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Kluster

From Alfawiki
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Kluster, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 30 November 2025
Kluster
Company typeMusic ensemble
IndustryMusic
Founded1969 in Berlin, Germany
FounderHans-Joachim Roedelius, Conrad Schnitzler, Dieter Moebius
Defunct2011
Headquarters
Berlin
,
Germany
ProductsExperimental music recordings and performances

Kluster was an experimental music ensemble originating from Berlin, Germany, established in 1969 by Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Conrad Schnitzler, and Dieter Moebius. Their improvisational approach laid groundwork that would later influence the industrial music genre. The initial incarnation of Kluster existed until mid-1971, ending with Schnitzler's departure; subsequently, Roedelius and Moebius rebranded the group as Cluster. Schnitzler later revived Kluster between 1971 and 1973, and once more from 2007 until his passing in 2011.

1969–71

In 1969, Schnitzler, Roedelius, and Moebius came together to form Kluster. Both Schnitzler and Moebius were students of Joseph Beuys at the Düsseldorf Fine Arts Academy. Prior to Kluster, Schnitzler and Roedelius had co-founded Berlin’s Zodiak Free Arts Lab in 1968 and collaborated in avant-garde projects such as Geräusche and Plus/Minus. The trio solidified when Moebius, who was working as a steak chef in Berlin at the time, accepted an invitation from Roedelius and Schnitzler to join. Operating out of West Berlin, their debut performances took place at the Zodiac Club under names like Ensemble Kluster or Die Klusters. Their instrumentation blended traditional elements—violin, flute, piano, cello, percussion, organ—with unconventional sound sources including alarm clocks and kitchen implements. Their sonic palette was marked by heavy use of feedback and crackling noises.

Toward the end of 1969, an advertisement placed by a church organist resulted in church patronage for their first two albums, Klopfzeichen and Zwei-Osterei. These records were released via Schwann Records, featuring religious texts on the first side of each LP. Pressings were limited to just 300 copies per album. Both sessions took place at Rhenus-Studio in Gordorf, Germany, engineered by Conny Plank and produced by Oskar Gottlieb Blarr. Although no electronic instruments were utilized, their sound incorporated guitars, percussion, organ, cello alongside sound processing tools such as echo units and tape filters to generate austere industrial atmospheres. Throughout 1969–70, Kluster toured extensively across Germany.

Their third release, Eruption, was a live recording from their final concert together in 1971 captured by Klaus Freudigmann of the band Eruption. Initially issued privately under the title Kluster Und Eruption with a limited run of 200 copies, it was re-released in 1973 as Schwarz, credited solely to Schnitzler but still featuring all three musicians. The original title Eruption was reinstated for a CD reissue by Marginal Talent in 1997.

While all members contributed on various instruments, the primary lineup is commonly described with Moebius on drums, Roedelius handling cello duties, and Schnitzler on keyboards. They also incorporated atypical devices such as car batteries and signal generators into their performances. Initial sales were modest—with only 300 copies pressed for each of the first two LPs—but subsequent reissues during the 1980s and CD releases in the mid-1990s achieved improved commercial outcomes.

Schnitzler parted ways with Kluster around mid-1971 to concentrate on Eruption and his solo projects; he later asserted that Eruption performed under the Kluster name during tours and reissued two Eruption albums branded as Kluster in 2009.

Following Kluster’s dissolution, Roedelius and Moebius proceeded as Cluster—initially collaborating with Conny Plank—and from 1972 onward functioned as a duo until Roedelius announced their final disbandment in 2010.

Kluster resurgence

In 1999, Conrad Schnitzler anticipated a Kluster reunion for the year 2000, which ultimately did not materialize. Nevertheless, Schnitzler joined forces with Hans-Joachim Roedelius after nearly thirty years, resulting in the 2001 release of Acon 2000/1 via the Japanese label Captain Trip. This album revisits the sonic essence of Kluster's early period, integrating contemporary electronic instrumentation.

By 2007, Schnitzler reactivated Kluster alongside American artist Michael Thomas Roe and Japanese musician Masato Ooyama (Ooy), producing the three-disc collection Kluster 2007 released by Real Vine Music in 2008. Promoted as "global playing" due to its members spanning multiple continents, this collaborative approach persisted with Kluster 2008: Three Olympic Cities Mix (Real Vine Music, 2009), again featuring Roe and Ooy.

In 2008, Important Records issued two further Kluster albums, Admira and Vulcano, comprising recordings from 1971–1972 by Schnitzler, Freudigmann, and Wolfgang Seidel. These works had previously appeared under the name Eruption on Qbico Records. The renaming stirred some controversy but corresponds with Schnitzler's ongoing use of the Kluster name after 1971.

Principal members

Additional members

Supporting personnel

Discography

References

External links

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