Done

So that was krautrocksampler - some of the records I knew, some I didn't but it's a really solid list and there's some great music in there. It's been a strange year and will seemingly continue to be strange for some time I think but it's been tons of fun. So what have I learnt:

1. Listening to a record is great

So spending a week really getting to know a record is great. Even if it's something you know then giving it the space to breathe is fantastic. Even better is just sitting down to listen to something. With no distractions and no other tasks, I've really felt that I've been re-energised about music through the project. Also the different contexts really seemed to capture the essence of the list. The murky start to the year with Amon Duul and Can, the futurism of Cluster and Neu whilst riding the trains around the Bay Area. I have strong memories of walking back from the pub on holiday listening to the Cosmic Jokers as the light faded and the rain came in. Though I sometimes forgot to post, it was never a chore to listen to the records.

2. Can aren't that great, Cluster are incredible

I love can but sitting down to those records reminded me why I really don't listen to them that much - apart from the first disk of Tago Mago I think I could safely live without hearing Can again. There's something very cold and calculated about them which just didn't work with me. Cluster, on the other hand, are amazing and so incredibly bold that they occasionally reduced me to tears.

3. The Ambient axis is awesome

Zeit was the real revelation for me - I always liked it, always rated it way more than the other TD records but spending a week with it just brought home how utterly perfect it is. Also the latent presence of Klaus Schulze wrought large over the last parts of the project - incredible stuff. The more ambient side of the records appealed to me a lot over the year, perhaps because they needed the time and space to explore fully.

4. I need Tarot

I must must must buy a good copy of Tarot at some point in the future. Not an original but a CD copy with the accompanying cards.

5. Gille

Gille is the best thing about the Cosmic Jokers. Now that I've covered the CJ axis in full I may go back to those compilation records and give them a re-listen. Just to check


And also - my top 5 records on the list (no particular order)

1. Tangerine Dream - Zeit
2. Cluster - Cluster 2
3. Faust - Faust Tapes
4. Walter Wegmuller - Tarot
5. Witthuser & Westrupp - Trips and Traume

And to follow: Two bonus records, which weren't on the list but are vaguely krautrock and whilst not really omissions, are awesome records.