Second Family Band for Krautrock

Interesting listen to the family thing from the first album "Dream Release" to "Broken Daze".

I would not think this fits the "krautrock" ideal at all ... it would fit as some kind of improvised atmosphere, although it is very clear at the first album, that it is not specially clear what it is that one would like to get done, even if "real" improvisations ignore the content and the result in its totality, in return for something else ... that something else is visible in the last album listed, the cohesion and "design" is simpler and everyone sticks to it, where as in the earlier material it was all over the place.

Of all "krautrock" albums, the only one that is "all over the place" would be TAGO MAGO and even then it would only be for the equivalent of one album, or two long sides! However, I am inclined to believe that these were not exactly "jam sessions", and we'll see what we got after that, from which we know that Holger specified they had more than 20 hours of tape and many things were selected from it, though he did not specify any criteria for their choice.

As in theater, and film, an improvisation can be done in two ways ... I do not recommend recording any of them, as the exercise is about allowing the folks involved to find a common ground for communication from which the dialogue, or music can be defined on its own, and come together, in a way that is very difficult to define and design mentally, as it is not a mental exercise. It is an intuitive exercise and it differs very strongly from something like a "guided meditation" or "guided improvisation" where you can provide the situation and yo go from there ... the intuitive exercise being harder, as you do not have any kind of a starting point, and in many situations the "nature" of the area, like an open field, with its birds and various animals, often is a good start, although it makes you just another of those animals ... and 99 out of 100 musicians are going to say ... that's stupid!

I enjoyed the last piece listed, although my feeling is that it was way too loose in the sense that it was just going on and on and on, and the path was always the same (ok there) but the journey, never really entered into another level of concentration, and I think, just like the earlier materials, that this is one issue with the folks running this group not really knowing what the go for, or what to feel, because what they hear seems to be opposite or different from what they thought would happen ... and there is lies the issue ... the idea that something is supposed to happen.

When hearing PHALLUS DEI, somethings come to life. We know that the group came from a commune like bunch of folks getting stoned and playing anything they wanted as if it were a drum circle, the type that you would catch in the old Grateful Dead concerts, specially around Eugene, OR ... and those drum things used to go for hours and were far out, and very well done, in the sense that you felt that someone was helping you go somewhere with it which made it stronger. However, I think that AD2 wanted to add some "meaning" to it all, so it wouldn't be a mindless, meaningless experience ... and you got the first long piece, which says is an improvisation, but it gives away its idea right away ... it was a group thing, they all got stoned and then they all partied and all the women got taken, etc, etc, etc ... and ever gets a bit weird on top of it, kinda suggesting that there was a lot more going on than just sex, and drugs, and some incidental music!

These days, I think it would be very difficult for this group to create something similar to "krautrock" ... first of all there is not much to fight for anymore, and the Rathskellar is not under siege because of that other place where some folks died, and the ROTC spent their time surrounding the Rathskeller, and making sure they felt all the women! I know ... I was working there at the time! A lot of things for today's purposes, would be "ideal", and in many ways "krautrock" was not an "idea" ... it was a reality ... a much bigger reality that included theater, film, and other arts that we still don't respect, or understand, or refuse to see the parallels. You really think there is a whole lot of difference between Damo and Kinski? You don't know "krautrock" at that point!

BROKEN DAZE is enjoyable, at least that piece I heard, although I felt constrained and was hoping that there would be a little more rock music to it, but these days with folks not even having any idea what drumming is, or means, other than counting 1, 2, 3 and 4 ... not to mention guitarist "expecting" to do a solo ... heck , AD2 was soloing regardless and no one seemed to complain!

Interesting stuff, but I'm not sure that "krautrock" is the right place for it at all ... !!!

Thanks for giving them a shot even though they don't do much for you (I have three or so more kraut bands in this style to suggest in the future, so your patience is appreciated!).