Rockshow episode 205 Can and Faust Can and Faust are two pioneering bands from the Krautrock movement, a genre that emerged in West Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Krautrock is known for blending rock, electronic music, and avant-garde experimentation, influencing many subsequent genres, including post-punk, new wave, and electronic music. Can: • Origin: Cologne, West Germany (1968) • Members: The classic lineup consisted of Holger Czukay (bass), Irmin Schmidt (keyboards), Jaki Liebezeit (drums), Michael Karoli (guitar), and Damo Suzuki (vocals from 1970 to 1973). • Style: Can’s sound is a fusion of psychedelic rock, avant-garde, jazz, and funk with a strong emphasis on improvisation and minimalist rhythms. They often used repetitive grooves and layered textures, creating a hypnotic effect. Their music could range from delicate, ambient passages to wild, chaotic experimentation. • Notable Albums: • Tago Mago (1971): A landmark album known for its experimental sound, long instrumental jams, and Suzuki’s unpredictable vocals. • Ege Bamyasi (1972): Featuring more concise and rhythmic songs, with hits like “Vitamin C” and “Spoon.” • Future Days (1973): A more ambient, ethereal record, often seen as a peak of the band’s explorative nature. • Influence: Can was highly influential in shaping the experimental rock and electronic scenes, inspiring artists ranging from David Bowie to Radiohead. Faust: • Origin: Wümme, West Germany (1971) • Members: The core lineup included Werner “Zappi” Diermaier (drums), Jean-Hervé Péron (bass), Rudolf Sosna (guitar, keyboards), Arnulf Meifert (drums), and Hans Joachim Irmler (keyboards). • Style: Faust’s music is more avant-garde and noise-oriented than Can’s. They mixed rock with musique concrète, tape experiments, electronic soundscapes, and dissonant, atonal elements. Their sound often had an anarchic, confrontational edge, pushing the boundaries of what rock music could be. • Notable Albums: • Faust (1971): Their debut, an experimental and highly eclectic album, blending found sounds, noise, and fragmented song structures. • Faust IV (1973): A more accessible but still experimental album, with a mix of rock, ambient soundscapes, and odd time signatures. • The Faust Tapes (1973): Originally sold for a low price, this album was a collage of improvisations, studio experiments, and sound cut-ups. • Influence: Faust is seen as one of the most avant-garde bands of the Krautrock scene, influencing later experimental and industrial music, as well as bands in the post-punk and art-rock genres. Both bands were central to Krautrock’s ethos of breaking free from traditional rock structures, emphasizing improvisation, and pushing boundaries with studio technology. While Can leaned more into groove-oriented, hypnotic rhythms, Faust embraced a more radical approach to sound experimentation. For Can: #CanBand #Krautrock #ExperimentalRock #TagoMago #EgeBamyasi #DamoSuzuki #HolgerCzukay #IrminSchmidt #JakiLiebezeit #MichaelKaroli #PsychedelicRock #AvantGarde #MinimalistRock #PostPunkInfluence #FutureDays #GermanRock For Faust: #FaustBand #Krautrock #AvantGardeRock #ExperimentalMusic #FaustIV #TheFaustTapes #ZappiDiermaier #JeanHervePeron #HansJoachimIrmler #MusiqueConcrete #NoiseRock #GermanUnderground #ArtRock #IndustrialMusicInfluence #FaustExperimentation