Cluster
Cluster II

It might not be a coincidence that the cover of Krautrocksampler by Julian Cope is dedicated to Cluster II. As rightly noted by Cope, "Cluster II is very similar to the early Suicide, and it's really hard to imagine that Alan Vega and Martin Rev weren't inspired by this music for their sound experiments." If we also add that Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3, Spectrum, Experimental Audio Research and always a fan of Suicide) considers it a desert island album, the circle is complete. Cluster was made up of Dieter Moebius (who passed away in 2015) and Hans Joachim Roedelius. I had the chance to see them live in Cascina (Pisa) in 2010. On that occasion, I remember how the spirit of their music hadn't changed at all. Surely, a lot of water had flowed under the bridge since Cluster II (after this album, their music would certainly become more accessible and melodic, inspiring Brian Eno himself with whom they would collaborate), but the rigorous approach to electronic material was the same.

Cluster II, released by Brain in 1972 (the same year as Zeit by Tangerine Dream and Irrlicht by Klaus Schulze), may sound radical to untrained ears but was actually preceded by even more challenging records in their rigorous research language such as Klopfzeichen and Zwei Osterei, released under the name Kluster with a "K" still with Conrad Schnizler in the lineup, and by their first self-titled album for Phillips. Compared to these previous works, this is an accessible record that has had a significant influence on much subsequent music (the aforementioned Suicide, industrial music, Experimental Audio Research, and the electronic turn of Coil).

Compared to Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream, Cluster (essentially Conny Plank is credited here as an actual member) were even more radical. The initial "Plas" is based on sound drones in line with the German Cosmic style of the period. The subsequent "Im Süden" (about 12 minutes long) is characterized by the cyclical sound of a fuzz guitar with sparse and minimal electronic sounds in the background. We're certainly far from rock'n'roll. "Fur Die Katze" is another brief moment of dark electronics that evokes lunar landscapes. The B-side starts with the lengthy "Live in der Fabrik" (about 14 minutes), a real trip in which melody is completely banned amid pulsations, noises, and reverberations. In "Georgel," the sound of a lunar, unreal organ instead gives an unusually musical, cosmic, and dramatic touch at the same time. Finally, the concluding "Nabitte" closes this classic in an exemplary manner with sounds of pure avant-garde. Cluster II is a cult album that, over time, has lost none of its charm.