Kluster

Schwarz (Eruption)

Image of Kluster - Schwarz (Eruption)
Record Label
Bureau B

About this item

Kluster was a short-lived project of three musicians/artists/performers: Dieter Moebius, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Konrad Schnitzler. Kluster disbanded as Moebius and Roedelius found the financial risk of bringing out a third album too daunting. Schnitzler decided to go ahead on his own, releasing the material they had recorded together, without any information or credits on the LP sleeve. Moebius and Roedelius continued as a duo under the name of Cluster . - Originally released 1971 on KS 1001 - Liner notes by Asmus Tietchens.

The official Konrad Schnitzler discography lists “Eruption”, released in 1971 under the title “Schwarz” (catalogue number KS 1001), as the first Schnitzler album. In fact, “Eruption” is the third and final LP by the group Kluster, following “Klopfzeichen” and “Zwei Osterei”. The lineup printed on the labels leaves no room for doubt. Unlike the two previous albums, “Eruption” was not issued by the Schwann Verlag, but by the band on its own, hence the task of financing the record fell to the participants. Roedelius and Moebius, however, were either unable or unwilling to get involved in this risky business. Without further ado, Schnitzler decided to cover the cost of pressing up 200 LPs which he would bring out under his own name. This historical “error" has now been corrected: “Eruption” is a Kluster album.

Seen alongside “Klopfzeichen” and “Zwei Osterei”, “Eruption” is a different beast altogether. The total absence of lyrics, to begin with; the music is music, nothing more. The listener revels in a pure symphony of sound, its dramatic artistry holding his attention until the very end. And that is the second major difference to the first two LPs. Whereas their furious intensity sounded almost brutally improvised, “Eruption” appears clearly structured throughout, musical freedoms notwithstanding. Kluster take their time in developing spontaneous ideas here, they get loud and then, for lengthier periods, go quiet, suggesting at times a sense of absolute emptiness, followed by outbreaks of dark anger. The possibilities opened up by live electronics were thrillingly exploited to the limit. And yet there is undeniably a method in the music. In the course of their many live concerts, Kluster had learned to use instruments and electronics constructively, reaching the zenith of their musical powers of expression on “Eruption”. Kluster disbanded after “Eruption”. The album is a revealing document of a band striving to stretch the musical spectrum during the early 1970s, and indeed how capable they were of doing so. Moebius and Roedelius went on working together as Cluster, and Conrad Schnitzler (now with a C) began developing his own vision of electronic music, a project he continued assiduously until his death (2011). Still, all three had their roots in Kluster – incredibly powerful roots. And Kluster have never ceased to be hugely fertile ground. May their creative inspiration never run dry.

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