Kollektion 2

About this Kollektion: British songwriter Lloyd Cole has long since been a fan of Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Cluster. For convincing evidence, one need look no further than his 2001 album Plastic Wood, a purely electronic opus which was an unambiguous homage to his musical idols. In 2013, Cole and Roedelius actually joined forces to release their Selected Studies Vol. 1 album (BB 124 CD/LP). Cole has now listened through the Hans-Joachim Roedelius solo archives to present his favorite synthesizer or organ pieces in Bureau B's Kollektion series. About Hans-Joachim Roedelius: Hans-Joachim Roedelius, born in Berlin 1934; released his first album 1969 with Kluster (with Dieter Moebius and Conrad Schnitzler). Active ever since as a solo artist and in various collaborations. One of the most prolific musicians of the German avant-garde and a key figure in the birth of Krautrock, synthesizer pop and ambient music. Roedelius entered the world of music in 1967 when he and Conrad Schnitzler founded the Berlin performance club Zodiak Free Arts Lab, thereby launching the careers of numerous "Berlin School" musicians (Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel, Klaus Schulze, etc). Schnitzler and Roedelius later got together with Dieter Moebius to record two seminal albums under the name of Kluster. Schnitzler quit the trio not long afterwards, the other two continuing to release albums as Cluster at irregular intervals until 2009. Hans-Joachim Roedelius has also been active as a solo artist and has collaborated with countless musical partners including Brian Eno, Holger Czukay, Michael Rother, Stefan Schneider and Tim Story, to list just a brief selection. He played on around 170 record productions either as a soloist or with band projects. Some 1,600 musical works bear his name, plus a similar number of texts (poetry, prose etc.) Lloyd Cole on Roedelius: "It was 1977. First came Bowie's Low, then Eno's Before and After Science, which led me to Cluster and Eno, released earlier that year. What a year to be 16 years old! Cluster and Eno led me to Can and Neu!, et al, but none of this so-called Krautrock had the je ne sais quoi that was the essence of Cluster. Sowiesoso pulsed and spat and gurgled with warmth and humor which gave it a resonance beyond this otherwise dry and clever music, which at it's worst might seem to smirk downwards towards the listener. Instead, Sowiesoso wore a wry, welcoming smile. It said: Maybe we can spend some time together, maybe we'll be friends, maybe we won't, listen to this, see what you think... I'm still listening. Cluster led me to Harmonia and then Roedelius' solo works which led me to believe that the soul I was finding in Cluster which seemed so absent from their peers came primarily from him. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's the way I hear it. The melodic sensibility which drew me in is his, for sure. Roedelius' voice is unique, instantly recognizable, and still resonates. Almost 40 years later, here I am curating a Roedelius collection. Which makes me very happy. I hope you enjoy it." Lloyd Cole, 2014.