Agitation Free

Agitation Free
Company type	Musical group
Industry	Music
Founded	1967
Founder	Michael "Fame" Günther, Lutz "Lüül" Ulbrich, Lutz Ludwig Kramer, Christopher Franke
Defunct	2013
Headquarters	Germany
Products	Krautrock music albums

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Agitation Free, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 30 November 2025

Agitation Free is a pioneering krautrock ensemble from Germany, established in 1967 by Michael "Fame" Günther on bass, Lutz "Lüül" Ulbrich and Lutz Ludwig Kramer on guitars, alongside drummer Christopher Franke.

Name

Originally named Agitation, the group altered their moniker after discovering another band shared the same title. They selected Agitation Free, inspired by a promotional poster for a free concert dating back to the early 1970s.

History

Following the departure of guitarist Axel Genrich to Guru Guru in 1970 and drummer Franke's move to Tangerine Dream in 1971, Agitation Free incorporated Jörg "Joshi" Schwenke on guitar, Burghard Rausch on drums, and Michael Hoenig handling keyboards. Their first album, Malesch (1972), drew creative influence from their Goethe Institute-sponsored travels across Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus. That same year, they performed at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

In 1973, the band launched their second album and saw Schwenke replaced first by Stefan Diez and subsequently by Gustl Lütjens. The group dissolved in 1974.

They reunited in 1998 with the founding members to release River of Return in 1999. A further comeback occurred in 2007 with concerts in Tokyo, which prompted remastered editions of their earlier works in 2008 and the live recording Shibuya Nights (2011). To support this release, they toured again in 2012.

Agitation Free is recognized on the influential Nurse with Wound list.

Musical style and sound

The band’s sound is a fusion of psychedelic krautrock enriched by ambient textures, experimental electronic elements, and drone influences. Their music is characterized by persistent organ-driven drones, cosmic psychedelic layers, skilled instrumental interplay, and hard rock components reminiscent of Amon Düül II. Their improvisational approach has been likened to The Grateful Dead’s jams and exhibits blues-rock traits similar to The Allman Brothers Band. Most compositions are instrumental, with occasional spoken word passages such as on "Haunted Island".

Their debut album Malesch presents a more intense tone infused with Middle Eastern motifs derived from field recordings gathered during their Mediterranean tour. Conversely, their follow-up album 2nd adopts a mellower and more upbeat vibe, focusing on lengthy improvisations and clearer song arrangements.

Their style shares affinities with contemporaries like Ash Ra Tempel, Amon Düül II, and Guru Guru, while integrating blues-inspired jam rock akin to The Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers Band. Later comparisons include symphonic Krautrock outfits such as Asia Minor and Anyone's Daughter.

Members

Lutz Ulbrich – guitar (1967–1974, 1998–1999, 2007, 2012–present)
Michael Günther – bass (1967–1974, 1998–1999, 2007, 2012)
Christopher Franke – drums (1967–1971)
Lutz Ludwig Kramer – guitar (1967–1970)
Michael Duwe – vocals (1967)
Ax Genrich – guitar (1970)
Jörg Schwenke – guitar (1970–1973)
Michael Hoenig – keyboards, electronics (1971–1974, 2007, 2012–present)
Burghard Rausch – drums (1971–1974, 1998–1999, 2007, 2012–present)
Dietmar Burmeister – drums, percussion (1973)
Stefan Diez – guitar (1973)
Gustl Lütjens – guitar (1973–1974, 1998–1999, 2007, 2012–2013)
Bernhard Arndt – keyboards (1974)
Daniel Cordes – bass (2012–present)

Lineups

N.B. alterations indicated in bold

1967–1970	1970	1970–1971	1971–1973
Lutz Ulbrich – guitar Lutz Ludwig Kramer – guitar Michael Günther – bass guitar Christopher Franke – drums	Lutz Ulbrich – guitar Michael Günther – bass guitar Christopher Franke – drums Axel Genrich – guitar	Lutz Ulbrich – guitar Michael Günther – bass guitar Christopher Franke – drums Jörg Schwenke – guitar	Lutz Ulbrich – guitar Michael Günther – bass guitar Jörg Schwenke – guitar Michael Hoenig – keyboards, electronics Burghard Rausch – drums
Spring 1973	Mid 1973	1973–1974	1974
Lutz Ulbrich – guitar Michael Günther – bass guitar Jörg Schwenke – guitar Michael Hoenig – keyboards, electronics Burghard Rausch – drums Dietmar Burmeister – drums, percussion	Lutz Ulbrich – guitar Michael Günther – bass guitar Michael Hoenig – keyboards, electronics Burghard Rausch – drums Stefan Diez – guitar	Lutz Ulbrich – guitar Michael Günther – bass guitar Michael Hoenig – keyboards, electronics Burghard Rausch – drums Gustl Lütjens – guitar	Lutz Ulbrich – guitar Michael Günther – bass guitar Michael Hoenig – keyboards, electronics Burghard Rausch – drums Gustl Lütjens – guitar Bernhard Arndt – keyboards
1975–1997	1998–1999	2000–2006	2007
Disbanded	Lutz Graf-Ulbrich – guitars, keyboards Michael Günther – bass guitar Burghard Rausch – drums Gustl Lütjens – guitars, keyboards	Disbanded	Lutz Ulbrich – guitars Michael Günther – bass guitar Burghard Rausch – drums Gustl Lütjens – guitars Michael Hoenig – keyboards, electronics
2008–2011	2012	2013	2014–present
Disbanded	Lutz Graf-Ulbrich – guitars Michael Günther – bass guitar Burghard Rausch – drums Gustl Lütjens – guitars Michael Hoenig – keyboards, electronics	Lutz Ulbrich – guitars Burghard Rausch – drums Gustl Lütjens – guitars Michael Hoenig – keyboards, electronics Daniel Cordes – bass guitar	Disbanded

Discography

Malesch (1972)
2nd (1973)
Last (recorded live in 1974, released in 1976)
Fragments (live recordings from 1974, released between 1995 and 1996)
At the Cliffs of River Rhine (live performance from 1974, issued in 1998)
The Other Sides of Agitation Free (Berlin recordings from 1974, released in 1999)
River of Return (1999)
Shibuya Nights (live concert recorded in Tokyo, February 2007; released by Esoteric Recordings in 2011)
Momentum (2023)

External links

Agitation Free official website – detailed band history (English)
Lüül – official homepage (German)
Christopher Franke – official website (English)
Official site