CLUSTER - Forced Exposure

$25.00 NOT IN STOCK

"Cluster was the pioneering German duo of Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius. Formed on the cusp of the 1970s, they were a part of West Germany's nascent Kosmische Musik scene. The group would use restrained improvisational techniques similar to Gruppo Nuova Consonanza, working with both electric and acoustic instruments (organ, guitar, tone generators, cello, etc.) to create a singular sound that Julian Cope called 'a huge beating heart, planet-sized and awesome.' Originally released in 1972 on Brain, Cluster II features six pieces of atmospheric, proto-ambient drones -- a step forward from Cluster's 1971 self-titled debut, which had all untitled songs. On 'Im Suden,' hypnotic bass pulsations and repetitive guitar patterns flow serenely, while side two opener 'Live In Der Fabrik' dives deep into Roedelius and Moebius' foreboding industrial soundscapes and synergistic textural interplay. As Roedelius told Uncut magazine in 2022, 'This feels like a breakthrough? Well, we were just getting more into it, and getting more experienced at being able to elaborate it. Conny (Plank) was working with us again -- as well as being a multi-talented artist, he was a very experienced sound master and great human being. He contributed as a fellow musician, adding sounds with his mixing table such as reverb, delay and other effects enriching the whole pieces so that they finally became somehow unique.' It's no surprise that when Neu! guitarist Michael Rother first heard Cluster II, he suggested a collaboration with the band -- resulting in the supergroup Harmonia who would make their first album together the following year."

$25.00 NOT IN STOCK

"Cluster was the pioneering German duo of Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius. Formed on the cusp of the 1970s, they were a part of West Germany's nascent Kosmische Musik scene. The group would use restrained improvisational techniques similar to Gruppo Nuova Consonanza, working with both electric and acoustic instruments (organ, guitar, tone generators, cello, etc.) to create a singular sound that Julian Cope called 'a huge beating heart, planet-sized and awesome.' Following the release of Cluster II, the duo relocated to the village of Forst where they built a home studio and began to collaborate with like-minded artists such as Michael Rother and Brian Eno. 1974's Zuckerzeit, Cluster's first album made in their countryside studio, marked a major shift in their music from experimental noise to avant-pop. 'Hollywood' starts things off with infectious loops, analog drum machines and sweeping synth. 'Caramel' seems to pick up the pace even more; its sugary groove promptly dissolves into a sea of ethereal keyboards, amorphous layers and sparse chords. For Zuckerzeit, Roedelius and Moebius developed the tracks individually. They recorded in separate rooms on different days, although each piece flows into the next seamlessly. While Rother is listed as producer on the original Brain release, he was reportedly not present at the sessions and simply loaned the band some equipment. Bringing together Cluster's haunted melodic sense and motorik rhythms, Zuckerzeit reveals not only how much the band grew from their experience in Harmonia, but also how instrumental they were in their later collaborations with Eno."

$29.50 NOT IN STOCK

[sold out, no repress] 50th anniversary edition reissue, originally released 1972. Cluster can be counted among the most important international protagonists of the electronic avant-garde. Some credit them with having invented ambient music, others as pioneers of synthesizer pop, whilst to some they are firmly embedded in the krautrock universe. There is some truth in all of these notions. Cluster (or Kluster as they were in the beginning) were founded in 1970 in Berlin by Conrad Schnitzler, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, and Dieter Moebius. A change in direction and musical differences moved Moebius and Roedelius to split from Schnitzler after which the duo recorded ten regular studio albums between 1971 and 2009. Their debut album (Cluster 71) was in Wire Magazine's "One Hundred Records That Set The World On Fire" list. Follow up, Cluster II, has now reached its 50th anniversary and to celebrate Bureau B are releasing a limited anniversary edition, vinyl only in a gatefold sleeve.

"Cluster II was born in two big cities. Back in 1972 Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius still lived in Berlin, where they were part of the city's swirling underground scene, situated somewhere in the middle of artistic happenings, musical outrageousness and drug abuse: an urban mixture that perceptibly influenced Cluster II, but the album was recorded in Hamburg; one track a live performance at Hamburg's concert hall 'Fabrik' . . . It goes without saying that they could not do completely without electricity, but they mostly manipulated their keyboards and other electric devices in an improvised way, as if rolling their sleeves up for some real manual work. This way Cluster never saw their role reduced to pushing buttons and pressing switches. It is obvious that Roedelius and Moebius were not late in discovering the tape loop as a method of creating repetitive patterns. They also incorporated an analog rhythm machine into Cluster II, even though it did not yet play an essential part on the album but what they firmly relied on was not their equipment, but rather their intuition and the option to decide at any point what was supposed to happen in the next few moments. The fact that they were always ready to run the risk of musical failure is something that cannot be respected highly enough. So, Cluster proceeded in a different way not only from a musical point of view, but also displayed a completely new attitude. Moebius and Roedelius never submitted to their machines but let their personalities as heart and soul musicians be heard at all times to create 'electronic music with a human face'. Conrad Plank, the ingenious sonic magician, who regularly hosted Cluster, Harmonia and others in his studio, displayed so much enthusiasm and inspiration in helping put these new ideas into practice. Bravely and without fear, Cluster had ventured out on a journey without knowing where it would lead them, stepping into fascinating, virgin territory..." --Asmus Tietchens

$17.00 IN STOCK

Reissue of the last studio album by Cluster, the legendary krautronic duo of Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius, recorded in Ohio in 2009 by Tim Story. From Story's liner notes: "My role, as I imagined it, was to emulate Conny Plank, the great Cluster producer and a hero I'd never had a chance to meet. An impossible burden of course, so I simply tried to make the recording process as invisible as possible, offer as many interesting sonic options as I could, and give Cluster the chance to be Cluster -- to express that deep and unique dialog that only Moebi and Achim fully understand. Moebi had brought along some of his wonderfully quirky loops, but the rest was simply an embrace of the technology and toys that they found in the studio. Old drum machines, a gaudy orange Farfisa (solos on which Achim would always seem to center around the one temperamentally unreliable note), cutting edge keyboards and processors, a cheap Yamaha Omnichord. The results were, to my ears at least, stunning. Seventeen miniature worlds, some icy, some warm, all infused with that Cluster elusiveness and unpredictability. Playful, dark, funny, human, Qua captures that deceptive Cluster heartbeat -- unmistakably modern but utterly timeless. Adorned later with Moebi's slyly nonsensical titles ('Putoil' for example, which features a 'solo' made from Moebi's recording of our squeaky bathroom door), and his cheerfully Dada cover, Qua's evolution was a true privilege to witness. Achim told me recently that he considers Qua the perfect swansong for Cluster. At the time, though, the album's freshness and open-ended creativity seemed like simply another alluring dispatch from a conversation that would pick up again many more times, as it had for four decades. But Moebi's passing in 2015 gives Qua a finality that contradicts the music's transitory, slippery otherworldliness. The album's closing track 'Imtrerion,' with Moebi's deeply stirring loop embellished ever so gracefully with Achim's spare accompaniment, never fails to choke me up."

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. Reissue of the last studio album by Cluster, the legendary krautronic duo of Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius, recorded in Ohio in 2009 by Tim Story. From Story's liner notes: "My role, as I imagined it, was to emulate Conny Plank, the great Cluster producer and a hero I'd never had a chance to meet. An impossible burden of course, so I simply tried to make the recording process as invisible as possible, offer as many interesting sonic options as I could, and give Cluster the chance to be Cluster -- to express that deep and unique dialog that only Moebi and Achim fully understand. Moebi had brought along some of his wonderfully quirky loops, but the rest was simply an embrace of the technology and toys that they found in the studio. Old drum machines, a gaudy orange Farfisa (solos on which Achim would always seem to center around the one temperamentally unreliable note), cutting edge keyboards and processors, a cheap Yamaha Omnichord. The results were, to my ears at least, stunning. Seventeen miniature worlds, some icy, some warm, all infused with that Cluster elusiveness and unpredictability. Playful, dark, funny, human, Qua captures that deceptive Cluster heartbeat -- unmistakably modern but utterly timeless. Adorned later with Moebi's slyly nonsensical titles ('Putoil' for example, which features a 'solo' made from Moebi's recording of our squeaky bathroom door), and his cheerfully Dada cover, Qua's evolution was a true privilege to witness. Achim told me recently that he considers Qua the perfect swansong for Cluster. At the time, though, the album's freshness and open-ended creativity seemed like simply another alluring dispatch from a conversation that would pick up again many more times, as it had for four decades. But Moebi's passing in 2015 gives Qua a finality that contradicts the music's transitory, slippery otherworldliness. The album's closing track 'Imtrerion,' with Moebi's deeply stirring loop embellished ever so gracefully with Achim's spare accompaniment, never fails to choke me up."

$17.00 LOW STOCK LEVEL

The two authorized recordings presented on Konzerte 1972/1977 vividly conjure up the atmosphere, perhaps even the magic, of a Cluster performance back in the day. One took place in 1977 during a science fiction festival in Metz (France). The other dates back to an earlier show in Hamburg's Fabrik venue. Cluster played three gigs in the city in 1971/1972, including the one partially included on 1972's Cluster II (LR 335LP). Cluster shows routinely lasted six hours or more, luring both the band and the audience into a state of intoxication, no doubt acutely enhanced by the intake of certain substances. The buzzwords of the moment were: psychedelic, magical, ritualistic, corresponding more or less to the Dionysian hedonism which pervades certain styles of contemporary music culture today. It is worth noting this context as useful background when listening to the live recordings presented here. In the beginning, Cluster's music was rough, brutal, and spontaneous, created with the most rudimentary tools. Unlike many of their colleagues in this pioneering age, Cluster did not use any synthesizers, sequencers, or high-end amps. But this proved to be their strength, rather than a disadvantage. Roedelius and Moebius played in the truest sense of the word, untroubled by mechanical processes. They used their machines but were not dependent on them. Intuition was the dominant force, the risk of potential failure was readily understood to be as much a part of their vibrant art as success. Perfection had become a concept associated with convention. Indeed, anyone who was lucky enough to witness Cluster play in the 1970s will testify that things sometimes went badly wrong. But mostly they did not, and then the real magic was tangible. A utopian, previously undiscovered world of sound was created in the presence of the beholder. The sound quality of these two documents is average. A successful performance was considered more important than a perfect recording thereof. As listeners, this should be accepted today. Konzerte 1972/1977 provides a short journey into the nascent heart of Cluster's creative universe, just after the big bang.

$26.00 IN STOCK

2018 repress; LP version with CD. The two authorized recordings presented on Konzerte 1972/1977 vividly conjure up the atmosphere, perhaps even the magic, of a Cluster performance back in the day. One took place in 1977 during a science fiction festival in Metz (France). The other dates back to an earlier show in Hamburg's Fabrik venue. Cluster played three gigs in the city in 1971/1972, including the one partially included on 1972's Cluster II (LR 335LP). Cluster shows routinely lasted six hours or more, luring both the band and the audience into a state of intoxication, no doubt acutely enhanced by the intake of certain substances. The buzzwords of the moment were: psychedelic, magical, ritualistic, corresponding more or less to the Dionysian hedonism which pervades certain styles of contemporary music culture today. It is worth noting this context as useful background when listening to the live recordings presented here. In the beginning, Cluster's music was rough, brutal, and spontaneous, created with the most rudimentary tools. Unlike many of their colleagues in this pioneering age, Cluster did not use any synthesizers, sequencers, or high-end amps. But this proved to be their strength, rather than a disadvantage. Roedelius and Moebius played in the truest sense of the word, untroubled by mechanical processes. They used their machines but were not dependent on them. Intuition was the dominant force, the risk of potential failure was readily understood to be as much a part of their vibrant art as success. Perfection had become a concept associated with convention. Indeed, anyone who was lucky enough to witness Cluster play in the 1970s will testify that things sometimes went badly wrong. But mostly they did not, and then the real magic was tangible. A utopian, previously undiscovered world of sound was created in the presence of the beholder. The sound quality of these two documents is average. A successful performance was considered more important than a perfect recording thereof. As listeners, this should be accepted today. Konzerte 1972/1977 provides a short journey into the nascent heart of Cluster's creative universe, just after the big bang.

$17.00 IN STOCK

Cluster's influence on the development of electronic music cannot be overstated. The original trio of Conrad Schnitzler, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius released two seminal albums as Kluster before Roedelius and Moebius replaced the 'K' with a 'C' and continued as a duo. They produced eight albums in their most innovative period between 1971 and 1981, two of them together with another pioneer of electronic music, Brian Eno. Cluster anticipated much of what would later emerge in such varied styles as industrial, ambient, electro and even synth-pop. Some call Cluster's music avant-garde, others krautrock or kosmische. Hence their first album, as a microcosm of their entire oeuvre, made the list of "100 Records That Set The World On Fire (While No One Was Listening)" in The Wire magazine. On Kollektion 06, John McEntire provides a collection of tracks spanning Cluster's first eight studio albums. John McEntire is a drummer/percussionist and recording engineer/producer. He is a founding and current member of Tortoise and The Sea & Cake; former contributing/touring member of Red Krayola and Gastr Del Sol. He has been the owner/operator of Soma Electronic Music Studios in Chicago, IL since 1995. Asmus Tietchens on Cluster: "Cluster's role in the development of new German electronic music went unnoticed for a long while. Cacophonous noise in the 1970s and 1980s masked the subtlety of Cluster aesthetics, diminishing their force of impact. Only since the 1990s, and all the more so today, have Cluster been identified and celebrated as pioneers. The somewhat hackneyed 'avant-garde' tag really amounts to nothing more than being ahead of one's time. And those who are ahead of their time often slip out of sight. Now, twenty, thirty years later, with so many new aural experiences on offer, listening habits have changed to such a great extent that we are better placed to assess Cluster's importance, their influence on subsequent generations of musicians. It has thus become easier to appreciate and enjoy their music... Cluster were no pedagogues, but their indirect influence on musicians and, more to the point, on listeners, resonates until today. Can a legacy be any more alive?" This collection features tracks from:Cluster 71 (BB 058CD/LP), Cluster II (LR 335LP), Zuckerzeit (LR 333LP), Sowiesoso (BB 039CD/LP), Cluster & Eno (BB 029CD/LP), After The Heat, Grosses Wasser (BB 026CD/LP), and Curiosum (BB 038CD/LP).

$26.00 IN STOCK

2022 restock; LP version. "Limited edition: white vinyl & adult colouring cover." Cluster's influence on the development of electronic music cannot be overstated. The original trio of Conrad Schnitzler, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius released two seminal albums as Kluster before Roedelius and Moebius replaced the 'K' with a 'C' and continued as a duo. They produced eight albums in their most innovative period between 1971 and 1981, two of them together with another pioneer of electronic music, Brian Eno. Cluster anticipated much of what would later emerge in such varied styles as industrial, ambient, electro and even synth-pop. Some call Cluster's music avant-garde, others krautrock or kosmische. Hence their first album, as a microcosm of their entire oeuvre, made the list of "100 Records That Set The World On Fire (While No One Was Listening)" in The Wire magazine. On Kollektion 06, John McEntire provides a collection of tracks spanning Cluster's first eight studio albums. John McEntire is a drummer/percussionist and recording engineer/producer. He is a founding and current member of Tortoise and The Sea & Cake; former contributing/touring member of Red Krayola and Gastr Del Sol. He has been the owner/operator of Soma Electronic Music Studios in Chicago, IL since 1995. Asmus Tietchens on Cluster: "Cluster's role in the development of new German electronic music went unnoticed for a long while. Cacophonous noise in the 1970s and 1980s masked the subtlety of Cluster aesthetics, diminishing their force of impact. Only since the 1990s, and all the more so today, have Cluster been identified and celebrated as pioneers. The somewhat hackneyed 'avant-garde' tag really amounts to nothing more than being ahead of one's time. And those who are ahead of their time often slip out of sight. Now, twenty, thirty years later, with so many new aural experiences on offer, listening habits have changed to such a great extent that we are better placed to assess Cluster's importance, their influence on subsequent generations of musicians. It has thus become easier to appreciate and enjoy their music... Cluster were no pedagogues, but their indirect influence on musicians and, more to the point, on listeners, resonates until today. Can a legacy be any more alive?" This collection features tracks from:Cluster 71 (BB 058CD/LP), Cluster II (LR 335LP), Zuckerzeit (LR 333LP), Sowiesoso (BB 039CD/LP), Cluster & Eno (BB 029CD/LP), After The Heat, Grosses Wasser (BB 026CD/LP), and Curiosum (BB 038CD/LP).

$110.00 NOT IN STOCK

Cluster's influence on the development of electronic music cannot be overstated. The original trio of Conrad Schnitzler, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, and Dieter Moebius released two seminal albums as Kluster before Roedelius and Moebius replaced the "K" with a "C" and continued as a duo. They produced eight albums in their most innovative period between 1971 and 1981, two of them together with Brian Eno. Cluster anticipated much of what would later emerge in such varied styles as industrial, ambient, electro, and even synthpop. Some call Cluster's music avant-garde, others krautrock or kosmische musik. Few would dispute their immense influence, despite their relative lack of commercial success. Hence their first album, as a microcosm of their entire oeuvre, made The Wire's 1998 list "100 Records That Set the World on Fire (When No One Was Listening)." This box set contains all eight of the albums that represent Cluster's main phase, plus a previously unreleased album of two live recordings from 1972 and 1977. All of the albums have been remastered by Willem Makkee. Includes booklet with essays on each album, rare photos, and an exclusive text on the evolution and significance of the band by Asmus Tietchens, excerpted here: "Cacophonous noise in the 1970s and 1980s masked the subtlety of Cluster aesthetics, diminishing their force of impact. Only since the 1990s, and all the more so today, have Cluster been identified and celebrated as pioneers. The somewhat hackneyed 'avant-garde' tag really amounts to nothing more than being ahead of one's time. . . . Now, twenty, thirty years later, with so many new aural experiences on offer, listening habits have changed to such a great extent that we are better placed to assess Cluster's importance, their influence on subsequent generations of musicians. . . . The eight (official) Cluster albums presented here trace the group's arc of development over a period of around ten years. Not a particularly extensive oeuvre compared to many of their peers, but prolificacy was never a feature of Cluster's constitution. They only released a new album when they felt that they had taken a significant step forwards on their musical trajectory -- which goes some way to explaining how varied and different their LPs were. Cluster were no pedagogues, but their indirect influence on musicians and, more to the point, on listeners, resonates until today. Can a legacy be any more alive?" Edition of 1500.

$26.00 IN STOCK

2024 restock. 140-gram LP. Cluster's self-titled debut was originally released by Philips in 1971; this edition is the first reissue to restore the track running order of the original Philips release. Includes liner notes by electronic avant-garde pioneer Asmus Tietchens. In 1998, The Wire listed Cluster's self-titled debut as one of "100 Records That Set The World On Fire (When No One Was Listening)." Very few albums from Germany can lay claim to this honor. Cluster is a monster; it contains a mere three untitled tracks and was quite an ordeal for untrained ears when it was released. Yet the album pointed the way forward like no other electronic opus. Cluster's previous incarnation was a trio called Kluster. A change in direction and musical differences moved Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius to split from the group's third member, Conrad Schnitzler, in 1970. The following year, in addition to playing live, they recorded their first album in publisher Ralf Arnie's Star Musik Studio in Hamburg. Here they first met Conny Plank, who would himself become a legend. They remained close friends until Plank's death in 1987. Early Cluster music was new. New in the sense that it did not continue any tradition, instead laying the foundations for a future tradition. The duo's utter renunciation of conventional harmony and rhythm, embrace of near total aural abstraction, and confident use of noise, rigorous live electronic improvisation, and a positive mindset were all factors in Cluster's innovative trailblazing of 1971. For want of a better category, Cluster was classified rather inappropriately and incorrectly as "cosmic." Few recognized Cluster for what it was -- a synthesis of pop music, stripped of embarrassing glamor, and so-called serious music without intellectual constraints. Moebius and Roedelius took the liberty of raiding both disciplines to perfect their musical concept. A common enough practice today, but akin to a palace revolution in 1971. So it is that three pieces of electronic music meander and pulsate through Cluster, with no beginning and no end. Cluster's music is free and open in all directions. There are sounds, noises, and structures to be heard on this album that would become ingrained in the electronic pop music of the 1980s and 1990s. Cluster had taken the first step into the future.

$17.00 IN STOCK

2016 re-release of Bureau B's 2009 reissue. The fourth full-length album by legendary German electronic music duo Cluster, originally released on Sky Records in 1976. Sowiesoso follows on from their most highly-acclaimed album, Zuckerzeit (1974). Michael Rother's influence was clearly audible on the latter, Cluster already having recorded two albums with him under the name of Harmonia. 1976 saw the duo looking for new musical forms. More than any other Cluster album, Sowiesoso represents the utopian vision of Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Mobius, its mellow transparency evoking the landscape of the Weser Uplands where the two musicians lived at the time. Sowiesoso is not the work of fanatic dreamers who have fled the metropolis, but the reward for their tenacious search for a new musical language. The LP's seven cuts were recorded in their own studio with modest equipment -- a four-track tape machine, two Revox A77 stereo tape-decks and a simple 8-channel mixer. Cluster were thus completely independent, able to work where and when they wanted, at their own pace. With no guest musicians, sound engineers or producers to accommodate, Cluster thrived on their new-found autonomous freedom. Sowiesoso captures them at the peak of their creative development, with the limited range of recording equipment enhancing the clarity of their vision, allowing them to concentrate on the music without drifting into narcissistic muso territory. Minimalist, yet neither formulaic nor automated, the album is a rhythmic tapestry of otherworldly electronic and acoustic elements -- relaxed, organic and gentle ambience. This could only be Cluster music; its harmonies reaffirm the quality of song, in spite of eluding song structure as such.

$26.00 IN STOCK

2024 restock; LP version. The fourth full-length album by legendary German electronic music duo Cluster, originally released on Sky Records in 1976. Sowiesoso follows on from their most highly-acclaimed album, Zuckerzeit (1974). Michael Rother's influence was clearly audible on the latter, Cluster already having recorded two albums with him under the name of Harmonia. 1976 saw the duo looking for new musical forms. More than any other Cluster album, Sowiesoso represents the utopian vision of Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Mobius, its mellow transparency evoking the landscape of the Weser Uplands where the two musicians lived at the time. Sowiesoso is not the work of fanatic dreamers who have fled the metropolis, but the reward for their tenacious search for a new musical language. The LP's seven cuts were recorded in their own studio with modest equipment -- a four-track tape machine, two Revox A77 stereo tape-decks and a simple 8-channel mixer. Cluster were thus completely independent, able to work where and when they wanted, at their own pace. With no guest musicians, sound engineers or producers to accommodate, Cluster thrived on their new-found autonomous freedom. Sowiesoso captures them at the peak of their creative development, with the limited range of recording equipment enhancing the clarity of their vision, allowing them to concentrate on the music without drifting into narcissistic muso territory. Minimalist, yet neither formulaic nor automated, the album is a rhythmic tapestry of otherworldly electronic and acoustic elements -- relaxed, organic and gentle ambience. This could only be Cluster music; its harmonies reaffirm the quality of song, in spite of eluding song structure as such.

$28.50 IN STOCK

2022 restock. Originally released in 1972, this is the second album by legendary German ambient pioneers Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius. Moebius and Roedelius essentially create ambient electronic soundscapes that ebb and flow, droning on in a suspended world of anti-gravity where machine has conquered man. Includes bonus CD of the album.

$28.50 NOT IN STOCK

2022 repress. Originally released in 1974, Zuckerzeit marked a turning point for these seminal German space rockers. Recorded shortly after their move away from the metropolis of Berlin, it sees some of the abrasiveness of their earlier material slightly diffusing. With the addition of proto drum machines and the producing talents of Michael Rother, their sound here - while remaining firmly in anchored in experimental territory - has more pop sensibility. Newly packaged with the CD of the album.

$26.00 IN STOCK

2021 restock. LP version on 180 gram vinyl. After Curiosum (BB 038CD/LP, 1981), the last Cluster album to be released on Sky, Roedelius and Moebius turned their attention to solo work. It was not until the early 1990s that Cluster returned to the electronic music stage with Apropos Cluster (BB 171CD/LP, 1990) and One Hour (BB 172CD/LP, 1994). The duo also took to the road for live shows in Germany and Europe, followed by tours across the USA and Japan. Some of these concerts were recorded in digital quality and offer compelling evidence of just how dramatically Cluster's music had evolved -- to what degree Moebius and Roedelius had found serenity as they matured. The tracks collected here are gleaned from live performances in Osaka and Tokyo. In technical terms, and all the more so musically, the recordings are on par with meticulously prepared studio productions. The material thus provides an ideal opportunity to compare Cluster music of the past and the present (1996). Cluster had, of course, gone digital. Few analog sources made the cut, with keyboard samplers now their instrument of choice. It stands to reason that what amounted to an extrinsic decision did nothing to alter the style of such sophisticated artistic personalities, instead merely widening the range of creative possibilities available to them. Cluster were indeed unfazed by the multiple sonic sources now in their grasp. They avoided wallowing in endless narcissism, concentrating instead on relatively few elements of sound and form. Particularly in a live context, this led to immensely serene and engaging music. Tracing the arc of suspense in these improvisations, the equanimity and nuance that Roedelius and Moebius bring to their music becomes apparent, inciting a positive sense of excitement in the conscientious listener. This release consists of tracks from Captain Trip Records' 1997 CD Japan 1996 Live reworked into a new version and presented on vinyl for the first time. Includes liner notes by Asmus Tietchens and new artwork.

$17.00 IN STOCK

After Curiosum (BB 038CD/LP, 1981), the last Cluster album to be released on Sky, Roedelius and Moebius turned their attention to solo work. It was not until the early 1990s that Cluster returned to the electronic music stage with Apropos Cluster (BB 171CD/LP, 1990) and One Hour (BB 172CD/LP, 1994). The duo also took to the road for live shows in Germany and Europe, followed by tours across the USA and Japan. Some of these concerts were recorded in digital quality and offer compelling evidence of just how dramatically Cluster's music had evolved -- to what degree Moebius and Roedelius had found serenity as they matured. The tracks collected here are gleaned from live performances in Osaka and Tokyo. In technical terms, and all the more so musically, the recordings are on par with meticulously prepared studio productions. The material thus provides an ideal opportunity to compare Cluster music of the past and the present (1996). Cluster had, of course, gone digital. Few analog sources made the cut, with keyboard samplers now their instrument of choice. It stands to reason that what amounted to an extrinsic decision did nothing to alter the style of such sophisticated artistic personalities, instead merely widening the range of creative possibilities available to them. Cluster were indeed unfazed by the multiple sonic sources now in their grasp. They avoided wallowing in endless narcissism, concentrating instead on relatively few elements of sound and form. Particularly in a live context, this led to immensely serene and engaging music. Tracing the arc of suspense in these improvisations, the equanimity and nuance that Roedelius and Moebius bring to their music becomes apparent, inciting a positive sense of excitement in the conscientious listener. This release consists of tracks from Captain Trip Records' 1997 CD Japan 1996 Live reworked into a new version on CD. Includes liner notes by Asmus Tietchens and new artwork.

$17.00 IN STOCK

Bureau B presents Cluster's USA Live, a 1996 recording of Cluster's first tour of the USA. This release consists of tracks from Purple Pyramid's 1997 CD First Encounter Tour 1996, reworked and reselected in collaboration with the musicians and presented on vinyl (for the first time) and on CD. Includes new artwork. "The US recordings are loud and impassioned. Some tracks are really loud, the mood is frankly disquieting. Tonal differences aside, this takes us back to Cluster's musical frame of mind in the early 1970s. Given the vast expressive repertoire on which Moebius and Roedelius could draw from almost twenty years of relentless experimentation, perhaps this ought not to surprise us. Furthermore, as artists of the moment, they are able to respond flexibly and immediately to the ambience, the situation, their own condition. Something in the USA was fundamentally different to Japan. On the evidence of the US live recordings we can surmise that the USA tour was anything but introspective. As if Cluster were intent on proving that they were neither purveyors of cozy ambient electronica nor producers of new age muzak. The way they played America was completely unpredictable, sometimes even chaotic. Expansive passages switch abruptly with rhythmic stretches, raw noise erupts in quiet places -- Moebius and Roedelius pull out all the stops. It all amounts to quite an ordeal for the audience, possibly even disappointing one or two listeners in the process. But Cluster's music was always multifaceted, so surprises were never far away. The USA live album does not escort the listener to bright, mellifluous swaths, but to rugged, karstic regions, no less a part of Cluster's world. It is an uncomfortable album with rough edges. Still, it is a good thing that Moebius and Roedelius used these forceful improvisations to conclude their journey together for the foreseeable future. Cluster bid farewell to their listeners twice in 1996: softly and almost lost in reverie on Japan Live (BB 174CD/LP), then not long afterwards they went out with a bang on First Encounter Tour/USA Live. Once again the two musicians had shared the full spectrum of their artistic visions. Alas, a double goodbye does not make the split any easier. Fast-forwarding into the next millennium, however, we are happy to hear the cry: Cluster ahoy!" --Asmus Tietchens.

$26.00 IN STOCK

2021 restock. LP version on 180 gram vinyl. Bureau B presents Cluster's USA Live, a 1996 recording of Cluster's first tour of the USA. This release consists of tracks from Purple Pyramid's 1997 CD First Encounter Tour 1996, reworked and reselected in collaboration with the musicians and presented on vinyl (for the first time) and on CD. Includes new artwork. "The US recordings are loud and impassioned. Some tracks are really loud, the mood is frankly disquieting. Tonal differences aside, this takes us back to Cluster's musical frame of mind in the early 1970s. Given the vast expressive repertoire on which Moebius and Roedelius could draw from almost twenty years of relentless experimentation, perhaps this ought not to surprise us. Furthermore, as artists of the moment, they are able to respond flexibly and immediately to the ambience, the situation, their own condition. Something in the USA was fundamentally different to Japan. On the evidence of the US live recordings we can surmise that the USA tour was anything but introspective. As if Cluster were intent on proving that they were neither purveyors of cozy ambient electronica nor producers of new age muzak. The way they played America was completely unpredictable, sometimes even chaotic. Expansive passages switch abruptly with rhythmic stretches, raw noise erupts in quiet places -- Moebius and Roedelius pull out all the stops. It all amounts to quite an ordeal for the audience, possibly even disappointing one or two listeners in the process. But Cluster's music was always multifaceted, so surprises were never far away. The USA live album does not escort the listener to bright, mellifluous swaths, but to rugged, karstic regions, no less a part of Cluster's world. It is an uncomfortable album with rough edges. Still, it is a good thing that Moebius and Roedelius used these forceful improvisations to conclude their journey together for the foreseeable future. Cluster bid farewell to their listeners twice in 1996: softly and almost lost in reverie on Japan Live (BB 174CD/LP), then not long afterwards they went out with a bang on First Encounter Tour/USA Live. Once again the two musicians had shared the full spectrum of their artistic visions. Alas, a double goodbye does not make the split any easier. Fast-forwarding into the next millennium, however, we are happy to hear the cry: Cluster ahoy!" --Asmus Tietchens.

$17.00 IN STOCK

Bureau B reissues Cluster's 1994 album One Hour. "Cluster's hiatus between Curiosum (BB 038CD/LP) and Apropos Cluster (BB 171CD/LP) in 1990 lasted for almost 10 years. Roedelius and Moebius spent this time developing their individual musical characteristics in a series of solo albums and collaborations which they released with other musicians. Naturally, they also thoroughly explored newly emerging digital technology. Cluster's music evolved substantially through this decade, less so in basic style (color had simply been added to Cluster's world), but more in a more mature handling of rhythm, harmony and melody. If Apropos Cluster had been the fulminant reboot, then One Hour four years later already represented a fully-formed progression of the new concept. Roedelius and Moebius stayed true to their spirit of improvisation, playing together with a minimum of prior arrangements. So, in the duo's finest tradition, One Hour is the product of two sessions recorded in the studio of musician and sound engineer Eric Spitzer-Marlyn in Austria. Sixty minutes were selected from the most interesting passages and assembled into a coherent, cohesive musical sequence. The askesis in the apparent matter-of-factness and lightness of One Hour is an expression of strict artistic conception. Nothing veers off course, not a single flash of genius is overplayed. Moebius and Roedelius guide their listeners deeper and deeper into the fantastical realm of musical extravaganzas. One image follows the next, disappearing in similarly unhurried fashion to be replaced by another. As placid as One Hour may seem, the album is nothing less than meditative. This is not ambient music. High impressionism would be a more apposite description. Appreciating the fleeting imagery and flow of ideas requires the listener's undivided attention. Using Cluster as acoustic room scent would be a hopeless undertaking. The exquisite particles of sound would dissipate far too quickly and ineffectively." --Asmus Tietchens

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. 180 gram vinyl. Bureau B reissues Cluster's 1994 album One Hour. "Cluster's hiatus between Curiosum (BB 038CD/LP) and Apropos Cluster (BB 171CD/LP) in 1990 lasted for almost 10 years. Roedelius and Moebius spent this time developing their individual musical characteristics in a series of solo albums and collaborations which they released with other musicians. Naturally, they also thoroughly explored newly emerging digital technology. Cluster's music evolved substantially through this decade, less so in basic style (color had simply been added to Cluster's world), but more in a more mature handling of rhythm, harmony and melody. If Apropos Cluster had been the fulminant reboot, then One Hour four years later already represented a fully-formed progression of the new concept. Roedelius and Moebius stayed true to their spirit of improvisation, playing together with a minimum of prior arrangements. So, in the duo's finest tradition, One Hour is the product of two sessions recorded in the studio of musician and sound engineer Eric Spitzer-Marlyn in Austria. Sixty minutes were selected from the most interesting passages and assembled into a coherent, cohesive musical sequence. The askesis in the apparent matter-of-factness and lightness of One Hour is an expression of strict artistic conception. Nothing veers off course, not a single flash of genius is overplayed. Moebius and Roedelius guide their listeners deeper and deeper into the fantastical realm of musical extravaganzas. One image follows the next, disappearing in similarly unhurried fashion to be replaced by another. As placid as One Hour may seem, the album is nothing less than meditative. This is not ambient music. High impressionism would be a more apposite description. Appreciating the fleeting imagery and flow of ideas requires the listener's undivided attention. Using Cluster as acoustic room scent would be a hopeless undertaking. The exquisite particles of sound would dissipate far too quickly and ineffectively." --Asmus Tietchens

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl. "Apropos Cluster (1990) was released in Coralville, Iowa, in deepest provincial America. Youthful enthusiast Russ Curry (sic) set up the Curious Music label on his own initiative to release this very album. Emboldened by the spirit of the independent movement, he paid for manufacturing himself and took care of CD distribution, as well as doing his best to ensure that a few copies made their way to Europe. In common with so many independent label operations, Russ Curry lacked the financial clout to market Apropos Cluster effectively. PR and advertising were out of the question. Hence the album flew predominantly under the radar, reaching potential supporters more or less by chance. Or not at all, which was a crying shame, given that Cluster had risen like a phoenix from the ashes, picking up the creative thread where they had left off and taking it to an ingenious new level. Nobody would have guessed that a decade had passed since their last LP Curiosum. Apropos Cluster saw the duo arrive in the digital world. Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius had indeed used digital sounds and corresponding recording technology on their solo albums in the '80s, so they were no strangers to the latest in electronic techniques. Apropos Cluster was recorded in Roedelius' home studio in Austria; Cluster combined samplers, grand piano and analog synthesizers as only they knew how. The listener is invited into the legendary Cluster cosmos, a considerably more complex and fantastic place than it was 10 years earlier. Horizons appear more distant, paths more labyrinthine. Moebius and Roedelius paid no heed to contemporary trends in electronic music, instead continuing to trace their own trajectory in a fathomless, surreal world for which they alone possessed the coordinates. Sonic and musical details abound to an almost overwhelming degree. One moment up close, the next far away, something new appears in the distance." -- Asmus Tietchens

$17.00 IN STOCK

"Apropos Cluster (1990) was released in Coralville, Iowa, in deepest provincial America. Youthful enthusiast Russ Curry (sic) set up the Curious Music label on his own initiative to release this very album. Emboldened by the spirit of the independent movement, he paid for manufacturing himself and took care of CD distribution, as well as doing his best to ensure that a few copies made their way to Europe. In common with so many independent label operations, Russ Curry lacked the financial clout to market Apropos Cluster effectively. PR and advertising were out of the question. Hence the album flew predominantly under the radar, reaching potential supporters more or less by chance. Or not at all, which was a crying shame, given that Cluster had risen like a phoenix from the ashes, picking up the creative thread where they had left off and taking it to an ingenious new level. Nobody would have guessed that a decade had passed since their last LP Curiosum. Apropos Cluster saw the duo arrive in the digital world. Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius had indeed used digital sounds and corresponding recording technology on their solo albums in the '80s, so they were no strangers to the latest in electronic techniques. Apropos Cluster was recorded in Roedelius' home studio in Austria; Cluster combined samplers, grand piano and analog synthesizers as only they knew how. The listener is invited into the legendary Cluster cosmos, a considerably more complex and fantastic place than it was 10 years earlier. Horizons appear more distant, paths more labyrinthine. Moebius and Roedelius paid no heed to contemporary trends in electronic music, instead continuing to trace their own trajectory in a fathomless, surreal world for which they alone possessed the coordinates. Sonic and musical details abound to an almost overwhelming degree. One moment up close, the next far away, something new appears in the distance." -- Asmus Tietchens

$17.00 IN STOCK

Originally released on the Philips label in 1971, Bureau B reissues Cluster's eponymous debut full-length album. According to The Wire, Cluster 71 is one of the "One Hundred Records That Set The World On Fire." Very few albums from Germany can lay claim to this honor. This album is a mere three untitled tracks and was quite an ordeal for untrained ears at the time of its release, yet the album pointed the way forward like no other electronic opus. Cluster's previous incarnation was a trio named Kluster. A change in direction and musical differences moved Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius to split from their third member, Konrad Schnitzler, in 1970. The following year, as well as playing live, they recorded their first album, Cluster 71, in publisher Ralf Arnie's Star Musik Studio in Hamburg. Here they first met Conny Plank, who would himself become a legend. They remained close friends until his death in 1987. Early Cluster music was new -- new in the sense that it did not continue any tradition, instead laying the foundations for a future tradition. The duo's utter renunciation of conventional harmony and rhythm, their embracing of near total aural abstraction, confident use of noise, rigorous live electronic improvisation and a positive mind-set tuned to winning rather than losing -- these were all factors in Cluster's innovative trailblazing of 1971. For want of a better category, Cluster 71 was classified rather inappropriately and incorrectly as "cosmic." Few recognized Cluster for what it was -- the synthesis of pop music stripped of embarrassing glamour and so-called serious music without intellectual constraints. Moebius and Roedelius took the liberty of raiding both disciplines to perfect their musical concept. A common enough practice today, but akin to a palace revolution in 1971. So it is that three pieces of electronic music meander and pulsate through Cluster 71, with no beginning and no end. Cluster's music is free and open in all directions. There are sounds, noises and structures to be heard on this album which would become ingrained in the electronic pop music of the 1980s and 1990s. Cluster had taken the first step into the future with Cluster 71. Liner notes by Asmus Tietchens.

$17.00 IN STOCK

Originally released on Sky Records in 1981, Bureau B reissues Cluster's Curiosum -- the sixth duo collaboration between Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius. Curiosum was to mark a departure to pastures new. Little did they know that this would be their last release for the next nine years. Curiosum was launched into an atmosphere of musical turbulence. Electronic sounds had become commonplace in pop music and the voice of Cluster could barely be heard through the noise of a new generation of music. Curiosum is a decidedly tranquil, almost melancholy album -- quiet being the operative word, as Cluster slipped out of the limelight. It was recorded in rudimentary fashion in Austria, now home to Roedelius. This is Cluster music at its most serene, a sense of profound humility running through the seven tracks of the LP. It says a lot about the state of mind of the two musicians, allied to the fact that this was the first time they chose to mix outside of Conny Plank's studio where, in the past, the finishing touches had been applied. Roedelius and Moebius laid their cards on the table for all to see, offering up Curiosum as an honest, unadorned selection of tracks, free of artifice and preconception. The album represented a return to the virtues of their early work (when Cluster was written with a "K"), random and spontaneous. Curiosum is nothing if not a curiosity, wholly resistant to the cacophonous zeitgeist of the early '80s, stripped down and keenly focused on perfect shapes. This is Cluster's swan-song to the past.