selbstportrait

I love the first three selbstportrait albums so much. There was one summer during college where they were one of the only things between me and outright madness, they kept every disaster in perspective.

The sense of humor on them is very helpful. They're such casual recordings, the way he leaves in the occasional bum note... comes on humble but sinks in cosmic.

The CD contains all of volume one and about 60% of volume two, leaving off some of the stronger, more minimal tracks -- but it's nice to hear them clean, as Sky Records vinyl pressings were always paper thin & scratchy out of the wrap.

'Wenn der Südwind weht' and 'Flieg' Vogel flieg'' were released as standalone albums, and retroactively titled as volumes four and five. I think these were new early 80's albums, unlike the first three, which were all compiled from archival recordings made during the harmonia / cluster years 73-79.

Volume six 'The diary of the unforgotten' is basically all the rest of the 73-79 tapes, and it's worth finding if you like the first three. These are obviously leftovers, but even the formless things have a mood to them, and the second to last piece is a fantastic 25 minute collage of fragments that ranks with the best of his music, including some great alternate mixes of harmonia tracks.

Volumes seven and eight were recorded in the 90's in the same style, but with his modern equipment. They don't capture quite the same mood.

Durch Die Wuste, Jardin Au Fou are the other two key ones, but I love all the records on Sky, and I also like Die Ohrenspiegel. If I could recommend other records that have the same effect on me as Cluster & all their side projects 1970-1984 I would...

Achim Roedelius

Eh, I was seriously thinking about asking you, Milton (you already talked about this subject @ ILM), because I'm in a massive Roedelius discovery. Agree with you about the first records (I managed to get some LP here & there, but waiting!), especially the left-overs track from Selbsportrait 2, which are very beautiful (Schönheitsflecken), but too bad to hear that vinyl pressing are bad.

I want to know what's your opinion about :
- Lustwandel
- Offene Türen
- Flieg' Vogel flieg'
- Wasser im Wind
- Wie das Wispern des Windes...

Thanks!

Hmm, nobody have mentioned Geschenk des Augenblicks yet... by far my favorite Roedelius. Many of the later ones got too sentimental for me, but this one has jut the right combination of sweet sadness and dream-like strangeness.

As for records having the same introspective effect as Selbstportrait, I'm not really sure. Maybe Alec Empires Limited Editions or Christoph de Babalons If You're Into It I'm Out of It? Or Mike Oldfields Hergest Ridge.

Goes without saying that <i>Durch Die Wuste</i> is the masterpiece. That should have been credited as Roedelius / Plank, but Conny's too modest.

- <i>Lustwandel</i>: Like <i>Jardin Au Fou</i>: , also produced by Peter Baumann, but this one is far less electronic, more pastoral, lots of clavinet, piano & live drums. Pretty great (though I think <i>Jardin</i> has the edge)

- <i>Offene Türen</i>: Very strange one; unlike the normal sinewave/organ chord sequences & melodies, this one has some very minimal thumpy rhythms with detuned bass lines -- sounds more like a Moebius solo record than any of his others, he must have missed the guy. Enough strong tracks to get if you're a fanatic.

- <i>Flieg' Vogel flieg'</i>: Selbstportrait volume five -- more of the same, some of it leaning towards noodle coasting (starting the sequencer & hitting record before really working out any tunes). But the first track is magic & side two has a nice trancey suite. The sound is pure, much better than most of <i>Wenn der Südwind weht</i>, where he introduced that new vibrato-heavy lead synth sound of shrill cheese (though even that record gets nice towards the end of side two)

- <i>Wasser im Wind</i>: I don't have this one! I think it's solo piano. I want it.

- <i>Wie das Wispern des Windes...</i>: Another solo piano record. Very, very sparse; I don't remember any tunes, I think it's just carefree improv. Haven't spent too much time with it, but maybe someday I'll realize it's fantastic.

- <i>Geschenk des Augenblicks / Gift of the Moment</i>: this was for Editions EG, so it received relatively wide distribution. It's basically more compositions in <i>Selbstportrait</i> mode, but performed for chamber ensemble, mainly string quartet & piano. I think the very last song is my favorite, the rest I like but doesn't send me quite as far away as the electronic stuff; this stays for most of the later works as well -- his taste in violin & saxophone players makes my ears burn.

There are a couple of later records where he got into abstract electronics again: The two <i>Sinfonia Contempora</i> releases have a few great moments but also many hurtful ones -- Asmus Tietchens contributes sounds to the first one, but still, fans only. <i>Die Ohrenspiegel</i> is the one consistently weird later one.

MiltonParker said:

<i>Geschenk des Augenblicks / Gift of the Moment</i>: this was for Editions EG, so it received relatively wide distribution. It's basically more compositions in <i>Selbstportrait</i> mode, but performed for chamber ensemble, mainly string quartet & piano. I think the very last song is my favorite, the rest I like but doesn't send me quite as far away as the electronic stuff; this stays for most of the later works as well -- his taste in violin & saxophone players makes my ears burn.

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It contain both electronics as well as acoustic instruments, most of them played by Roedelius himself. There's some cello and violin contributions, but no string quartet, and it's very far from a "chamber ensemble" record. The saxophones of later Roedelius records really suck, but luckily there's none of them on Geschenk...

As for Durch die Wüste, it's so different from the rest of his records it's almost pointless comparing them. A kraut rock masterpiece, but somehow not really a Roedelius-masterpiece.

It's a Conny Plank masterpiece! I think it was the last thing they did together.

You're right about <i>Geschenk</i>, no string quartet. Shouldn't have used the word 'ensemble' though that does loosely suggest the sound of the record -- I'd forgotten there were electronics on it at all, but I remember now. Want to listen again.

MiltonParker said:

Goes without saying that <i>Durch Die Wuste</i> is the masterpiece. That should have been credited as Roedelius / Plank, but Conny's too modest.

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I agree about the Plank contribution, how he constructed this album. The closest music to this might be François de Roubaix's 70's stuff, weird beauty, sheer fake tribal textures.

MiltonParker said:

- <i>Lustwandel</i>: Like <i>Jardin Au Fou</i>: , also produced by Peter Baumann, but this one is far less electronic, more pastoral, lots of clavinet, piano & live drums. Pretty great (though I think <i>Jardin</i> has the edge)

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Definitely one of the must-have, some of his best piano miniatures (Legende, Harlequin, Pirouette).

MiltonParker said:

- <i>Offene Türen</i>: Very strange one; unlike the normal sinewave/organ chord sequences & melodies, this one has some very minimal thumpy rhythms with detuned bass lines -- sounds more like a Moebius solo record than any of his others, he must have missed the guy. Enough strong tracks to get if you're a fanatic.

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This one's fits perfectly between Cluster's Curiosum & Moebius' Tonspuren. Odd arcade game tunes and dark foggy pieces. Just bought & read Stephen Illife's book about Roedelius, really dunno why he's talking about Hendrix/Doors bluesy soundalike ??? Should be rereleased!

MiltonParker said:

- <i>Flieg' Vogel flieg'</i>: Selbstportrait volume five -- more of the same, some of it leaning towards noodle coasting (starting the sequencer & hitting record before really working out any tunes). But the first track is magic & side two has a nice trancey suite. The sound is pure, much better than most of <i>Wenn der Südwind weht</i>, where he introduced that new vibrato-heavy lead synth sound of shrill cheese (though even that record gets nice towards the end of side two)

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Looking for this one, quite hard to find.

MiltonParker said:

- <i>Wasser im Wind</i>: I don't have this one! I think it's solo piano. I want it.

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It's a trio record, with saxophone & guitar. Erm ? Looking for it too. Who knows ?

MiltonParker said:

- <i>Wie das Wispern des Windes...</i>: Another solo piano record. Very, very sparse; I don't remember any tunes, I think it's just carefree improv. Haven't spent too much time with it, but maybe someday I'll realize it's fantastic.

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Illife's praising it very very much in his book. Even harder to find, never released on cd.

MiltonParker said:

- <i>Geschenk des Augenblicks / Gift of the Moment</i>: this was for Editions EG, so it received relatively wide distribution. It's basically more compositions in <i>Selbstportrait</i> mode, but performed for chamber ensemble, mainly string quartet & piano. I think the very last song is my favorite, the rest I like but doesn't send me quite as far away as the electronic stuff; this stays for most of the later works as well -- his taste in violin & saxophone players makes my ears burn.

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Reminds me of The Penguin Cafe Orchestra! Kleine Blume Irgendwo is one of my faves pianotures.

MiltonParker said:

There are a couple of later records where he got into abstract electronics again: The two <i>Sinfonia Contempora</i> releases have a few great moments but also many hurtful ones -- Asmus Tietchens contributes sounds to the first one, but still, fans only. <i>Die Ohrenspiegel</i> is the one consistently weird later one.

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Looking for <i>Die Ohrenspiegel</i> especially. Is the 'Reflektorium' track really great ?

Thanks Milton, you might be the greatest roedeliist on earth!
(any chance trading cdr or tapes of <i>Flieg' Vogel flieg'</i> & <i>Wie das Wispern des Windes...</i> ?)

It'd have to wait until a good weekend to make some good vinyl digital transfers & do the proper de-noising, but would love to hear some of the François de Roubaix stuff...

milton.parker@gmail.com

really interesting to hear about these records. i just dismissed this stuff out of hand, think it must have fallen between the cracks in my interest in NDW and "Classic" Krautrock. The later I went with Cluster, the less interested I became. actually I think it may have been eno's involvement which tempered my ardour, suddenly they appeared to be "transnational" and i liked the fact that earlier on they were working outside the UK/US Rock Machine.

i used to have both this one:




and this one:



(which I like more) and i sold them both. sowieoso is quite nice actually.
i think i also got a bit turned off by the sky label, which always felt like it was the place good bands went to die.

i still have this:



and this:



which are fantastic, and i adore.

but also (and this pertaining to the discussion in hand) this:




which is really special. satie-like, misty-walled gardens kind of vibe.

(scratches head)

gonna have to check some of these other ones you all mention out. one used to see the selbsportrait records EVERYWHERE, but I havent spied any in an age....

Matt, if you wanna re-tie with Cluster, start with

and then
http://mitglied.lycos.de/neuschnee/clusterdiscs11.jpg
My fave trinity with Zuckerzeit in between.
Conseil d'ami !

oh man I _love_ <i>Curiosum</i>. that one's total fuzzy wonder. Definitely a record that knew how to exploit lo-fidelity sound, and a definite Boards of Canada forerunner. Shiina Ringo samples a track from that on her second record, god help me.

the only one from the classic period I'm a little cool on is <i>Grosses Wasser</i>. and the reunion records didn't slay me either, though the three '96 concerts I saw had moments.

the Roedelius Selbstportraits are all hilariously minimal -- imagine <i>Sowiesoso</i> or <i>Jardin Au Fou</i> home demos with just muted organ & sinewave synths going into a bit of tape delay, just a few fast overdubs, almost hilariously carefree. Some tracks just go for mood, but other tracks have some really timeless, hypnotic melodies, things you want to go on forever (volume 2 has the highest percentage of song-like things). So lo-fidelity that the music's barely even there in spots, but in the best, most mysterious way possible.

Some of the tracks from Raymond Scott's <i>Soothing Sounds For Baby</i> series are in the same ballpark, if you like "The Happy Whistler" from SSFB 2, you definitely need the first three Selbstportraits.

I realize I'm raving here, so I'll repeat: many people's reaction to these modest home demos are just going to be 'uh... is this guy kidding?' A bit of an acquired taste. But they're true friends once you're in.

Listening yesterday to Selbstportrait III, some of its tracks made me think of the BBC Radiophonic Music compilation, as it can be very playful & then go into sublow minimal territories, as Delia Derbyshire stuff.
Roedeliusmuzik could be used anywhere on radio/television nowadays, but standing aside as a continuum of epiphanies, it's evocation as its best. It's a shame that most of his records, even cd stuff, is hard to find & expensive.

MiltonParker said:

modest home demos

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no that sounds cool.

the one i think i'm going to check first is this one though:



though probably this too (nods to morlu):



as for 71, i dunno i'm a little burned out with those churning electrtonic mantras.

anyone know kazoo off that virgin-era ash ra lp? does similarily new wavey things with krautrock as i imagine curiosum does (???)

I have a huge soft spot for 'Kazoo' which I only know from that virgin ambient compilation, someday I'll steel myself and stock up on late 70's ashra

Curiosum's a lot weirder & muted, most of the 'riffs' are completely abstract squiggles & even the straight keyboard melodies are all perfectly out of tune... think of the third track of 'Zuckerzeit' but even fuzzier

Definitely want to start with 'Durch Die Wuste'