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D. MOEBIUS

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Moebius

Tonspuren - 2023 Reissue

Bureau B

Coloured LP

£28.99

Limited Anniversary... [ + ]

Cat Number

BB040LTD

Release date

8 Dec '23

Format Info

Limited Anniversary Edition: hand numbered, limited edition white vinyl.
500 copies available for the World.

By 1969 at the latest, Dieter Moebius was synonymous with the avant-garde electronic music scene in Germany. He and Hans-Joachim Roedelius formed Cluster, a seminal electronic/ambient duo, whilst Moebius was also a member of the so-called Krautrock supergroup Harmonia (with Michael Rother and Roedelius), as well as collaborating on various other projects with the likes of Brian Eno and Mani Neumeier from Guru Guru. Somehow, it took Moebius until 1983 to release his own solo debut album, Tonspuren.

Tonspuren is an album of minimalisms, miniatures and stringent form, ten consistently concise and precise pieces. Moebius develops tonal variations out of minimalistic, rhythmic, harmonic basic tracks, sometimes coming close to tangible melodies. Yet this is exactly the point at which he purposely steers clear of electronic pop criteria. Nevertheless, Tonspuren is a pop album, its radically stripped down contents replenished with harmonious elements of prevalent popular music.

Echoes of Cluster notwithstanding, the music of Tonspuren is a separate entity altogether. Moebius seems to be avoiding improvisation as the devil keeps his distance from holy water. Each piece is thoughtfully composed, as Moebius crafts his miniatures layer by layer. Spontaneous inaccuracies have no place here, noise escapades are nipped in the bud. Baroque, folklore and frivolity are not admitted into the studio when the red light is on.

Thanks to Tonspuren, the keen listener now has the opportunity of direct comparison in his appraisal of the solo albums of Dieter Moebius, Hans Joachim Roedelius and Michael Rother. What role did each of the Harmonia triumvirate play in creating the style of the supergroup? Tonspuren thus represents a vital piece of the Harmonia puzzle.

TRACK LISTING

01. Contramio
02. Hasenheide
03. Rattenwiesel
04. Transport
05. Etwas
06. Nervös
07. B 36
08. Furbo
09. Sinister
10. Immerhin

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Moebius Plank Neumeier

Zero Set - 2023 Reissue

Bureau B

Coloured LP

u/avbl

Limited anniversary... [ + ]

Cat Number

BB037LTD

Release date

8 Dec '23

Format Info

Limited anniversary edition: hand numbered, limited edition white vinyl.
500 copies available for World.

In 1983, Dieter Moebius (Cluster) and legendary producer Conny Plank teamed up for the third time, resulting in the Zero Set project. On this occasion, they were backed up by one of the best drummers on the German rock scene: Mani Neumeier of Guru Guru. Moebius had got to know and admire him as the live drummer for Harmonia (Moebius, Roedelius, Rother) and during the recording sessions for their second album (De Luxe).

Conny Plank, usually more of a background figure as producer, takes an equal share of the limelight alongside the musicians. His supermodern studio is brought into play like an instrument in its own right; Plank explores the full range of audio editing, pushing recording techniques to the limit to achieve maximum brilliance and plasticity. Neumeier uses all of his many years of experience as a drummer, demonstrating the precision and stamina of a drum machine, just infinitely livelier and more inventive. And finally, to Moebius. Always one of the patriarchs of German electronic music, a creator of the most bizarre sound happenings, yet never sounding forced or arbitrary. On the contrary, he consistently worked within the context of the tracks themselves and their relationship to each other.

The music on Zero Set flows both smoothly and energetically. No single idea is overplayed, none of the tracks hits the ten minute mark. Aural and musical structures are concentrated to the point of askesis, yet there is no mistaking just how much the musicians are relishing playing together - these are the two very different, yet defining characteristics of the album. Moebius, Neumeier and Plank are unsentimental in their use of technology, exploiting it as an effective tool in pursuit of their musical vision. Three musicians at the top of their game and far too smart to allow their efforts to drift into psychedelic meanderings.

TRACK LISTING

01. Speed Display
02. Load
03. Pitch Control
04. All Repro
05. Recall
06. Search Zero

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Moebius

Kollektion 07 : Solo Works

Bureau B

Ltd LP

£24.99

Cat Number

BB422LP

Release date

22 Jul '22

Dieter Moebius is one of the most important protagonists of avant-garde electronic music in Germany. Alongside his bands Kluster/Cluster and Harmonia, he participated in numerous collaborations (with the likes of Brian Eno and Mani Neumeier/Guru Guru). Asmus Tietchens, one of his musical companions, compiled this collection for Bureau B – he concentrated on his solo works "as they offer the clearest insight into his personality and inventive potential".

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Moebius / Schneider

Kunsthalle

Bureau B

Limited 12" vinyl (500 copies). To mark its 40th anniversary in 2007 the Kunsthalle Dusseldorf organized the "Dusseldorf Sounds - Festival of Art and Music from Dusseldorf. One particularly noteworthy event was staged in the Kunsthalle's cinema auditorium: the only Dieter Moebius and Stefan Schneider collaboration ever. On the night of the concert, they improvised everything. After the show, a journalist asked Moebius to expand on the differences between the fine arts and music. His riposte was succinct and disarming in equal measure: "What differences? - they are both art." Available for first time.

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Moebius Story Leidecker

Familiar

Bureau B

Dieter Moebius (1944-2015) - one half of the legendary duo Cluster and the godfather of electronic krautrock - was one of the most important protagonists of avant-garde electronic music in Germany. The Americans Tim Story and Jon Leidecker are two electronic musicians who could not be more different to one another. Story is known for his warm soundscapes whilst Leidecker has made an name for himself, or rather for his "Wobbly" pseudonym, with experimental adventures in sound. He is also a member of the music and art collective Negativland.

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Moebius Story Leidecker

Snowghost Pieces

Bureau B

Dieter Moebius charted new "Krautronik" ground as one half of Cluster (with Hans-Joachim Roedelius) for many years. The Americans Tim Story and Jon Leidecker are two electronic musicians who could not be more different to one another. Story is known for his warm soundscapes whilst Leidecker has made an name for himself, or rather for his "Wobbly" pseudonym, with experimental adventures in sound. "Snowghost pieces" features harmonious, electronic improvisations of the highest order. Hypnotic rhythms embellished with sometimes bizarre, always surprising sounds and noises.

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Moebius & Renziehausen

Ersatz

Bureau B

Latest in Bureau B's series of Kraut Rock reissues.

'Ersatz' was originally released in 1990 on the Pinpoint label.

The music: surrealist, minimal / experimental electronics. "Adventures in sound, a world brought to life by the most remarkable characters and atmospheres." (Asmus Tietchens)

Dieter Moebius is one of the most important protagonists of avant-garde electronic music in Germany. Alongside his bands Cluster and Harmonia he participated in numerous collabo-rations (e.g. with Brian Eno, Mani Neumeier/Guru Guru and Conny Plank).

1990 sees Dieter Moebius enter new musical territory, cautiously reconnoitering the digital world. His companion on this excursion is Karl Renziehausen, a visual artist and constructor of sound sculptures. The two of them distance themselves sonically and musically from existing Moebius collaborations with Conny Plank and Gerd Beerbohm (almost all of which have been reissued on Bureau B); similarly, only sporadic echoes can be heard of Cluster and Harmonia, two projects whose style Moebius influenced significantly over a number of years. There is an exactness to the music of Moebius und Renzie-hausen, who allow nothing to stray from their chosen path. They stage seven little musical comedies with different plots, much as if they were writing for the theatre. Common to each of the pieces is a prevailing mood of surrealism. Although Moebius and Renziehausen frequently cross the boundaries of tonality, they still remain firmly grounded. The connection to the real world is never completely severed. Which is what makes this music so puzzling to anyone willing to engage with it: the occasional fleeting sense of something familiar, yet no sooner than something appears which one might have heard before, it disappears again, replaced by something new and unrecognizable. Listeners can look forward to nine meticulously crafted soundscapes of uncharted, fantastic regions.

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Moebius & Beerbohm

Double Cut

Bureau B

In 1984, two years after their first album collaboration, "Strange Music", Dieter Moebius and Gerd Beerbohm issued their second LP, "Double Cut". It bore the same distinctive hallmarks as its predecessor, but this time around, the two musicians had simplified matters significantly. This was not simplification due to a lack of inspiration, however, but a masterful concentration on what really counts in pop music: rhythm. The centrepiece of the album, the 22-minute "Doppelschnitt", can be tagged as proto-techno. Moebius and Beerbohm have grafted an endless stream of rhythmical electronic particles onto an ostinato bass and drum figure, fluttering to and fro like the lightest of shimmering veils.

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Moebius & Beerbohm

Strange Music

Bureau B

Dieter Moebius is one of the most important protagonists of avant-garde electronic music in Germany. Alongside his bands Kluster/Cluster and Harmonia, he participated in numerous collaborations (with the likes of Brian Eno and Mani Neumeier/Guru Guru) He recorded two albums with the bass player Gerd Beerbohm in 1982 and 1983. What became of Beerbohm sadly remains a mystery.
In the latter half of the 1970s, alongside their Cluster collaboration, Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius embarked almost simultaneously on individual musical journeys. Roedelius focused primarily on solo projects, whilst Moebius preferred to enagage with other musicians on equal terms.
“Strange Music" - unimaginative as it may first appear (!), the title speaks volumes about where Moebius was coming from, artistically speaking. Moebius is a master of perspicuity, uncovering the rich variety inherent in the detail of minor variations. Moebius' principles of pop music are drawn from three sources: the uncomplicated minimalism of the late 1960s, instrumental rock'n'roll of the late 1950s and improvisation. Working with Gerd Beerbohm saw him combine these elements to create an exact representation of his understanding of contemporary pop music.
Gerd Beerbohm turned out to be the perfect musical foil for Moebius, affording him free rein, in the very best sense of the expression, to bring his concept of pop music to life. Whilst "unleashed" best describes his mindset, this should be equated with neither chaos nor arbitrariness. On the contrary, the only liberty Moebius took was to focus exclusively on his and Beerbohm's musical visions, without feeling the need to consider any higher group concepts. This gave rise to a forceful, energized album, steering a clear course ahead, full of improvised ideas and unencumbered by frills or embellishments.

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Eno Moebius Roedelius

After The Heat

Bureau B

"After The Heat" is the 1978 album by Brian Eno and both members of Cluster, namely Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius. This album represents the second collaboration by the trio, the first being 1977's Cluster & Eno. Again, it was created in collaboration with the hugely influential Krautrock producer, Conny Plank. Brian Eno was certainly instrumental in creating and popularizing the concept of 'ambient music' – but it was not his invention alone. The German musicians Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius (Cluster) were brothers in spirit. As so often in music, the idea of ambient was in the air, both Eno and Cluster experimenting with the form in the 1970s, rendering any debate as to who influenced who redundant. What is certain is that Brian Eno attended a Cluster concert in Hamburg in 1975, strategically positioning himself in the front row. Sure enough, he was invited on stage to jam with the band and, after the show, the participants arranged to meet up again. They did so two years later at the Old Weserhof in Forst, the domicile of the German duo. Eno And Cluster spent three weeks in Conny Plank's studio, resulting in two albums: "Cluster & Eno" and "After The Heat".

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D. Moebius

Nurton

Blue Pole Records

Ex Harmonia member, and Cluster/Eno collaborator presents his first new album in over seven years. Pure electronic current abstracted into riffs and textural sound poems - unpredictably cutting edge!

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