Since I began work here at the Quietus, I’ve found myself using the phrase krautrock in casual conversation more and more. It’s a bad habit, I know, and one that continues to confound and alienate friends while eliciting snorts of derision from family. But how else can I communicate the details of my job when I am regularly bombarded with vaguely ambient tracks of German origin dealing in spaced electronics and hypnotic rhythms that pulse politely in the whip? Make up a new genre? Write up a detailed analysis that doesn’t rely on a four-and-half-decade old pejorative made up by the NME? That’s above my pay grade.
But even if the phrase is outdated and lazy, this writer’s still glad the principles of the kraut exist today. Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to show you the first track from Hans Joachim Roedelius and Christoph H Müller’s upcoming collaborative album Imagori. Have yourself a listen above.
And so arises the age-old question: is this even krautrock? Let’s see. You’ve definitely got the Cluster pedigree and the experimental nature on your side, but, ooooof!, a quick "control-f" of the press release reveals only two uses of the phrase. Brian Eno crops up a bit more; he even provides spoken-word on the album’s fourth song, "About Tape."
For those who like their beats "[revelling] in simultaneous legato and staccato," look for Imagori out September 4 on Gronland records.
