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Roedelius - 1980 - Selbstportrait - Vol. III Selbstportrait Vol. III 'Reise durch Arcadien' is the fifth solo album by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius. It is the third of seven albums in Roedelius' Selbsportrait series of recordings.
Bureau B presents Flieg Vogel fliege by Hans-Joachim Roedelius, released by Sky Records in 1982. Flieg Vogel fliege (trans. 'Fly Bird Fly') is the fifth installment of the 'Selfportrait' series, with musical sketches and ideas recorded by Roedelius between the years of 1973 and 1979 on a Revox tape machine in his living room. In contrast to the previous self-portraits, which he left untouched, Roedelius revised these recordings and embellished them with further tracks.
'Measured against its predecessors, however, the audio quality is notably superior on this edition. Roedelius clearly improved the sound of the old tapes in the process of compiling the pieces at the Erpel Studio in Vienna, also taking the opportunity to add a few tracks.
Strictly speaking, these relatively complex multi-track recordings can no longer be bracketed together with the fleeting sketches as heard on the earlier albums. Now and again, they bear a resemblance to the character of the Cluster LP Sowiesoso. Having arrived in Austria following a protracted lean period, Roedelius finally had the chance to work in a studio which was not only well-equipped, but was also run by a kindred spirit sound engineer. The favorable working conditions, a myriad of new impressions and, by no means least, his personal happiness, saw Roedelius and his music flourish. This is discernable on Flieg Vogel fliege, even if only some of the music was created in his new adopted home. If complete insouciance, the acceptance of little musical mistakes and inaccuracies were symptomatic of the earlier self-portraits, then a mild formal rigor runs through this volume.
Not that Roedelius allows this to hinder him in any way. The joy of playing and talent for improvisation celebrate a cheerful resurrection once again. His spontaneity and exuberance, the ability to express thoughts and feelings through music, none of this was lost. This confirms Flieg Vogel fliege as an authentic and undisguised Roedelius portrait. With a little patina, perhaps. But music by the same man today reveals exactly the same individual, perhaps a little wiser, and of course, some years older. And there you have it: Roedelius is and shall remain the merry fool from the jardin au fou.'
- Asmus Tietchens. 180 gram vinyl pressing. Bureau B presents Flieg Vogel fliege by Hans-Joachim Roedelius, released by Sky Records in 1982. Flieg Vogel fliege (trans. 'Fly Bird Fly') is the fifth installment of the 'Selfportrait' series, with musical sketches and ideas recorded by Roedelius between the years of 1973 and 1979 on a Revox tape machine in his living room.
In contrast to the previous self-portraits, which he left untouched, Roedelius revised these recordings and embellished them with further tracks. 'Measured against its predecessors, however, the audio quality is notably superior on this edition. Roedelius clearly improved the sound of the old tapes in the process of compiling the pieces at the Erpel Studio in Vienna, also taking the opportunity to add a few tracks. Strictly speaking, these relatively complex multi-track recordings can no longer be bracketed together with the fleeting sketches as heard on the earlier albums. Now and again, they bear a resemblance to the character of the Cluster LP Sowiesoso.
Having arrived in Austria following a protracted lean period, Roedelius finally had the chance to work in a studio which was not only well-equipped, but was also run by a kindred spirit sound engineer. The favorable working conditions, a myriad of new impressions and, by no means least, his personal happiness, saw Roedelius and his music flourish. This is discernable on Flieg Vogel fliege, even if only some of the music was created in his new adopted home. If complete insouciance, the acceptance of little musical mistakes and inaccuracies were symptomatic of the earlier self-portraits, then a mild formal rigor runs through this volume. Not that Roedelius allows this to hinder him in any way. The joy of playing and talent for improvisation celebrate a cheerful resurrection once again.
His spontaneity and exuberance, the ability to express thoughts and feelings through music, none of this was lost. This confirms Flieg Vogel fliege as an authentic and undisguised Roedelius portrait.
With a little patina, perhaps. But music by the same man today reveals exactly the same individual, perhaps a little wiser, and of course, some years older. And there you have it: Roedelius is and shall remain the merry fool from the jardin au fou.' - Asmus Tietchens. Mule Musiq proudly presents 11 unreleased compositions by Hans-Joachim Roedelius produced between 1990 and 2001. All of them are pearls of electronic deepness that show another side of the man that lives in the little Lower Austrian town Baden. His famous ultra-sweet piano melodies can be heard - but they are not the center of the productions; instead, here is a more electronic side of his genius.
With a minimalistic approach, he lets synth melodies fly high while some droney, melancholic atmospheres swell in the background. Sometimes even slow-moving grooves hex the senses and his tracks get percussive in a more avant-garde way. All of these arrangements are poetic, sounding like sonic fables that leave much space for the listener's own imagination. Everywhere melodies balance and drift with no end or beginning in a cloud of synthetic, modern sounds. Roedelius' musical notions seem to reflect not only his unconscious soul, but also the soul of the time he lives in - between 1971 and 2001, it must have been a introverted, meditative one, in which he dived deep into his electronic machines to pump out of them some timeless music that stays contemporary even during changing times. The album artwork comes from Emi Winter - an artist from Oaxaca, Mexico.
Her paintings point the observer towards the glamorous uncertainty of today, like an illusion that appears unexpectedly and is immediately buried by a new sensation. There is anarchy and arbitrariness in her colors and stroke of the brush and she avoids following the rules of painting.
Of all the Hans-Joachim Roedelius solo releases, this is the one which most closely resembles the work of Cluster. Wasser Im Wind sees Roedelius use a wide variety of musical and sonic ingredients hitherto associated with Cluster, almost as if he sought to erect a monument to the group.
Right from the word 'go,' the familiar sound of the Drummer One rhythm machine can be discerned on the opening track, like a wood gnome crashing his way through the shire; then we hear those hand-played, swirling keyboard patterns so typical of Roedelius; his drifting melodies, with no beginning or end, gone before one has barely recognized them; synthetic sounds recalling the heroic era of the mid-'70s; and occasional glimpses of the shadow of Dieter Moebius as sounds and forms emerge from his cosmos. Might one suggest that Roedelius recorded a Cluster album all by himself? No, absolutely not! The astute listener will note how effortlessly Roedelius performs his balancing act on Wasser Im Wind. The album captures Roedelius on the threshold of something quite new to him.
On the one hand, the electronic elements he utilizes recall the Cluster virtues he knew so well, on the other hand, he is already experimenting with a wealth of baroque forms which will come to influence his playing in the future, particularly with regard to the piano. So Wasser Im Wind is no longer the past, nor is it quite the future.
Piano features prominently on this LP, but has not yet taken center stage. By inviting the saxophonist Czjzek to join him on three album tracks, Roedelius manages to confuse matters splendidly, as two seemingly incompatible musical notions meet head on. Nevertheless, Roedelius' spirit floats above these waters as well, transforming the listener's initial irritation into baffled amazement.
Another successfully conducted experiment! LP version on 180 gram vinyl. Of all the Hans-Joachim Roedelius solo releases, this is the one which most closely resembles the work of Cluster. Wasser Im Wind sees Roedelius use a wide variety of musical and sonic ingredients hitherto associated with Cluster, almost as if he sought to erect a monument to the group. Right from the word 'go,' the familiar sound of the Drummer One rhythm machine can be discerned on the opening track, like a wood gnome crashing his way through the shire; then we hear those hand-played, swirling keyboard patterns so typical of Roedelius; his drifting melodies, with no beginning or end, gone before one has barely recognized them; synthetic sounds recalling the heroic era of the mid-'70s; and occasional glimpses of the shadow of Dieter Moebius as sounds and forms emerge from his cosmos. Might one suggest that Roedelius recorded a Cluster album all by himself?
No, absolutely not! The astute listener will note how effortlessly Roedelius performs his balancing act on Wasser Im Wind. The album captures Roedelius on the threshold of something quite new to him. On the one hand, the electronic elements he utilizes recall the Cluster virtues he knew so well, on the other hand, he is already experimenting with a wealth of baroque forms which will come to influence his playing in the future, particularly with regard to the piano. So Wasser Im Wind is no longer the past, nor is it quite the future. Piano features prominently on this LP, but has not yet taken center stage.
By inviting the saxophonist Czjzek to join him on three album tracks, Roedelius manages to confuse matters splendidly, as two seemingly incompatible musical notions meet head on. Nevertheless, Roedelius' spirit floats above these waters as well, transforming the listener's initial irritation into baffled amazement. Bureau B reissues Piano Piano by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, originally released in 1991 on the Italian label Materiali Sonori. In classical music, 'pp' (piano piano = pianissimo) is a dynamic indication of particularly soft music. And Piano Piano is a very soft, quiet album.
Roedelius assumes the role of a fairytale character with his piano music, transported to a strange, fantastical landscape where, filled with awe and amazement, he tries to get his bearings. What he sees, feels and senses here is not always of this world. Many impressions come from the dark within, others from who knows where. Roedelius strikes a hesitant figure in these realms, cautiously, delicately exploring his immediate and distant environs, much like a child transfixed by astonishment.
And yet Piano Piano is anything but child-like. Initial comparisons were drawn between the piano music of Roedelius and that of Eric Satie. This was no more accurate than the erroneous 'ambient' label pinned to his material.
Satie's compositions were based on rigid formalism - Roedelius strives to free himself from the restrictive corset of form, while 'ambient' belies the careful listening which is required to appreciate his to the full. Nor does Piano Piano sit halfway between Satie and ambient, instead tracing Roedelius' own stylistic path into musical territory which he alone can reveal to us, the listeners. All we have to do is follow him. His music is quiet and focused, but to call it contemplative or even meditative would also be wide of the mark: not all music which draws us out of ourselves is accompanied by spiritual pomp, as the fewest fairytales whisper of eternity or the afterlife. Beauty and profoundness belong to this world, like Roedelius himself. What he has to tell us is indeed whimsical and, at times, wonderful.
His ability to awaken images and dreams in us is nothing short of miraculous. Roedelius offers us a little book of fairytales with Piano Piano and, as the old chestnut would have it, every fairytale contains a generous portion of reality. Includes three bonus tracks (CD-only) and liner notes by Asmus Tietchens. This is the fourth solo album by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, originally released in 1980 on Sky Records. With Selbstportrait, Roedelius gave unequivocal confirmation that he no longer was treading the hitherto common paths of electronic music. Selbstportrait - Vol.
II corroborated the findings: for Roedelius, electronics would no longer be a means of creating abstract, noise-like music in the future, nor of generating utopian, mechanical rhythmic structures. His own utopia was quite a different place, more in keeping with his own personality and view of the world.
Hence both self-portraits, in particular Selbstportrait - Vol. II, are programmatic. Uniquely among musicians of the German electronic scene at the time, Roedelius succeeded in blending European and extra-European musical styles quite intuitively, developing his own language of music, neither epigonic nor weighed down by stereotype, as often occurred in the emerging world music genre of the period.
There is a fascinating simplicity to the music of Roedelius: his vision does not reside in cloud-cuckoo-land. His utopia is founded in reason, his vision sustained by a simple base: not only did he ignore musical traditions, he also sought to create something new out of them. He succeeded where many of his contemporaries failed, going to ground as they attempted to bridge the postmodern gap. Not Roedelius. Roedelius' music is littered with stumbling blocks.
The listener may not necessarily lose his footing, but will not exactly find himself sitting comfortably as he listens. With this album, Roedelius has drawn a clearly delineated picture of himself. Few musicians can say the same, few even harbor such aspirations. Transcending styles, hypes and modernisms, Selbstportrait - Vol. II is electronically-sourced music, yet sounds anything but technical, dismantling the misconception that electronic music has to sound cold and distant.
Selbstportrait - Vol. II has never been released completely before. Includes 5 tracks never released on CD! Liner notes by Asmus Tietchens.
180 gram LP version. This is the fourth solo album by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, originally released in 1980 on Sky Records. With Selbstportrait, Roedelius gave unequivocal confirmation that he no longer was treading the hitherto common paths of electronic music. Selbstportrait - Vol. II corroborated the findings: for Roedelius, electronics would no longer be a means of creating abstract, noise-like music in the future, nor of generating utopian, mechanical rhythmic structures. His own utopia was quite a different place, more in keeping with his own personality and view of the world.
Hence both self-portraits, in particular Selbstportrait - Vol. II, are programmatic. Uniquely among musicians of the German electronic scene at the time, Roedelius succeeded in blending European and extra-European musical styles quite intuitively, developing his own language of music, neither epigonic nor weighed down by stereotype, as often occurred in the emerging world music genre of the period. There is a fascinating simplicity to the music of Roedelius: his vision does not reside in cloud-cuckoo-land.
His utopia is founded in reason, his vision sustained by a simple base: not only did he ignore musical traditions, he also sought to create something new out of them. He succeeded where many of his contemporaries failed, going to ground as they attempted to bridge the postmodern gap. Not Roedelius.
Roedelius' music is littered with stumbling blocks. The listener may not necessarily lose his footing, but will not exactly find himself sitting comfortably as he listens. With this album, Roedelius has drawn a clearly delineated picture of himself. Few musicians can say the same, few even harbor such aspirations. Transcending styles, hypes and modernisms, Selbstportrait - Vol. II is electronically-sourced music, yet sounds anything but technical, dismantling the misconception that electronic music has to sound cold and distant.
Selbstportrait - Vol. II has never been released completely before.
Printed innersleeve with original liner notes and new notes by Asmus Tietchens. The third studio album by Hans-Joachim Roedelius, originally released by Sky Records in 1981, fulfilled a dream he had long cherished.
A series of chamber music pieces, with grand piano solos taking center stage in some places, archaised percussion patterns in others. Lustwandel represents a logical progression, following on from Jardin Au Fou (re-released on Bureau B in 2009). Both albums were recorded at Paragon Studios in 1979 and produced by Peter Baumann ( Tangerine Dream). Electronica in the sense of synthetic sound sources or rhythm are absent from Lustwandel, in keeping with so many Roedelius solo works. This led to lively action amongst Cluster fans 30 years ago, as they divided into different camps.
Roedelius' unique musical style and irrepressible enthusiasm take his listeners down more of a sidetrack to the aural landscape of European harmonic and rhythmic tradition. There are obvious parallels to so-called serious chamber music, if not all the way along the route.
His music has never been bound by contemporary aesthetic debate nor susceptible to emerging theory. As an autodidact, his techniques of composition and piano-playing are so well developed, that Roedelius has never wanted, nor needed to bother himself with any of that. It is a carefree Roedelius who saunters through both the 19th and late-20th centuries. Boundaries dissolve in his music. Here the glow of a magic lantern, there the glare of a neon light. Herein lay the originality of Lustwandel: he availed himself of traditional forms yet expressed them in contemporaneous fashion. Roedelius and Lustwandel could easily have been assimilated into the postmodern era which arrived in the 1970s.
But, as usual, he was many miles away from the hub of cultural activity, without the slightest inclination to pay any attention to new phenomena. This child of the sun walks some very different paths indeed.
180 gram LP version. The third studio album by Hans-Joachim Roedelius, originally released by Sky Records in 1981, fulfilled a dream he had long cherished. A series of chamber music pieces, with grand piano solos taking center stage in some places, archaised percussion patterns in others. Lustwandel represents a logical progression, following on from Jardin Au Fou (re-released on Bureau B in 2009). Both albums were recorded at Paragon Studios in 1979 and produced by Peter Baumann ( Tangerine Dream).
Electronica in the sense of synthetic sound sources or rhythm are absent from Lustwandel, in keeping with so many Roedelius solo works. This led to lively action amongst Cluster fans 30 years ago, as they divided into different camps. Roedelius' unique musical style and irrepressible enthusiasm take his listeners down more of a sidetrack to the aural landscape of European harmonic and rhythmic tradition.
There are obvious parallels to so-called serious chamber music, if not all the way along the route. His music has never been bound by contemporary aesthetic debate nor susceptible to emerging theory. As an autodidact, his techniques of composition and piano-playing are so well developed, that Roedelius has never wanted, nor needed to bother himself with any of that.
It is a carefree Roedelius who saunters through both the 19th and late-20th centuries. Boundaries dissolve in his music.
Here the glow of a magic lantern, there the glare of a neon light. Herein lay the originality of Lustwandel: he availed himself of traditional forms yet expressed them in contemporaneous fashion. Roedelius and Lustwandel could easily have been assimilated into the postmodern era which arrived in the 1970s. But, as usual, he was many miles away from the hub of cultural activity, without the slightest inclination to pay any attention to new phenomena. This child of the sun walks some very different paths indeed.
Printed inner sleeve with photos and an essay by Asmus Tietchens.
ASTRONAUTA - I read in some of your interviews and articles about your life that you was a child actor in the '30s and '40s, acting in some UFA films. So, I think that it was your first steps in the world of arts, correct? How was this contact with the movies and UFA? And how (and when) did you decide to become a musician? ROEDELIUS - My father was a dentist, he had to do therefore with some directors who worked at the UFA and one of them saw me when he came to our place.
He liked me and asked my parents whether they would agree if I would play a child character in a film, they did at the time and so it happened that I played in about 6 films lateron with actors such as famous singer/whistler Ilse Werner, actress Brigitte Horney, actors Willy Birgel, Carl Raddatz and many others. I first wanted to become a doctor, but because of worldwar II and the troubles in germany afterwards I wasn't able to manage it the classical way I had to go the very practical way first I became a nurse and guider of the dying then a physiotherapist and masseur at the University of Eastberlin the 'Charite' but when I moved to Westberlin in 1960 everything changed. When I'm home from hospital next friday I'll look for my curriculum and send it to you.
(note: Roedelius is already at his home right now and sent me his discography/curriculum. You can check on the end of this interview) ASTRONAUTA - I contacted Conrad Schnitzler almost at the same time that I contacted you for the first time. It was only three or four months before Schnitzler's death, in 2011. He seemed to be a nice guy (as you are). In 2001 you and Schnitzler released the album 'ACON 2000/1', your first (and only) album together after 30 years of the last Kluster album ('Eruption', recorded and released in 1971). How was to play and record with Conrad Schnitzler again after all these years? And did you kept in contact with him in these 30 years between 'Eruption' and 'ACON 2000/1'?
ROEDELIUS - Conrad was a very good friend even so our reception of the so called reality was somehow extremely divers which was the reason of Kluster's split in 1971. We kept the friendship and Acon I was the result. ASTRONAUTA - What was your equipment in Kluster, Cluster and Harmonia?
Did you and your band mates built some of the equipment you used on concerts and recordings? And Brian Eno, did he brought any kind of equipment or devices when he was in Germany with you and played in Harmonia's album 'Tracks and Traces' (1976, released only in 1991), 'Cluster & Eno' and Eno Moebius Roedelius' 'After the heat' (both recorded in 1977 and released in 77 and 78 respectively)? Harmonia (Rother, Moebius and Roedelius) ROEDELIUS - We used electric organs, cello, guitar, kneeviola, tonegenerators, echomachines and many mostly selfbuilt little electronic devices in the beginning. Brian when he came to our place brought one of the first synths that existed at the time but nothing else, so he played this synth, guitar, bass and he sang.
It was not him who produced that album it were the four of us first with/on a fourtrack tapemachine that Michael Rother provided. About 20 years later I with the help of austrian friends I worked on parts of that material and 1997 the first edition as 'Harmonia 76 tracks & traces' came out via Rykodisc USA and Sony Germany but without great public interest. Groenland Records took care of a second edition with 3 bonustracks.
Cluster & Eno and After the Heat were / are productions of Conni Plank, not Brian Eno! Silver Qluster (2011) ASTRONAUTA - You influenced a lot of musicians all around the world and your music is still a great influence to the new generations.
And (thanks!) you're one of the most prolific artists, with more than 100 records released. How do you see your career and what are your further steps in arts? Any possibility of a reunion with Dieter Moebius again? And any possibility of another Silver Qluster (your concert with Simeon Coxe III from The Silver Apples that happened in the USA in 2011? ROEDELIUS - I was and still am rather busy working with artist from all over the globe as well as continously with Qlustermember Onnen Bock. There's none reason to revitalize Cluster at all for me. With Simeon it might be possible to collaborate again.
Its all about budgets. ASTRONAUTA - You're the director and producer from a festival in Lunz (Austria) called 'More ohr Less'. Can you tell us a little about this festival (it's not easy to find informations about 'More ohr less' in english.)? There's a new about more ohr less and videomaterial at Youtube: go there to:. ASTRONAUTA - One last question. And how about working with producer and engineer Conny Plank? ROEDELIUS - As for the relationship with Conni Plank.