Organisation (band)
Encyclopedia
Organisation was an experimental Krautrock
band, that was the immediate predecessor of the band Kraftwerk
. In addition to the founding members of Kraftwerk, Ralf Hütter
and Florian Schneider-Esleben
, Organisation consisted of Basil Hammoudi, Butch Hauf and Alfred "Fred" Mönicks.
Charly Weiss, Peter Martini and Paul Lorenz were sometimes also included in Organisation.
A video recording by German TV broadcaster WDR exists of the band performing "Ruckzuck", a piece that appeared on the first Kraftwerk album
in 1970. The performance took place at the Grugahalle in Essen
on 25 April 1970 as part of the Essener Pop und Blues Festival. The group played in front of a blue chroma key screen which keyed in wide shots of the audience watching them perform.
Their only album, Tone Float
, produced and engineered by Konrad "Conny" Plank
, was released on the RCA Victor
label in the UK in the summer of 1970. As it was available in Germany
only as an import, sales were poor and RCA opted to drop the band shortly afterwards, at which point they disbanded. Hammoudi, Hauf and Mönicks returned to university to complete their studies, leaving Hütter and Schneider-Esleben to continue as Kraftwerk.
According to Mönicks (interviewed in the mid-1990s) the quintet had already begun to perform under the name Kraftwerk some time after Tone Float had been recorded, but RCA had been keen for them to have a band name more appropriate to the English market, since the album was to be issued only in the UK, so the name Organisation was used.
Hammoudi was later a member of jazz-rock band Ibliss, along with former-Kraftwerk
drummer Andreas Hohmann.
Krautrock
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, that was the immediate predecessor of the band 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...
. In addition to the founding members of Kraftwerk, Ralf Hütter
Ralf Hütter
Ralf Hütter is the lead singer, keyboardist, and reportedly leader of the electronic-music band Kraftwerk. Since the departure of Florian Schneider in 2008, he is also the group's sole remaining founding member....
and Florian Schneider-Esleben
Florian Schneider
Florian Schneider-Esleben is one of the founding members of electronic music band Kraftwerk. He left the band in November 2008.-Career:...
, Organisation consisted of Basil Hammoudi, Butch Hauf and Alfred "Fred" Mönicks.
Charly Weiss, Peter Martini and Paul Lorenz were sometimes also included in Organisation.
A video recording by German TV broadcaster WDR exists of the band performing "Ruckzuck", a piece that appeared on the first Kraftwerk album
Kraftwerk (album)
Kraftwerk is the first album by German electronic band Kraftwerk. It was released in Germany in 1970, and produced by Konrad "Conny" Plank.-Background:...
in 1970. The performance took place at the Grugahalle in Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
on 25 April 1970 as part of the Essener Pop und Blues Festival. The group played in front of a blue chroma key screen which keyed in wide shots of the audience watching them perform.
Their only album, Tone Float
Tone Float
Tone Float is an LP by the German band Organisation. Organisation was a pre-Kraftwerk band, having only produced and released one album, Tone Float...
, produced and engineered by Konrad "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...
, was released on the RCA Victor
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
label in the UK in the summer of 1970. As it was available in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
only as an import, sales were poor and RCA opted to drop the band shortly afterwards, at which point they disbanded. Hammoudi, Hauf and Mönicks returned to university to complete their studies, leaving Hütter and Schneider-Esleben to continue as Kraftwerk.
According to Mönicks (interviewed in the mid-1990s) the quintet had already begun to perform under the name Kraftwerk some time after Tone Float had been recorded, but RCA had been keen for them to have a band name more appropriate to the English market, since the album was to be issued only in the UK, so the name Organisation was used.
Hammoudi was later a member of jazz-rock band Ibliss, along with former-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...
drummer Andreas Hohmann.
Members
- Ralf HütterRalf HütterRalf Hütter is the lead singer, keyboardist, and reportedly leader of the electronic-music band Kraftwerk. Since the departure of Florian Schneider in 2008, he is also the group's sole remaining founding member....
– Hammond-organ - Florian Schneider-EslebenFlorian SchneiderFlorian Schneider-Esleben is one of the founding members of electronic music band Kraftwerk. He left the band in November 2008.-Career:...
– Flutes, bell, triangle, tambourine, electro-violin, percussion - Basil Hammoudi – Glockenspiel, conga gong, musical box, bangos, percussion, voice
- Butch Hauf – Bass-guitar, shaky tube, small bells, plastic hammer, percussion
- Alfred Mönicks (a.k.a. "Fred Monicks") – Drums, bongos, maracas, cowbell, tambourine, percussion
External links
- Kraftwerk.com -- official Kraftwerk site.