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Krautrock (also called kosmische Musik, German for "cosmic music") is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in West Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It originated among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electronic music, among other eclectic sources. Common elements included hypnotic rhythms, extended improvisation, musique concrète techniques, and early synthesizers, while the music generally moved away from the rhythm & blues roots and song structure found in traditional Anglo-American rock music. Prominent groups associated with the krautrock label included Neu!, Can, Faust, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Cluster, Ash Ra Tempel, Popol Vuh, Amon Düül II and Harmonia.The term "krautrock" was popularized by British music journalists as a humorous umbrella-label for the diverse German scene, and although many so-labeled artists disliked the term, it is no longer considered controversial by German artists in the 21st century, although English-language authors remain critical of it. The movement was partly born out of the radical student protests of 1968, as German youth rebelled against their country's legacy in World War II and sought a popular music distinct from traditional German music and American pop. The period contributed to the development of ambient music and techno, and influenced subsequent genres such as post-punk, new-age music, and post-rock. Characteristics Krautrock has been described as a broad genre encompassing varied approaches, but commonly drawing on psychedelia, avant-garde collage, electronic sounds, and rock music, while typically featuring "improvisation and hypnotic, minimalistic rhythms."Los Angeles Magazine summarized the genre as "American psychedelica meets icy Germanic detachment." Melody Maker described the style as "where the over-reaching ambition and untethered freakitude of late '60s acid rock is checked and galvanised by a proto-punk minimalism ... music of immense scale that miraculously avoided prog-rock's bombastics.” AllMusic described it as expanding on the territory associated with art rock and progressive rock, but diverging from the American and British groups' emphasis on jazz and classical elements in favor of "a droning, pulsating sound that owed more to the avant garde than to rock & roll."Some common musical features exhibited by krautrock artists include: A blend of elements from psychedelic rock with electronic music or avant-garde sources Hypnotic or minimalistic rhythms, including the common 4/4 "motorik" beat pattern Emphasis on long-form repetition, texture, and drone elements rather than song structure Use of synthesizers and musique concrète techniques A movement away from rock's traditional rhythm & blues roots Extended improvisationDespite a common approach and generational attitude among artists, the New Statesman argues that "in truth, no two Krautrock acts sound remotely alike. Compare the dreamy synthesiser washes of Tangerine Dream with the alien noise collages of Faust or the psychedelic funk of Can." However, a common feature is the "motorik" beat: the 4/4 beat often used by drummers associated with krautrock, characterised by a kick drum-heavy, pulsating groove, that created a forward-flowing feel. The motorik beat was used by Can in the song "Mother Sky", by Neu! on their debut album, and by Kraftwerk in the song "Autobahn" on their album of the same name, later being adopted by other krautrock bands. It has been widely used in many different styles of music beyond krautrock. According to XLR8R, the term krautrock is often used by critics to signify the "mesmerizing motorik rhythms pioneered by Can and Neu!", but contested that "they represent merely a tiny fraction of the music that emerged from Germany during krautrock's Golden Age". Origins and influences Krautrock emerged in West Germany during the 1960s and early 1970s. The music was partially inspired by broad cultural developments such as the revolutionary 1968 German student movement, with many young people having both political and aesthetic concerns. Youth rebelled against both dominant American influence and conservative German entertainment such as schlager music, seeking to liberate themselves from Germany's Nazi legacy in World War II and create a new popular culture. Dieter Moebius, of the bands Cluster and Harmonia, noted that "we were a lot of the times on the streets instead of studying. As young people we were not very proud to be German [...] we were all tired of listening to bad German music and imitations of American music. Something had to happen." The movement saw artists merge elements of varied genres such as psychedelic rock, avant-garde forms of electronic music, funk rhythm, jazz improvisation and "ethnic" music styles, typically reflecting a "genuine sense of awe and wonder." Core influences on these German artists included avant-garde composers Karlheinz Stockhausen and Terry Riley, and bands such as the Mothers of Invention, the Velvet Underground, the Beatles, and Pink Floyd. A significant influence was the work of American minimalists such as Riley, Tony Conrad, and La Monte Young, as well as the late '60s albums of jazz musician Miles Davis, particularly his jazz fusion work on In a Silent Way (1969). The influence of Jimi Hendrix and James Brown on krautrock musicians was also notable. Some artists drew on ideas from 20th century classical music and musique concrète, particularly composer Stockhausen (with whom, for example, Irmin Schmidt and Holger Czukay of Can had previously studied), and from the new experimental directions that emerged in jazz during the 1960s and 1970s (mainly the free jazz pieces by Ornette Coleman or Albert Ayler). Moving away from the patterns of song structure and melody of much rock music in America and Britain, some in the movement were drawn to a more mechanical and electronic sound. Etymology Until around 1973, the word Deutsch-Rock ("German Rock") was used to refer to the new groups from West Germany. Other names thrown around by the British and American music press were "Teutonic rock", "Überrock" and "Götterdämmer rock". West Germany's music press initially used Krautrock as a pejorative, but the term lost its stigma after the music gained success in Britain. The term derives from the ethnic slur "kraut". "Kraut" in German can refer to herbs, weeds, and drugs.The term was originally used by Virgin records in 1972. Various sources claim that "krautrock" was originally a humorous term coined in the early 1970s, either by British disc jockey John Peel or by the UK music newspaper Melody Maker, in which experimental German bands found an early and enthusiastic following. The first use of the term however, was found in a full-page advertisement from Popo Music Management and Bacillus Records promoting German Rock in the UK, in April 1971. The music emerging in Germany was first covered extensively in t.... Discover the David Burnand popular books. Find the top 100 most popular David Burnand books.

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  • Three Winter Meditations synopsis, comments

    Three Winter Meditations

    David Burnand

    These three works use different forms to explore the idea of Winter: a timelapse movie, a poem and a multimedia composition. Early in December 2009 heavy snow fell on the South Do...

  • Cissbury Ring synopsis, comments

    Cissbury Ring

    David Burnand

    Cissbury Ring lies near the village of Findon, just north of the coastal town of Worthing. It is the largest hill fort in Sussex, with a history dating back over 5,000 years. At th...

  • Early Jazz Practice for instruments in Eb synopsis, comments

    Early Jazz Practice for instruments in Eb

    David Burnand

    The purpose of this series is to introduce the improvisational idiom associated with jazz of the 1920s and 30s. Despite the stylistic changes that occurred as Hot Jazz developed in...

  • Early Jazz Practice for instruments in C synopsis, comments

    Early Jazz Practice for instruments in C

    David Burnand

    The purpose of this series is to introduce the improvisational idiom associated with jazz of the 1920s and 30s. Despite the stylistic changes that occurred as Hot Jazz developed in...

  • Playing the Blues Scale synopsis, comments

    Playing the Blues Scale

    David Burnand

    An introduction to playing the Blues Scale in a variety of musical contexts, as well as the cultural background of the scale, and its place in music theory. Repertoire examples are...

  • Early Jazz Theory synopsis, comments

    Early Jazz Theory

    David Burnand

    The purpose of this series is to introduce the improvisational idiom associated with jazz of the 1920s and 30s. Despite the stylistic changes that occurred as Hot Jazz developed in...

  • Early Jazz Theory synopsis, comments

    Early Jazz Theory

    David Burnand

    The purpose of this series is to introduce the improvisational idiom associated with jazz of the 1920s and 30s. Despite the stylistic changes that occurred as Hot Jazz developed in...

  • Early Jazz Practice for instruments in Bb synopsis, comments

    Early Jazz Practice for instruments in Bb

    David Burnand

    The purpose of this series is to introduce the improvisational idiom associated with jazz of the 1920s and 30s. Despite the stylistic changes that occurred as Hot Jazz developed in...

  • Stolen Hours synopsis, comments

    Stolen Hours

    David Burnand

    A young Chinese detective struggles to solve the mystery of two missing hours in her life, following a car accident. This is hardboiled crime fiction set in a dystopian tomorrow. I...

  • The Sound of New Atlantis synopsis, comments

    The Sound of New Atlantis

    Francis Bacon & David Burnand

    ‘New Atlantis’ is a utopian novel published in English in 1627. Francis Bacon provides a vision of the future of human discovery and knowledge, expressing his aspirations and ideal...

  • Playing the Blues Scale synopsis, comments

    Playing the Blues Scale

    David Burnand

    This guide will introduce you to the theory and practice associated with the blues scale, so that you’re never stumped for lack of ideas in your improvisation. It deals with a vari...