89-year-old electronic music pioneer Hans-Joachim Roedelius broke ground in several different 70's outfits. As a member of Cluster and Harmonia, two German groups at the nexus of krautrock and ambient, Roedelius made several classic albums, among them Cluster's masterstrokes Zuckerzeit (1974) and Sowiesoso (1976). Recorded between 73-77, the early solo album Selbstportrait (Self-Portrait) is a series of intimate vignettes that showcase Roedelius' meditative talent.
Subtitled Teil 1 Sanfte Musik ("Part 1 - Gentle Music"), Self-Portrait was recorded on the Farfisa VIP 600 (seen above). It is indeed gentle, starting with the descending melodies of "In Liebe den".
Recording for Sky Records while living in Lower Saxony, Roedelius once called it "the most beautiful place I've ever been to in my whole life". There, he carved the sculpture that can be seen on the album cover.
These were authentically spontaneous musics, compositional studies influenced by the mellifluous landscape outside the window on balmy summer evenings - horses whinnying on the pasture by the river, nightingales singing, frogs croaking...
"Prinzregent" stands out with a darker undertone, and "Herold" pops along with a ticking percussion. Overall, the pieces on Self-Portrait hold a resounding forest-inspire beauty that can be explored for days. And thankfully, there are two more volumes.
Listen to Selbstportrait here.
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