Following the second world war, Germany saw a great rise in the production and popularity of avant grade and experimental music. In this era the early Kraftwerk lineup was formed, as was the first iteration of
Tangerine Dream, both of whom have been featured on numerous pages across The Sonic Music Review. This era also gave birth to Neu!, the experimental krautrock group who are retrospectively credited as being one of the most influential bands of their type from that era.
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| Neu! - Neu! |
The album opens with 'Hallogallo,' an initial exposition of the pulsing repetitive beats which defined the psychedelic movement from which the band found a significant influence. This is adorned by overtones from processed electric guitar which form the basis of the piece melodically and harmonically. This then gives way to 'Sonderangebot' which is led by the processed metallic scratches of cymbals and gongs yet nonetheless rewards the carful listener with what is in fact a carefully structured piece.
While 'Hallogallo' relies strongly on beat based composition, the later track 'Weissensee' gives an altogether different musical atmosphere from the use of electronic drones which take the main focus in spite of being a 'background' texture. This method of composition likens it to an unformed genre of pseudo-ambient music, a term not coined until Brain Eno's seminal 'Music For Airports' release, reviewed
here.
When listening to 'Negativland,' also the name of an unrelated plunderphonics act, the audible ties to progressive rock are clear, while the band embellish the form and instrumentation with experimentalism which would later define Krautrock as a genre in its own right. Given the widespread influence this initial release has given, this is certainly a must-hear for any fans of the early fusion of electronics within a rock context. In spite of commercial non-success, this album is a very proud addition to any musical library.
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