Recently, the first English version of the oral history of German rock was officially published. The book comprehensively and in-depth explores the origin, history, related legends and subsequent influence of German rock. Through interviews with many participants in the music scene at that time, the author tells readers the story of a generation of musicians struggling to navigate the legacy of fascism.
Screen from the documentary "German Progressive Rock: Germany Reborn" (2009).
The German rock (kraut rock) familiar to listeners today was born in the 1970s. What the German youth at that time inherited from the previous generation was a “country in ruins.” The urgent question they need to face is: How to deal with the crimes committed by their parents' generation? This emotional dynamic directly contributed to the subsequent emergence of German rock. "We had to start from scratch. We wanted to start from scratch."
From a musical perspective, German rock is different from the traditional British and American rock style. The band at that time created a unique art form close to avant-garde music by using early sound synthesizers to collage unrelated-sounding tapes. When listeners hear music composed by German musicians in the 1970s, it is easy to ignore the extremely difficult history behind these notes.
Recently, the English version of "New Sound: The Definitive History of German Rock" (tentative translation, neu klang: the definitive history of krautrock), the first oral history work focusing on German rock music, was officially published. Author christoph dallach chronicles the story of a group of musical rebels who transformed Germany's underground music scene in the 1970s. The book's interviewees are musicians from all walks of life in Germany, and their views may sometimes veer to the left, but together these voices attest to the influence of German rock music. More than 60 interviewees in
's book tell their stories of how they escaped Germany's authoritarian past and made their voices heard. "In England they joke," the free jazz musician Peter Brötzmann, who died last year, once said through gritted teeth. For those who grew up as the children of Hitler's soldiers and officials, the war was no joke. thing. “My school was a den of vipers for old Nazis,” Can keyboardist Irmin Schmidt also said of his teacher. "Since then, I have been fighting German history." The book was published in German for the first time in 2021, and the launch of the English version once again attracted the attention of music fans in the English-speaking world.
Book cover of the English version of "New Sounds: The Definitive History of German Rock".
Darragh divides the content of the book according to different themes. In addition to the musician's oral narration, the book also introduces the Free Art Laboratory in West Berlin at that time, as well as the music synthesizers used by the German rock electronic music school. Among them, the synthesizer can be said to be an important tool for starting over. The purpose of those German bands at that time was to escape the terrible temptations of recent history. One interviewee in the book calls the synthesizer "a gift from God because it really allows us to create something new, there's no set path to follow."
In addition, what attracted much attention was the inside story of well-known bands at the time. One chapter is devoted to the can band, which was founded in Cologne, Germany, and how they integrated their superb musical skills into improvised psychedelic rock. Another chapter reveals the details of how members of the rebellious band Faust from Hamburg, Germany, recalled how Virgin Records spent huge sums of money trying to cultivate them into a German version of a hippie band, but in the end they had little success.
A book review article in the Financial Times believes that the book provides valuable first-hand information and presents the Germanness of German music. So, what is the Germanness of German music? Some interviewees in the book define this through description: "German music is economical, concise, simple, and focused." However, some interviewees in the book hold the opposite view, believing: "Our sound is not German, but universal. ."
In this regard, the author Darlach is eager to emphasize the prophetic nature of this music: "The best German rock music, at that time, was like an unheard radio wave from the future, and will continue to spread into the future. ." he wrote in the preface.But a stronger signal comes from the past. Overall, the book speaks to the importance of nationality as a timeless question, and it brings readers back to these bands - their shimmering melodies, limitless rhythms and strict ethics. It should not be forgotten that since the Holocaust, German art has indeed undergone a reconstruction from "zero".
So, what is the future path of German rock? The Financial Times review of the book believes that the period covered by this book feels like a distant dream, given the disappearance of cheap rents and social security that effectively subsidized musicians 50 years ago, and the collapse of record sales. Today's young musicians will read with envy the words of record company executive Siegfried Loch: "The more autonomy you have, the brighter your future."
Reference link:
1 .a newly translated oral history reveals krautrock's antifascist roots
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/13/arts/music/neu-klang-the-definitive-history-of-krautrock.html
2.neu klang—krautrock' in the bands'own words
https://www.ft.com/content/7e9ad8c2-58ee-4bc8-950a-29a97013862d
compiler/Shen Lu
editor/Lotus
proofreader/Zhao Lin
