouts out: ‘Play that one again and for longer!’
Can that clip above loop for three hours?
― Elvis Telecom, Friday, 19 April 2019 19:22 (five years ago) link
some days i think if sterntaler was the only music i heard for the rest of my life i'd be okay with it
today is def one of those days
― Homegrown Georgia speedster Ladd McConkey (bizarro gazzara), Wednesday, 5 February 2020 14:43 (four years ago) link
never heard this before. listening now - it extremely owns
― ||||||||, Wednesday, 5 February 2020 18:26 (four years ago) link
hell yes
― Homegrown Georgia speedster Ladd McConkey (bizarro gazzara), Wednesday, 5 February 2020 18:31 (four years ago) link
I hadn't listened to it in a long time so I put it on now immediately my mood improved 100%. Thank you thread and Michael.
― Elvis Telecom, Thursday, 6 February 2020 05:48 (four years ago) link
I listened to him constantly after Brexit Day - his albums (first 4) are a pure sugar rush.
― (includes digression on farting) (Tom D.), Thursday, 6 February 2020 09:25 (four years ago) link
He comes across in interviews as an extremely pleasant, positive and nice person - and his music mirrors his personality perfectly.
― (includes digression on farting) (Tom D.), Thursday, 6 February 2020 09:28 (four years ago) link
Tother is on most of my playmixes, he goes with everything
― GK Chessington's World of Adventure (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 6 February 2020 12:20 (four years ago) link
tom otm re: nice guy michael, i always feel bad for him that he had to play with certified bastard klaus dinger despite the magic of their work in neu!
― Homegrown Georgia speedster Ladd McConkey (bizarro gazzara), Thursday, 6 February 2020 12:41 (four years ago) link
Perfect combination of personalities imo.
― (includes digression on farting) (Tom D.), Thursday, 6 February 2020 16:29 (four years ago) link
The sober ying to Klaus' raging yang
― Ward Fowler, Thursday, 6 February 2020 16:37 (four years ago) link
Dude is supporting Einstürzende Neubauten in Denmark in a few months. I've been trying to persuade them to get Rother to join them onstage for a song, because wow, I think that could have a similar sober ying / raging yang dynamic. Blixa seems to like the idea, and he's actually thinking about it?
Like, the Düsseldorf school and the Berlin school colliding in such a pleasing and circle-completing way would make me so happy.
― Branwell with an N, Wednesday, 12 February 2020 07:22 (four years ago) link
Is he still hot af @ 69 yo?
― Good taste, bit Victorian but who isn't? (jed_), Wednesday, 12 February 2020 07:25 (four years ago) link
Blixa or Michael? They are both still hottttt.
― Branwell with an N, Wednesday, 12 February 2020 07:41 (four years ago) link
Michael looks really spry and healthy, like he plays tennis every day. :D
― Branwell with an N, Wednesday, 12 February 2020 07:42 (four years ago) link
Wopp-Wopp, new album Dreaming. Can't find anything about it apart from the pre-order page on Grönland's webshop https://www.groenland.com/product/michael-rother-dreaming-lp/
― willem, Friday, 19 June 2020 10:22 (three years ago) link
aw hell yeah
― scampo, foggy and clegg (bizarro gazzara), Friday, 19 June 2020 10:46 (three years ago) link
Seven disc boxset yall
― Scampidocio (Le Bateau Ivre), Wednesday, 24 June 2020 15:25 (three years ago) link
That’s all great news!
― michaellambert, Wednesday, 24 June 2020 16:37 (three years ago) link
As if on cue this morning, Spotify Hipster Boyfriend let me know that Michael Rother has a new album out called Dreaming.
The first track starts with a tangle of Cluster-esque electronics and soft NEU!-esque recordings of flowing water, and I am here for this!
― Extractor Fan (Branwell with an N), Friday, 4 September 2020 09:27 (three years ago) link
If my recollection is correct, I believe there is a quote in that BBC documentary about Krautrock from Rother talking about living near a river his life being an influence upon their sound.
― earlnash, Friday, 4 September 2020 10:02 (three years ago) link
Yeah I can see that, music that both forges forward and shimmers when it's doing so.
― Matt DC, Friday, 4 September 2020 10:06 (three years ago) link
Yeah, I think he was talking about the river at Forst, where he records - which I think Roedelius later revealed was actually contaminated with nuclear power plant radiation? But also about the way that Düsseldorf was so centred around the Rhine.
I'm about 2/3 of the way through the album, and it is fantastic BTW. I remember reading an interview a while ago, about the new vocalist he was working with, but I cannot for the life of me remember her name. She does add a lovely intimacy to the record. I'm really digging it - Bitter Tang in particular is quite a good lockdown anthem.
― Extractor Fan (Branwell with an N), Friday, 4 September 2020 10:15 (three years ago) link
Found the clip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B8JF8CRoZc
― earlnash, Friday, 4 September 2020 10:15 (three years ago) link
Das ist kein Michael, das ist Ralfi! <3
― Extractor Fan (Branwell with an N), Friday, 4 September 2020 10:22 (three years ago) link
Oh wait, no, there he is, indeed, talking about the flow of rivers.
Also YouTube suggestions, up next:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDEaJgZI6ZQ
(So frustrated, because I had tickets for that show, but was not able to go due to being very ill. Now I've no idea when I'll see him again - the shows with Neubauten have been delayed, too, so ...)
― Extractor Fan (Branwell with an N), Friday, 4 September 2020 10:26 (three years ago) link
This is sounding perfect today: gently propulsive and soothing. Does anyone know who the female vocalist is?
― Vanishing Point (Chinaski), Friday, 4 September 2020 11:31 (three years ago) link
He did mention her in an interview he did fairly recently, but I can't find it on the thread, which means I'm going to have to dig through Tumblr to locate it... eeep.
― Extractor Fan (Branwell with an N), Friday, 4 September 2020 11:51 (three years ago) link
Ha the algo served this up to me today as well, I assumed it was just something old repackaged as a chunk of the “new music” Spotify recommends is like 60 year old jazz albums and such so it was a pleasant surprise - was very unprepared for the singer lol
― Gab C. Nebsit (wins), Friday, 4 September 2020 11:55 (three years ago) link
https://www.self-titledmag.com/michael-rother-interview/
― willem, Friday, 4 September 2020 12:10 (three years ago) link
Ugh, well the link is there :)
that is the one:
Actually, the story of Dreaming goes back to 1995, ’97, when I met this British singer and cello player…. Sophie Joiner is her name.
― Extractor Fan (Branwell with an N), Friday, 4 September 2020 12:17 (three years ago) link
I was gonna say Michael Rother only has one track - it's a great track of course - but all this talk of a singer has piqued my interest
― A Short Film About Scampoes (Noodle Vague), Friday, 4 September 2020 12:25 (three years ago) link
New website:https://www.michaelrother.de/
― snakes & cookies (doo dah), Friday, 4 September 2020 13:43 (three years ago) link
wish he was on Bandcamp! this sounds cool.
― sleeve, Friday, 4 September 2020 14:11 (three years ago) link
man, i want to buy this, but with shipping it comes out to nearly $70. glad it's on spotify, but man that's disappointing.
― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Friday, 4 September 2020 15:23 (three years ago) link
Thanks for posting that recent interview! What a sweet, charming man he is. I didn't realize until late in life just how many things I love have his fingerprints on them.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 4 September 2020 15:57 (three years ago) link