Harmonia - Live 1974

More reason for old and new fans to adore them

When it comes to Krautrock, the name Harmonia gets the mouth watering. Although they only released two albums, Musik Von Harmonia (1974) and Deluxe (1975), the fact that the three musicians were Michael Rother, Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius meant that the music was experimental, questing and electronically superb. Now, a mere 31 years after they disbanded, we have some new material in the form of a live concert recorded in front of 50 people in March 1974. That may sound unpromising, but the recording quality is absolutely fantastic. As the trio were, at one time, involved in Kraftwerk, Neu! and Cluster, the music calls in all of those ports with 10 minute opener Schaumberg dominated by Rother’s inventive guitar, with able support from electronic percussion, organ and synths from Roedelius and Moebius. As their two albums contained mostly short pieces, the band revel in the freedom that live performance gave them to allow each piece to grow and develop organically. The 17-minute Veteranissimo is more of an extended electronic tone suite, with understated proto-sequencer parts interlocking with a drum machine over which Moebius, Roedelius and Rother adds texture. Wonderful. Holta-Polka and Ueber Ottenstein are equally hypnotic.

Gronland | GRON 73

Reviewed by Ian Shirley
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