HARMONIA LIVE 1974

Despite their short existence, Harmonia was a supergroup of the German Krautrock era whose influence is still felt over 30 years later. The band consisted of former Kraftwerk and NEU! member Michael Rother alongside the members of Cluster (Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius). Together, these three musicians set out to create hypnotic rhythmic minimalist improvisations that would become the blueprint for techno and rave music decades later. With interest in Harmonia's music rising to the surface once again as well as a recent reunion concert held in their homeland, the band has dusted off an excellent unreleased live recording from March 1974. Despite it being close to 34 years old, the sound quality of this hour long performance is stellar and shows just what the band was capable of doing before a live audience. The emphasis throughout this concert is primarily on rhythm and improvisation with a primitive drum machine up front and center . For the uninitiated, the majority of this CD may sound like a record continuously skipping but for those who are fans of Harmonia and the members respective bands (Neu! and Cluster), this is an absolute treasure and a must. Rother's guitar work throughout this CD is amazing as is the quirky keyboard and synth lines coming from the fingers of Moebius and Roedelius. Also, there isn't one bit of applause to be heard between each piece performed (although there is some chatter heard in the background on some tracks) - a testament of an attentive and focused audience. With this said, Harmonia's Live 1974 disc is an historic new classic from this legendary band. This disc combined with their two studio discs (as well as their short-lived collaboration with Brian Eno) makes for an excellent open-minded listening experience. While the music itself is from 1974, it is still full of freshness and newness as if it were played yesterday. So, without any further delay, I highly recommend this CD. It's a classic piece of German Krautrock and electronic music from the height of the era.