Moebius & Plank
Encyclopedia
The duo of Dieter Moebius
(also Cluster
) and Conny Plank
recorded three albums between 1979 and 1986. Plank died of cancer in 1987. Their final album and an album with Mayo Thompson were released posthumously in 1995 and 1998 respectively. Their output was electronic music
, much of which set the stage for later techno
and electronica
artists.
was offbeat electronic music. Beginning with their second album, Material
most of their music was highly rhythmic with a driving beat, with just some of it suitable for dance music. Like Kraftwerk
their sound would be imitated by techno and electronica bands which followed but their music was far less pop and they were willing to push the artistic envelope. The third album, Zero Set
, which added Guru Guru
drummer Mani Neumeier
, was heavily influenced by African music.
band Kluster
based in Berlin
, together with Conrad Schnitzler
and Hans-Joachim Roedelius. Konrad (Conny) Plank first worked with Moebius during the Kluster years, serving as engineer for their first two albums Klopfzeichen
and Zwei-Osterei
. When Schnitzler left Kluster the trio of Moebius, Roedelius, and Plank became Cluster
. Plank is only credited with playing on the first album, Cluster
(later reissued as Cluster '71), but he is listed as a composer of the music on Cluster II
and continued to produce
Cluster albums until 1978, including their two collaborations with Brian Eno
. In September, 1979 Moebius & Plank went to Conny's Studio to record their first album, Rastakraut Pasta.
-based Sky Records
label. It featured offbeat and experimental electronic music, at times influenced by reggae
as the album title suggests. All instruments and vocals are credited to Moebius & Plank except for bass on three tracks which was played by Can
alumnus Holger Czukay
. The second album, Material, was released by Sky in 1981 and featured driving electronic rhythms on most of the tracks. Steven and Alan Freeman, writing in The Crack In The Cosmic Egg describe the first two albums, in part, this way: "Their early albums as a duo were revelations of innovation, bringing unlikely combinations of industrial rock, cosmic and even dub music
(on Rastakraut Pasta) together in a hybrid of genres. A reborn spirit of Krautrock that played recklessly with offbeat forms..." The incessant, forceful beat on "Conditionierer", the opening track of Material, could easily have been suitable for club dance music if not for all the odd electronic sounds added on top.
In September, 1982, Moebius & Plank went back into the studio, this time joined by Guru Guru
drummer Mani Neumeier
. Plank had played guitar and keyboards on three Guru Guru albums and Neumeier had previously worked with Moebius on the Harmonia
album Deluxe
. The resulting album Zero Set was released on Sky in 1983 and was strongly influenced by African rhythms. Matthew Weiner describes it for Soulmind Online: "Though not a dance record per se, Zero Set is one of the earliest extensions of Krautrock’s possibilities on the dance floor, pitting the profoundly electronic sequence patterns of Plank and Moebius against the hyperactive percussives of Guru Guru drummer Mani Neumeier. On tracks such as the prophetically titled 'Speed Display' and 'Pitch Control', the phasing, chattering and decidedly Germanic grooves found on Zero Set constitute vibrant proto-techno at its earliest and finest." Zero Set was a turning point for Moebius and Plank, a fact lamented by Steven and Alan Freeman. They say, in part: "...working with Mani Neumeier on Zero Set strangely took the music too close to techno for comfort, as does the more recently issued En Route
.
Moebius & Plank would return to the studio twice more in the mid 1980s but their efforts would not be released until well after Conny Plank succumbed to cancer in 1987. In 1983 Moebius & Plank recorded a series of electronic tracks using an Emulator, an early form of sampling keyboard that enabled them to duplicate other instruments without having to deal with the musicians who played them. Mayo Thompson
of Red Krayola
recorded a series of monologues and vocal tracks which were added to the music Moebius & Plank had recorded. Sky Records rejected the master and Ludwig's Law was regulated to the vault. It was finally released on 16 November 1998 on the Drag City
label.
Despite the rejection of Ludwig's Law by Sky, Moebius & Plank did decide to tour and perform the music, albeit without Mayo Thompson. Conny Plank fell ill while touring in South America.
The final studio effort for Moebius & Roedelius was En Route
, recorded at Conny's Studio in 1986. As Plank's health deteriorated the recordings were left incomplete. The album was completed and mixed by Moebius & Gebhard and released with three remixes by Manu Guiot added on the Dubuque
, Iowa-based Curious Music label in 1995.
Collaborations
Compilations
Dieter Moebius
Dieter Moebius is a German/Swiss experimental/krautrock/ambient/electronic musician.Moebius studied art in Brussels and Berlin and met there Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler . They founded a band Kluster in 1969. After the departure of Schnitzler, they changed their name to Cluster...
(also Cluster
Cluster (band)
Cluster is a German experimental musical group who influenced the development of contemporary popular electronic and ambient music. They have recorded albums in a wide variety of styles ranging from experimental music to progressive rock, all of which had an avant-garde edge. Cluster has been...
) and Conny Plank
Conny Plank
Konrad "Conny" Plank was a German record producer and musician. He was born in Hütschenhausen. His creativity as a sound engineer and producer helped to shape some of the most important and innovative recordings of postwar European popular music, covering a wide range of genres including...
recorded three albums between 1979 and 1986. Plank died of cancer in 1987. Their final album and an album with Mayo Thompson were released posthumously in 1995 and 1998 respectively. Their output was electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, much of which set the stage for later techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
and electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
artists.
Musical style
The first Moebius & Plank album Rastakraut PastaRastakraut Pasta
Rastakraut Pasta is the first full-length album by German electronic music duo of Dieter Moebius and Conny Plank.Rastakraut Pasta was recorded in September, 1979 at Conny's Studio outside of Cologne. It was released by Sky Records in 1980. Instrumentation on the album includes electronics, voice,...
was offbeat electronic music. Beginning with their second album, Material
Material (Moebius & Plank album)
Material is the second full-length album by German electronic music duo of Dieter Moebius and Conny Plank. Material was recorded in July, 1981 at Conny's Studio outside of Cologne...
most of their music was highly rhythmic with a driving beat, with just some of it suitable for dance music. Like Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
their sound would be imitated by techno and electronica bands which followed but their music was far less pop and they were willing to push the artistic envelope. The third album, Zero Set
Zero Set
Zero Set is the only album by the German electronic music trio of Dieter Moebius, Conny Plank, and Mani Neumeier. It followed two collaborations by Moebius & Plank as a duo. Zero Set was recorded in September, 1982 at Conny's Studio outside Cologne, and released by Sky Records in 1983.The music...
, which added Guru Guru
Guru Guru
Guru Guru is a German Krautrock band formed in 1968 as The Guru Guru Groove by Mani Neumeier , Uli Trepte and Eddy Naegeli later replaced by American Jim Kennedy...
drummer Mani Neumeier
Mani Neumeier
Mani Neumeier is a German rock musician, free jazz-drummer, artist, frontman of the German Krautrock-band Guru Guru....
, was heavily influenced by African music.
1969-1979 Kluster and Cluster
From 1969 until 1971 Moebius was a member of the pioneering experimental KrautrockKrautrock
Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music scenes that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in Britain. The term is a result of the English-speaking world's reception of the music at the time and not a reference to any one...
band Kluster
Kluster
Kluster is a German experimental musical group whose work often resembles later industrial music.The original Kluster was short-lived, existing only from 1969 until mid-1971 when Conrad Schnitzler left and the remaining two members renamed themselves Cluster...
based in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, together with Conrad Schnitzler
Conrad Schnitzler
Conrad Schnitzler was a prolific German experimental musician.Schnitzler was born in Düsseldorf. He was an early member of Tangerine Dream and a founder of the band Kluster. He left Kluster in 1971, first working with his group Eruption and then focusing on solo works...
and Hans-Joachim Roedelius. Konrad (Conny) Plank first worked with Moebius during the Kluster years, serving as engineer for their first two albums Klopfzeichen
Klopfzeichen
Klopfzeichen is the first full-length album by German experimental music trio Kluster.Klopfzeichen was recorded on December 21, 1969 at Rhenus-Studio, Gordorf, Germany. Liner notes on the CD reissue on the Hypnotic label as well as some websites place the recording date precisely one year later in...
and Zwei-Osterei
Zwei-Osterei
Zwei-Osterei is the second full-length album by German experimental music trio Kluster. The album title translates to English as "Two - Easter egg"....
. When Schnitzler left Kluster the trio of Moebius, Roedelius, and Plank became Cluster
Cluster (band)
Cluster is a German experimental musical group who influenced the development of contemporary popular electronic and ambient music. They have recorded albums in a wide variety of styles ranging from experimental music to progressive rock, all of which had an avant-garde edge. Cluster has been...
. Plank is only credited with playing on the first album, Cluster
Cluster (album)
Cluster is the eponymous first full-length album by German electronic music outfit Cluster. It is also the only album on which Conrad Plank is credited as a member. Cluster was recorded at Star-Studio in Hamburg, Germany in January, 1971...
(later reissued as Cluster '71), but he is listed as a composer of the music on Cluster II
Cluster II
Cluster II is the second full-length album by German electronic music outfit Cluster and their first album with the band reduced to a duo. Conny Plank, who was credited as a member on the first album, decided to concentrate on production and engineering...
and continued to produce
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Cluster albums until 1978, including their two collaborations with Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
. In September, 1979 Moebius & Plank went to Conny's Studio to record their first album, Rastakraut Pasta.
1980-1986 Moebius & Plank Recordings
Rastakraut Pasta was released in 1980 on the HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
-based Sky Records
Sky Records
Sky Records was a Hamburg, Germany based independent record label specializing in Krautrock/Kosmische Musik and electronic music. Some of their releases could be classified as progressive rock or art rock, experimental music, industrial, ambient, or New Age...
label. It featured offbeat and experimental electronic music, at times influenced by reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
as the album title suggests. All instruments and vocals are credited to Moebius & Plank except for bass on three tracks which was played by Can
Can (band)
Can was an experimental rock band formed in Cologne, West Germany in 1968. Later labeled as one of the first "krautrock" groups, they transcended mainstream influences and incorporated strong minimalist and world music elements into their often psychedelic music.Can constructed their music largely...
alumnus Holger Czukay
Holger Czukay
Holger Czukay is a German musician, probably best known as a co-founder of the krautrock group Can. Described by critic Jason Ankeny as "successfully bridg[ing] the gap between pop and the avant-garde," Czukay is also notable for creating early important examples of ambient music, for exploring...
. The second album, Material, was released by Sky in 1981 and featured driving electronic rhythms on most of the tracks. Steven and Alan Freeman, writing in The Crack In The Cosmic Egg describe the first two albums, in part, this way: "Their early albums as a duo were revelations of innovation, bringing unlikely combinations of industrial rock, cosmic and even dub music
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
(on Rastakraut Pasta) together in a hybrid of genres. A reborn spirit of Krautrock that played recklessly with offbeat forms..." The incessant, forceful beat on "Conditionierer", the opening track of Material, could easily have been suitable for club dance music if not for all the odd electronic sounds added on top.
In September, 1982, Moebius & Plank went back into the studio, this time joined by Guru Guru
Guru Guru
Guru Guru is a German Krautrock band formed in 1968 as The Guru Guru Groove by Mani Neumeier , Uli Trepte and Eddy Naegeli later replaced by American Jim Kennedy...
drummer Mani Neumeier
Mani Neumeier
Mani Neumeier is a German rock musician, free jazz-drummer, artist, frontman of the German Krautrock-band Guru Guru....
. Plank had played guitar and keyboards on three Guru Guru albums and Neumeier had previously worked with Moebius on the Harmonia
Harmonia (band)
Harmonia is a Krautrock supergroup from Germany. They formed as a collaboration between Michael Rother of Neu! and Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Möbius of Cluster and later included the British musician Brian Eno.-Musical style:...
album Deluxe
Deluxe (Harmonia album)
Deluxe is the second album from the highly influential Krautrock/Kosmische Musik group Harmonia. Harmonia was formed by the addition of Neu! guitarist Michael Rother to Cluster, the duo of Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius....
. The resulting album Zero Set was released on Sky in 1983 and was strongly influenced by African rhythms. Matthew Weiner describes it for Soulmind Online: "Though not a dance record per se, Zero Set is one of the earliest extensions of Krautrock’s possibilities on the dance floor, pitting the profoundly electronic sequence patterns of Plank and Moebius against the hyperactive percussives of Guru Guru drummer Mani Neumeier. On tracks such as the prophetically titled 'Speed Display' and 'Pitch Control', the phasing, chattering and decidedly Germanic grooves found on Zero Set constitute vibrant proto-techno at its earliest and finest." Zero Set was a turning point for Moebius and Plank, a fact lamented by Steven and Alan Freeman. They say, in part: "...working with Mani Neumeier on Zero Set strangely took the music too close to techno for comfort, as does the more recently issued En Route
En Route (album)
En Route is the fourth full-length album released by German electronic music duo of Dieter Moebius and Conny Plank. It was actually the fifth and final album recorded before Plank's death in 1987. En Route was recorded in 1986 at Conny's Studio outside of Cologne. As Plank's health deteriorated the...
.
Moebius & Plank would return to the studio twice more in the mid 1980s but their efforts would not be released until well after Conny Plank succumbed to cancer in 1987. In 1983 Moebius & Plank recorded a series of electronic tracks using an Emulator, an early form of sampling keyboard that enabled them to duplicate other instruments without having to deal with the musicians who played them. Mayo Thompson
Mayo Thompson
Mayo Thompson is an American musician and visual artist best known as the leader of the avant-garde rock band Red Crayola .-1960s:...
of Red Krayola
Red Krayola
Red Krayola was a psychedelic, avant-garde rock band from Houston, Texas, formed by art students at the University of St. Thomas in 1966. The band was led by singer/guitarist and visual artist Mayo Thompson, along with drummer Frederick Barthelme and Steve Cunningham...
recorded a series of monologues and vocal tracks which were added to the music Moebius & Plank had recorded. Sky Records rejected the master and Ludwig's Law was regulated to the vault. It was finally released on 16 November 1998 on the Drag City
Drag City (record label)
Drag City is a Chicago-based independent record label. It was established with a Royal Trux release in 1990 in Chicago, Illinois by Dan Koretzky and Dan Osborn.Drag City specializes in experimental indie rock acts...
label.
Despite the rejection of Ludwig's Law by Sky, Moebius & Plank did decide to tour and perform the music, albeit without Mayo Thompson. Conny Plank fell ill while touring in South America.
The final studio effort for Moebius & Roedelius was En Route
En Route (album)
En Route is the fourth full-length album released by German electronic music duo of Dieter Moebius and Conny Plank. It was actually the fifth and final album recorded before Plank's death in 1987. En Route was recorded in 1986 at Conny's Studio outside of Cologne. As Plank's health deteriorated the...
, recorded at Conny's Studio in 1986. As Plank's health deteriorated the recordings were left incomplete. The album was completed and mixed by Moebius & Gebhard and released with three remixes by Manu Guiot added on the Dubuque
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
, Iowa-based Curious Music label in 1995.
Discography
- 1980 : Rastakraut PastaRastakraut PastaRastakraut Pasta is the first full-length album by German electronic music duo of Dieter Moebius and Conny Plank.Rastakraut Pasta was recorded in September, 1979 at Conny's Studio outside of Cologne. It was released by Sky Records in 1980. Instrumentation on the album includes electronics, voice,...
(studio album) - 1981 : MaterialMaterial (Moebius & Plank album)Material is the second full-length album by German electronic music duo of Dieter Moebius and Conny Plank. Material was recorded in July, 1981 at Conny's Studio outside of Cologne...
(studio album) - 1995 : En RouteEn Route (album)En Route is the fourth full-length album released by German electronic music duo of Dieter Moebius and Conny Plank. It was actually the fifth and final album recorded before Plank's death in 1987. En Route was recorded in 1986 at Conny's Studio outside of Cologne. As Plank's health deteriorated the...
(studio album)
Collaborations
- 1983 : Zero SetZero SetZero Set is the only album by the German electronic music trio of Dieter Moebius, Conny Plank, and Mani Neumeier. It followed two collaborations by Moebius & Plank as a duo. Zero Set was recorded in September, 1982 at Conny's Studio outside Cologne, and released by Sky Records in 1983.The music...
(studio album with Mani NeumeierMani NeumeierMani Neumeier is a German rock musician, free jazz-drummer, artist, frontman of the German Krautrock-band Guru Guru....
) - 1998 : Ludwig's LawLudwig's LawLudwig's Law is the one and only album released by trio of Dieter Moebius, Conny Plank, and Mayo Thompson. It was actually the fourth album recorded by the team of Moebius & Plank...
(studio album with Mayo ThompsonMayo ThompsonMayo Thompson is an American musician and visual artist best known as the leader of the avant-garde rock band Red Crayola .-1960s:...
)
Compilations
- 1984 : BegegnungenBegegnungenBegegnungen is a Sky Records 1984 compilation album with recordings by Brian Eno, Dieter Moebius, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Conny Plank, from solo albums, and from various collaborations between the artists. All of the tracks had been previously released elsewhere...
(compilation album with Brian EnoBrian EnoBrian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
and Hans-Joachim Roedelius) - 1985 : Begegnungen IIBegegnungen IIBegegnungen II is a Sky Records 1985 compilation album with recordings by Brian Eno, Dieter Moebius, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Conny Plank, Cluster, from solo albums, and from various collaborations between the artists. All of the tracks had been previously released elsewhere...
(compilation album with Brian Eno and Hans-Joachim Roedelius)
External links
- Anonymous Random Writings on Music and Other Things: German Rock Retrieved 7 September 2007.
- Spanish review of the band and first album