Browse by Artist: QLUSTER

Artist:	QLUSTER
Title:	Rufen
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 075CD

"Rufen is the second installment in a trilogy of Qluster music, following on from the Fragen (BB 076CD/LP) studio album. In four impressive live recordings, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Onnen Bock unfold aural panoramas which can only be described, in the truest sense of the word, as fantastic. Had Claude Debussy not already composed 'Prelude To The Afternoon Of A Faun,' then Qluster would have been ideally placed to do so, their transparency and polymorphism so reminiscent of his high Impressionism. Shunning computers and discarding digital sound, Roedelius and Bock appear to have detached themselves from their own age, exclusively playing analog keyboards, such as the good old Korg MS 20 synthesizer. Nevertheless, they do not revert to earlier periods in search of their stylistic approach. Conventional rhythmic and harmonic patterns are wholly absent. Qluster's foreign sounds and lucidity bring their music closer to contemporary electronic chamber music; although, as paradoxical as it may sound, a form of chamber music which Qluster first had to invent. If this album's predecessor Fragen ventured into strange, unworldly musical territory, then Rufen pushes the boundaries still further. Qluster take the listener along a path which seems to disappear on an imaginary horizon. Roedelius and Bock neither drift off course, nor do they lose sight of their destination. As such, they prove to be reliable scouts who earn the trust of the wanderer at their side. Perhaps there is no goal in Qluster's music, unless it lies in cloud cuckoo land. The direction, however, is clear: head towards the sun, further and further, to a place where everything looks -- and sounds -- a little different. New land, terra incognita. Listening to Qluster feels as new an experience as the music they play. Rufen is not new just for the sake of it. That would not be enough. Rufen is new because two mature musical personalities have succeeded (effortlessly) in creating music which cannot be plotted on a timeline. Music which defies comparison in terms of form and sound. A chance occurrence -- very rare, to say the least." --Asmus Tietchens

Artist:	QLUSTER
Title:	Fragen
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 076CD

Kluster -- Cluster -- and now Qluster. Fragen documents the extraordinary shedding of skin of one of the most important German electronic groups. Hans-Joachim Roedelius was there from the beginning (1969), with Onnen Bock taking the place of Dieter Moebius. Little need be said about Roedelius, whose collaborations with Konrad Schnitzler, Cluster and Harmonia earned him a worldwide reputation as a pioneer of electronic music. Onnen Bock (born in 1974), a qualified musician and sound installationist, played a part in the Zeitkratzer ensemble, worked together with the likes of Christina Kubisch and was a sound engineer for the Berlin Philharmonic. Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Onnen Bock are Qluster. The two artists have been meeting up to explore new musical directions together since 2007. Fragen is the first part of an exceptional trilogy, a grandiose new beginning, backed up by 40 years of tradition. Two fundamental decisions, borne of an acutely refined sense of musical self-conception, have shaped Qluster: the use of analog keyboards only and a focus on improvisation through vibrant playing technique. Qluster have jettisoned all forms of ballast pertaining to music and sound. Roedelius and Bock develop their musical aesthetic through seven impressionistic pictures, an aesthetic which borders on ascetic rigor. And yet each piece is motivated by something deeply human, a playful element setting the tone. Qluster's modus operandi guides the listener towards peaceful, pale blue rooms where airy veils of suspended matter sparkle, as if floating gently to and fro on the breeze. Beyond the veils one senses further rooms, in colors which have lost their names and become sound. To be perfectly clear: Qluster's music is not psychedelic, neither in the traditional, nor in a wider sense. This is no meditative soundtrack for a "journey to the inner self." In its own way, however, it does represent a trip to the realms of utopia, where particularly careful listening is required in order to appreciate the music in all its richness and splendor.

Artist:	QLUSTER
Title:	Fragen
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 076LP

LP version. Kluster -- Cluster -- and now Qluster. Fragen documents the extraordinary shedding of skin of one of the most important German electronic groups. Hans-Joachim Roedelius was there from the beginning (1969), with Onnen Bock taking the place of Dieter Moebius. Little need be said about Roedelius, whose collaborations with Konrad Schnitzler, Cluster and Harmonia earned him a worldwide reputation as a pioneer of electronic music. Onnen Bock (born in 1974), a qualified musician and sound installationist, played a part in the Zeitkratzer ensemble, worked together with the likes of Christina Kubisch and was a sound engineer for the Berlin Philharmonic. Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Onnen Bock are Qluster. The two artists have been meeting up to explore new musical directions together since 2007. Fragen is the first part of an exceptional trilogy, a grandiose new beginning, backed up by 40 years of tradition. Two fundamental decisions, borne of an acutely refined sense of musical self-conception, have shaped Qluster: the use of analog keyboards only and a focus on improvisation through vibrant playing technique. Qluster have jettisoned all forms of ballast pertaining to music and sound. Roedelius and Bock develop their musical aesthetic through seven impressionistic pictures, an aesthetic which borders on ascetic rigor. And yet each piece is motivated by something deeply human, a playful element setting the tone. Qluster's modus operandi guides the listener towards peaceful, pale blue rooms where airy veils of suspended matter sparkle, as if floating gently to and fro on the breeze. Beyond the veils one senses further rooms, in colors which have lost their names and become sound. To be perfectly clear: Qluster's music is not psychedelic, neither in the traditional, nor in a wider sense. This is no meditative soundtrack for a "journey to the inner self." In its own way, however, it does represent a trip to the realms of utopia, where particularly careful listening is required in order to appreciate the music in all its richness and splendor. On 180 gram high quality vinyl, including a free download coupon.

Artist:	QLUSTER
Title:	Antworten
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 077CD

"Antworten (meaning: answer) is the third installment in a trilogy of Qluster music, following on from the Fragen (BB 076CD/LP) (meaning: question) and Rufen (BB 075CD/LP) (meaning: call) studio albums. The fact that the music on Antworten was created before Rufen and Fragen were recorded is less of a paradox than it might at first appear. For the expansive piano fantasies of their 2007 recordings had already provided a clear answer to the two musicians' question as to whether, and to what degree, they wished to collaborate in the future. Seldom has a musical duo been so united in heart and soul as Roedelius and Bock that January of evening in 2007. Their improvised nocturnes on two Steinways in the Berliner Philharmonie were delectable. Completely unplugged and utterly relaxed, Roedelius and Bock tossed musical ideas back and forth without pause, occasionally adding in the delicate tone of a distant singing bowl. Something rare, something wonderful happened in the course of this midnight session. Two perfectly inspired virtuosos coalescing into one person --Qluster-- speaking in one language to tell us of something which we no longer need to dream, as we can hear on Antworten. The notes flow incessantly, yet they also convey peace and quiet, a balancing act of which only the most mature personalities are capable. Roedelius and Bock pulled off the trick, this sleight of hand, with the greatest of ease. The antworten/answers are, in equal measure, lucid and lost in reverie. Lucid, because Qluster reveal the source of their art: inspiration and solid craftsmanship. Lost in reverie, because the music is far removed from daily monotony, from common cliche. Balsam for the ears, without any esoteric frippery or contrived secrecy. Nevertheless, the antworten/answers remain auratic. It can be explained with a single word: art. Antworten is an early Qluster statement, and thankfully Roedelius and Bock chose to continue and intensify their work together. The previously issued Fragen and Rufen albums offer convincing proof thereof. And Qluster senses a responsibility to long-term artistic development whose transitory power continues to look ahead, into the future." --Asmus Tietchens

Artist:	QLUSTER
Title:	Antworten
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 077LP

180 gram LP version with free download code. "Antworten (meaning: answer) is the third installment in a trilogy of Qluster music, following on from the Fragen (BB 076CD/LP) (meaning: question) and Rufen (BB 075CD/LP) (meaning: call) studio albums. The fact that the music on Antworten was created before Rufen and Fragen were recorded is less of a paradox than it might at first appear. For the expansive piano fantasies of their 2007 recordings had already provided a clear answer to the two musicians' question as to whether, and to what degree, they wished to collaborate in the future. Seldom has a musical duo been so united in heart and soul as Roedelius and Bock that January of evening in 2007. Their improvised nocturnes on two Steinways in the Berliner Philharmonie were delectable. Completely unplugged and utterly relaxed, Roedelius and Bock tossed musical ideas back and forth without pause, occasionally adding in the delicate tone of a distant singing bowl. Something rare, something wonderful happened in the course of this midnight session. Two perfectly inspired virtuosos coalescing into one person --Qluster-- speaking in one language to tell us of something which we no longer need to dream, as we can hear on Antworten. The notes flow incessantly, yet they also convey peace and quiet, a balancing act of which only the most mature personalities are capable. Roedelius and Bock pulled off the trick, this sleight of hand, with the greatest of ease. The antworten/answers are, in equal measure, lucid and lost in reverie. Lucid, because Qluster reveal the source of their art: inspiration and solid craftsmanship. Lost in reverie, because the music is far removed from daily monotony, from common cliche. Balsam for the ears, without any esoteric frippery or contrived secrecy. Nevertheless, the antworten/answers remain auratic. It can be explained with a single word: art. Antworten is an early Qluster statement, and thankfully Roedelius and Bock chose to continue and intensify their work together. The previously issued Fragen and Rufen albums offer convincing proof thereof. And Qluster senses a responsibility to long-term artistic development whose transitory power continues to look ahead, into the future." --Asmus Tietchens

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