View source for Krautrock

{{Short description|Music genre that originated in Germany in the late 1960s}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Krautrock
| etymology         = [[Kraut]]
| other_names       = {{flatlist|
* Kosmische Musik
* {{nowrap|elektronische Musik}}
* {{nowrap|Teutonic rock}}}}
| image             = Can 1972 (Heinrich Klaffs Collection 102).jpg
| caption           = German krautrock band [[Can (band)|Can]] performing in der Musikhalle Hamburg in 1972
| stylistic_origins = {{flatlist|
* [[Experimental rock]]
* [[psychedelic music|psychedelia]]
* [[electronic music|electronic]]
* [[Avant-garde music|avant-garde]]
* [[drone music|drone]]
* [[acid rock]]
* [[minimal music|minimalism]]
* [[funk]]
* [[progressive rock]]
* [[art rock]]
* [[musique concrète]]
* [[free jazz]]
* [[tape music]]
* [[jazz fusion]]
}}
| cultural_origins  = Late 1960s, [[West Germany]]
| derivatives       = *[[ambient music|Ambient]]
*[[ambient pop]]<ref name="allmusic-ambient-pop">{{cite web|url= http://www.allmusic.com/style/ambient-pop-ma0000012263 | title= Ambient Pop | work= [[AllMusic]] | access-date= 10 July 2017}}</ref>
*[[electronic dance music]]{{sfn|Wilson |2006}}{{sfn|Manning |2004}}
*[[indie electronic]]<ref name=AMGO>{{cite web|url= http://www.allmusic.com/style/indie-electronic-ma0000012275|title= Indie Electronic – Significant Albums, Artists and Songs – AllMusic|work= AllMusic}}</ref>
*[[new-age music|new-age]]<ref name="Reynolds1996">{{cite magazine|url= http://reynoldsretro.blogspot.com/2013/03/krautrock-melody-maker-july-1996-by.html|title= Krautrock|first= Simon|last= Reynolds|magazine= Melody Maker|date= July 1996|author-link= Simon Reynolds}}</ref>
*[[new musick]]{{Sfn|Haddon|2020|p=44}}{{Sfn|Stubbs|2014|p=170}}{{Sfn|Stubbs|2014|p=221}}
*[[post-punk]]<ref name="Reynolds1996"/>
*[[post-progressive]]{{sfn|Hegarty|Halliwell|2011|p= 224}}
*[[post-rock]]<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url= http://www.allmusic.com/style/post-rock-ma0000002790|title= Post-Rock|website= [[AllMusic]]|access-date= 31 January 2017}}</ref>
*[[techno]]<ref name="av"/>
| regional_scenes   = 
| other_topics      = * [[Cosmic Couriers]]
* [[Detroit techno|Detroit School]]
* [[electronics in rock music]]
* [[space rock]]
* [[motorik]]
}}

'''Krautrock''' (also known as '''{{not a typo|kosmische Musik}}''', German for {{noitalic|"cosmic music"}}<ref name="CoxWarner2004">{{cite book|editor-last1= Cox|editor-first1= Christoph|editor-last2= Warner|editor-first2= Daniel|title= Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FgDgCOSHPysC&pg=PA412|year= 2004|publisher= A&C Black|isbn= 978-0-8264-1615-5|page= 412}}</ref><ref name="Guardian">{{cite web|last1= Savage|first1= Jon|title= Elektronische musik: a guide to krautrock|url= https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/mar/30/elektronische-musik-krautrock|website= [[The Guardian]]|date= 30 March 2010|access-date= 14 June 2016}}</ref>{{sfn|Unterberger|1998|p= 174}}) is a broad [[music genre|genre]] of [[experimental rock]] and music scene that developed in [[West Germany]] in the late 1960s and early 1970s.<ref name="Guardian"/> Artists blend elements of [[psychedelic rock]], [[avant-garde music|avant-garde]] composition, and [[electronic music]], among other eclectic sources.<ref name="shindig"/> Common elements included hypnotic rhythms, extended [[musical improvisation|improvisation]], [[musique concrète]] techniques, and early [[synthesizer]]s,<ref name="AllMusic"/><ref name="shindig"/> while the music generally moved away from the [[rhythm & blues]] roots and [[song structure]] found in traditional Anglo-American [[rock music]].<ref name=wire /> Prominent groups associated with the krautrock label included [[Neu!]], [[Can (band)|Can]], [[Faust (band)|Faust]], [[Tangerine Dream]], [[Kraftwerk]], [[Cluster (band)|Cluster]], [[Ash Ra Tempel]], [[Popol Vuh (band)|Popol Vuh]], [[Amon Düül II]] and [[Harmonia (band)|Harmonia]].<ref name="Reynolds1996"/> 

The term "krautrock" was popularised by British music journalists as a humorous umbrella-label for the diverse German scene,<ref name=xlr8r/> and although many such artists disliked the term,<ref name=seabrook/> it is no longer considered controversial by German artists in the 21st century. Despite this, English-language authors remain critical of it.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hodkinson |first1=James |last2=Schofield |first2=Benedict |title=German in the World: The Transnational and Global Contexts of German Studies |date=2020 |publisher=Boydell & Brewer |isbn=978-1-64014-033-2 |page=257 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XiTrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA257 |language=en}}</ref> The movement was partly born out of the radical [[German student movement|student protests of 1968]],<ref name = Sanford>{{cite book|last1= Preston|first1= John | chapter = Krautrock |title= Encyclopedia of Contemporary German Culture|date= April 2013|publisher= Routledge Press|page= 353|isbn= 978-1-136-81603-1 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=TuMsBgAAQBAJ&q=experimental+rock+krautrock | quote = [...] its origins in the 1960s student movement gave it a political hue expressed in the communal social organization of some of the bands, and sometimes in their music.}}</ref> as German youth rebelled against their country's legacy in [[World War II]] and sought a [[popular music]] distinct from traditional German music and American pop.<ref name="Guardian"/> The period contributed to the development of [[ambient music]] and [[techno]],<ref name="av">{{cite web |last1= Battaglia |first1= Andy |title= Where to start with the vast, influential krautrock |url= https://www.avclub.com/krautrock-1798216198 |website= [[The A.V. Club]] |date= 26 March 2009 |access-date= 17 April 2019}}</ref> and influenced subsequent genres such as [[post-punk]], [[new-age music]], and [[post-rock]].<ref name="Reynolds1996"/><ref name=":0">
{{Cite book
|title= Rebel & Remix – Rockens historie
|last= Reinholdt Nielsen|first= Per
|publisher= Systime|year= 2011
|isbn= 978-87-616-2662-2
|location= Denmark
}}
</ref>

== Characteristics ==
[[File:Can 1972 (Heinrich Klaffs Collection 102).jpg|thumb|right|Pioneering German krautrock band [[Can (band)|Can]] in 1972. The group combined elements of [[psychedelic rock]] improvisation, [[funk]] rhythm, and [[musique concrète]] elements.<ref>{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=can-mn0000645612|label=Can}}</ref>]]

Krautrock has been described as a broad genre encompassing varied approaches,<ref name="Guardian"/><ref name="mattbolton">{{cite web |last1=Bolton |first1=Matt |title=Matt Bolton meets the original Krautrockers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/may/09/popandrock1 |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=9 May 2008 |access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref> but commonly drawing on  [[psychedelia]], [[avant-garde music|avant-garde]] collage, [[electronic instrument|electronic]] sounds, and [[rock music]], while typically featuring "improvisation and hypnotic, [[minimalist]]ic rhythms."<ref name="shindig">{{cite web |last1=Harrison |first1=Imogen |title='Electricity' – The Influence of Krautrock on the UK's Next Generation |url=https://www.shindig-magazine.com/?p=1005 |website=[[Shindig! (magazine)|Shindig!]] |date=28 February 2016 |access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref>  ''[[Los Angeles Magazine]]'' summarized the genre as "American psychedelica meets icy Germanic detachment."<ref name="The Merciless Circularity of Beak">{{cite news |last1=Tewksbury |first1=Drew |title=The Merciless Circularity of Beak |url=https://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/tonight-the-merciless-circularity-of-beak/ |website=[[Los Angeles Magazine]] |date=13 February 2013 |access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref> ''[[Melody Maker]]'' described the style as "where the over-reaching ambition and untethered freakitude of late '60s [[acid rock]] is checked and galvanised by a [[proto-punk]] minimalism ... music of immense scale that miraculously avoided [[prog-rock]]'s bombastics."<ref name="Reynolds1996"/> [[AllMusic]] described it as expanding on the territory associated with [[art rock]] and progressive rock, but diverging from the American and British groups' emphasis on [[jazz]] and [[classical music|classical]] elements in favor of "a droning, pulsating sound that owed more to the [[Avant garde music|avant garde]] than to rock & roll."<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web|author1=Anon|title=Kraut Rock|url=http://www.allmusic.com/subgenre/kraut-rock-ma0000002687|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=25 January 2017|date=n.d.}}</ref>

Some common musical features exhibited by krautrock artists include:

* A blend of elements from [[psychedelic rock]] with [[electronic music]] or [[avant-garde music|avant-garde]] sources<ref name="shindig"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Segal |first1=Dave |title=German Guitar God Michael Rother Talks Kraftwerk, Neu!, and the Dubious Term "Krautrock" |url=https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2019/02/20/39086811/german-guitar-god-michael-rother-talks-kraftwerk-neu-and-the-dubious-term-krautrock |website=The Stranger |access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref>
* Extended [[improvisation (music)|improvisation]]<ref name="shindig"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Patrin |first1=Nate |title=Krautrock Playlist: 20 Essential Songs |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2064023/krautrock-ultimate-playlist-essential-songs/lists/ultimate-playlist/ |website=Stereogum |date=13 November 2019 |access-date=16 May 2022}}</ref>
* Hypnotic or minimalistic rhythms, including the common 4/4 "[[motorik]]" beat pattern<ref name="AllMusic"/><ref name="The Merciless Circularity of Beak"/><ref name=line>{{cite web |last1=Horton |first1=Ross |title=Manchester's W. H. Lung pay a beautiful tribute to krautrock on "Simpatico People" |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/new-music/discovery/w-h-lung-simpatico-people |website=[[The Line of Best Fit]] |access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref>
* Emphasis on long-form repetition, texture, and [[drone music|drone]] elements rather than song structure<ref name="AllMusic"/><ref name="thequietus.com"/><ref name="harmonia">{{cite web |last1=Richardson |first1=Mark |title=Harmonia – Complete Works |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20947-complete-works/ |website=[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]] |date=11 December 2015 |access-date=11 July 2019}}</ref>
* Use of [[synthesizer]]s and [[musique concrète]] techniques<ref name="AllMusic"/><ref name="allmusic.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/neu!-mw0000004284|title=Neu! – Neu! {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic|website=AllMusic|access-date=19 January 2017}}</ref>
* A movement away from rock's traditional [[rhythm & blues]] roots<ref name=wire />

Despite a common approach and generational attitude among artists, the ''[[New Statesman]]'' argues that "in truth, no two Krautrock acts sound remotely alike. Compare the dreamy synthesiser washes of [[Tangerine Dream]] with the alien [[noise music|noise]] collages of [[Faust (band)|Faust]] or the [[psychedelic funk]] of [[Can (band)|Can]]."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Maconie |first1=Stuart |title=Krautrock: Germany's coolest export that no one can quite define |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/08/krautrock-germany-s-coolest-export-no-one-can-quite-define |website=[[New Statesman]] |date=22 August 2014 |access-date=19 January 2022}}</ref> However, a common feature is the "[[motorik]]" beat: the 4/4 beat often used by drummers associated with krautrock,<ref name="allmusic.com"/> characterised by a [[kick drum]]-heavy, pulsating groove, that created a forward-flowing feel.<ref name="allmusic.com"/> The motorik beat was used by [[Can (band)|Can]] in the song "[[Mother Sky]]", by [[Neu!]] on their [[Neu! (album)|debut album]], and by [[Kraftwerk]] in the song "[[Autobahn (song)|Autobahn]]" on their [[Autobahn (album)|album of the same name]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sickmouthy.com/2012/06/19/top-ten-songs-with-the-motorik-beat/ |title=Top ten songs with the Motorik beat {{!}} Sick Mouthy |date=6 August 2013 |access-date=19 January 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130806095116/http://sickmouthy.com/2012/06/19/top-ten-songs-with-the-motorik-beat/ |archive-date= 6 August 2013 }}</ref> later being adopted by other krautrock bands. It has been widely used in many different styles of music beyond krautrock.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/15929-david-stubbs-krautrock-motorik|title=The Quietus {{!}} Opinion {{!}} The Quietus Essay {{!}} How Motorik Infected The Mainstream, By Future Days Author David Stubbs|newspaper=The Quietus|access-date=19 January 2017}}</ref> According to ''[[XLR8R]]'', the term krautrock is often used by critics to signify the "mesmerizing motorik rhythms pioneered by Can and Neu!", but contested that "they represent merely a tiny fraction of the music that emerged from Germany during krautrock's Golden Age".<ref name=xlr8r>{{cite web |last1=Segal |first1=David |title=What is it? Krautrock |url=https://www.xlr8r.com/features/what-is-it-krautrock |website=[[XLR8R]] |date=3 September 2007 |access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref>

==Origins and influences==
{{See also|Experimental rock|Rock music in Germany}}
[[File:Ludwig Binder Haus der Geschichte Studentenrevolte 1968 2001 03 0275.4264 (16900118449).jpg|thumb|right|A [[German student movement|German student protest]] from 1968]]

Krautrock emerged in West Germany during the 1960s and early 1970s.<ref name="mattbolton"/> The music was partially inspired by broad cultural developments such as the revolutionary 1968 [[German student movement]],<ref name="Guardian"/>{{sfn|Buckley|2003|p=566}} with many young people having both political and aesthetic concerns.<ref name=Stubbs/> Youth rebelled against both dominant American influence and conservative German entertainment such as [[schlager music]],<ref name=Stubbs/> seeking to liberate themselves from Germany's [[Nazi]] legacy in [[World War II]] and create a new popular culture.<ref name=xlr8r/> [[Dieter Moebius]], of the bands [[Cluster (band)|Cluster]] and [[Harmonia (band)|Harmonia]], noted that "we were a lot of the times on the streets instead of studying. As young people we were not very proud to be German [...] we were all tired of listening to bad German music and imitations of American music. Something had to happen."<ref name=Stubbs/> 
{{quote box|quoted=1|quote=We were trying to put aside everything we had heard in rock 'n' roll, the three-chord pattern, the lyrics. We had the urge of saying something completely different.|source=—Jean-Hervé Peron of [[Faust (band)|Faust]].<ref name=wire />|width=30%|align=right|style=padding:8px;|border=2px}}

The movement saw artists merge elements of varied genres such as [[psychedelic rock]], [[avant-garde]] forms of [[electronic music]], [[funk]] rhythm, [[jazz improvisation]] and [[ethnic music|"ethnic" music]] styles,<ref name="Reynolds1996"/> typically reflecting a "genuine sense of awe and wonder".<ref name="mattbolton"/> A core influence on these German artists were rock acts such as [[Frank Zappa]] and [[the Mothers of Invention]], [[the Velvet Underground]], [[Pink Floyd]],<ref name="Guardian" /> [[Captain Beefheart]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rogers |first=Jon |title=Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica |url=https://pennyblackmusic.co.uk/Home/Details?id=17469 |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> and [[the Beatles]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Savage |first1=Jon |title=The in Sound From Way Kraut: A Kosmische Countdown |url=https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2011/12/krautrock-feature |website=[[Red Bull Music Academy]] |access-date=18 May 2020}}</ref> [[Hapshash and the Coloured Coat]]'s debut album ''Featuring the Human Host and the Heavy Metal Kids'' (1967) was later regarded as being influential on the early works of [[Amon Düül]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Breznikar |first=Klemen |date=2023-07-04 |title=Amon Düül {{!}} Interview {{!}} Ulrich Leopold |url=https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2023/07/amon-duul-interview-ulrich-leopold.html |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> the student commune [[Kommune 1]], and other pioneers of German krautrock.<ref>Freeman, Steve; Freeman, Alan (1996). ''Crack in the Cosmic Egg: Encyclopedia of Krautrock, Kosmische Musik and Other Progressive, Experimental and Electronic Musics from Germany'' Audion Publications {{ISBN|978-0-9529506-0-8}}</ref><ref>Raggett, Ned "[{{Allmusic|class=album|id=featuring-the-human-host-and-the-heavy-metal-kids-r238780/review|pure_url=yes}} Featuring the Human Host and the Heavy Metal Kids]" ''[[allmusic]]'' Retrieved 2010-10-24</ref><ref name="shirley">Shirley, Ian (2007) ''Can Rock and Roll Save the World?: An Illustrated History of Music and Comics'' (pp.45–46) Wembley: SAF {{ISBN|978-0-946719-80-8}}</ref> The influence of [[Jimi Hendrix]] and [[James Brown]] on krautrock musicians was also notable.<ref name="thequietus.com">{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Stewart |title=No Stars in Krautrock: David Stubbs' Future Days Reviewed |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/15957-david-stubbs-future-days-krautrock-book-review |website=[[The Quietus]] |date=10 August 2014 |access-date=29 February 2020}}</ref>

Another significant influence was the work of [[avant-garde]] composers such as [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]], [[Terry Riley]], [[Tony Conrad]], and [[La Monte Young]], as well as the late '60s albums of jazz musician [[Miles Davis]],<ref name="Aficianado">{{cite web |last1=Morris |first1=Chris |title=How '70s Krautrock Changed The Shape of Modern Music |url=https://web.musicaficionado.com/main.html#!/article/How_70s_Krautrock_Changed_The_Shape_Of_Modern_Music |website=Music Aficionado |access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref> particularly his [[jazz fusion]] work on ''[[In a Silent Way]]'' (1969).<ref name="Stubbs" /> Some artists drew on ideas from [[contemporary classical music|20th century classical music]] and [[musique concrète]],<ref name="Stubbs">{{cite book |last1=Stubbs |first1=Dusty |title=Future Days: Krautrock and the Birth of a Revolutionary New Music |date=2015 |publisher=Melville |isbn=978-1-61219-474-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=btWLDQAAQBAJ&q=david+stubbs+harmonia |access-date=3 May 2019}}</ref> particularly composer Stockhausen (with whom, for example, [[Irmin Schmidt]] and [[Holger Czukay]] of [[Can (band)|Can]] had previously studied), and from the new experimental directions that emerged in [[jazz]] during the 1960s and 1970s (mainly the [[free jazz]] pieces by [[Ornette Coleman]] or [[Albert Ayler]]).<ref name=":0" /> Moving away from the patterns of song structure and melody of much rock music in America and Britain, some in the movement were drawn to a more mechanical and [[Electronic music|electronic]] sound.<ref name=":0" />

===Precursors===
The Beatles' "[[Tomorrow Never Knows]]" has been noted for its "proto-krautrock groove".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |date=2022-11-05 |title=Why the Beatles' 'Revolver' Sounds More Gloriously Weird Than Ever |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/beatles-revolver-sheffield-1234624909/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=John Lennon: Top 6 most influential songs |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Music/2010/1208/John-Lennon-Top-6-most-influential-songs/Tomorrow-Never-Knows |access-date=2024-12-08 |work=Christian Science Monitor |issn=0882-7729}}</ref> American groups [[Silver Apples]] and [[the Monks]] were both described by ''[[the Guardian]]'' as precursors to krautrock, with the former being compared to [[Can (band)|Can]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wray |first=Daniel Dylan |date=2019-04-09 |title=The great 60s electro-pop plane crash: how pioneers Silver Apples fell out of the sky |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/09/silver-apples-electro-stars-hendrix-stereolab-portishead-john-lennon |access-date=2024-12-08 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> and latter making early use of a  "motorik" beat.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |date=2009-05-07 |title=Music to scare bullies by |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/may/08/the-monks |access-date=2025-06-25 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> [[The Godz (New York band)|The Godz]]'s "Soon the Moon" and "Permanent Green Light" were also noted as precursors.<ref>{{Citation |title=Godz Two - The Godz {{!}} Album {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/godz-two-mw0000098990#userReviews |access-date=2024-12-08 |language=en}}</ref>

==Etymology==
Until around 1973, the word {{lang|de|Deutsch-Rock}} ("German Rock") was used to refer to the new groups from West Germany.{{sfn|Adelt|2016|p=10}}  Other names thrown around by the British and American music press were "Teutonic rock", "Überrock"<ref>{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv4-75.php|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide|work=[[The Village Voice]]|location=New York|date=7 April 1975|access-date=23 September 2020|issn=0042-6180}}</ref> and "[[Götterdämmerung|Götterdämmer]] rock".{{sfn|Adelt|2016|p=12}} West Germany's{{dubious|date=November 2022}} music press initially used {{lang|de|Krautrock}} as a pejorative, but the term lost its stigma after the music gained success in Britain.{{sfn|Adelt|2016|p=12}}  The term derives from the ethnic slur "[[kraut]]". "Kraut" in German can refer to herbs, weeds, and drugs.{{sfn|Adelt|2016|p=12}}

The term was originally used by Virgin records in 1972.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Barnes |first1=Mike |title=Storia del progressive rock: Origini e leggenda della musica inglese anni Settanta |date=12 October 2021 |publisher=ODOYA |isbn=978-88-6288-726-7 |page=692 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xb9HEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT692 |language=it}}</ref> Various sources{{who|date=November 2021}} claim that "krautrock" was originally a humorous term coined in the early 1970s, either by British disc jockey [[John Peel]]{{sfn|Adelt|2016|p=11}} or by the UK music newspaper ''[[Melody Maker]]'', in which experimental German bands found an early and enthusiastic following.<ref>'Krautrock – Cosmic Rock and its Legacy' by [[David Stubbs]], [[Erik Davis]], [[Michel Faber]] and various contributing authors. Published 2009 by Black Dog Publishing Limited, London {{ISBN|978-1-906155-66-7}}</ref> The first use{{failed verification|date=November 2021}} of the term however, was found in a full-page advertisement from ''Popo Music Management'' and ''Bacillus Records'' promoting German Rock in the UK, in April 1971.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bartsch |first1=Paul |title=LiveRillen No. 4: Konzerte aus sechs Jahrzehnten Rockmusikgeschichte |date=30 April 2022 |publisher=BoD – Books on Demand |isbn=978-3-7543-5424-7 |page=52 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cYRtEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA52 |language=de}}</ref> The music emerging in Germany was first{{failed verification|date=November 2021}} covered extensively in three concurrent issues of the UK music paper [[New Musical Express]] in the month of December 1972, by journalist [[Ian MacDonald]].<ref>Macdonald, I. (December 1972).  Krautrock: Germany calling #1, #2 and #3.  London, UK: [[New Musical Express]].</ref>{{third-party source needed|date=November 2021}}

Its musicians tended to reject the name "krautrock".<ref name="Pop and Poetry">{{Cite book|last=Blühdorn|first=Annette|title=Pop and Poetry – Pleasure and Protest: Udo Lindenberg, Konstantin Wecker and the Tradition of German Cabaret|publisher=Peter Lang Publishing|year=2003|isbn=978-0-8204-6879-2|location=New York|page=141}}</ref>{{sfn|Adelt|2016|p=12}} This was also the case for "kosmische Musik".{{sfn|Adelt|2016|p=12}} Musicologist [[Julian Cope]], in his book ''[[Krautrocksampler]]'', says "krautrock is a subjective British phenomenon", based on the way the music was received in the UK rather than on the actual West German music scene out of which it grew.<ref name="cope">{{Cite book|last=Cope|first=Julian|author-link=Julian Cope|title=Krautrocksampler: One Head's Guide to the Great Kosmische Musik – 1968 Onwards|url=https://archive.org/details/krautrocksampler00cope|url-access=limited|publisher=Head Heritage|year=1995|page=[https://archive.org/details/krautrocksampler00cope/page/n38 64]|isbn=0-9526719-1-3|location=Yatesbury}}</ref> For instance, while one of the main groups originally tagged as krautrock, [[Faust (band)|Faust]], recorded a seminal 12-minute track they titled "[[Faust IV|Krautrock]]", they would later distance themselves from the term, saying: "When the English people started talking about krautrock, we thought they were just [[taking the piss]]... and when you hear the so-called 'krautrock renaissance', it makes me think everything we did was for nothing."<ref name="wire">{{Cite news|first=David|last=Stubbs|author-link=David Stubbs|title=Invisible Jukebox: Faust|work=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|issue=275|date=January 2007|page=18}}</ref>

== Kosmische Musik ==
{{Redirect|Kosmische Musik|the related record label also known as "Kosmische Musik"|Cosmic Couriers|other uses|Cosmic music (disambiguation){{!}}Cosmic music}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Kosmische Musik
| image             = 
| caption           = 
| etymology         = 
| other_names       = 
| stylistic_origins = *[[Electronic music|Electronic]]
*[[psychedelic music|psychedelia]]
*[[space rock]]
*[[avant-garde music|avant-garde]]
*[[tape music]]
| cultural_origins  = Early 1970s, [[West Germany]]
| instruments       = 
| derivatives       = *[[Ambient music|Ambient]]
*[[new age music|new age]]
| regional_scenes   = 
| other_topics      = *[[Space music]]
*[[progressive electronic]]
}}

'''{{lang|de|Kosmische Musik}}'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> ("cosmic music") is a term which came into regular use before "krautrock" and was preferred by some German artists who disliked the English label;<ref name=seabrook/> today, it is often used synonymously with krautrock.<ref name="harden"/> More specifically, it may describe 1970s German [[electronic music]] which uses [[synthesizers]] and incorporates [[Space-themed music|themes related to space]] or otherworldliness;<ref name="harden">{{cite journal|last1=Harden|first1=Alexander C|title=Kosmische Musik and its Techno-Social Context|url=http://www.iaspmjournal.net/index.php/IASPM_Journal/article/view/784|journal=IASPM Journal|date=31 December 2016|volume=6|issue=2|pages=154–173|doi=10.5429/2079-3871(2016)v6i2.9en|access-date=18 August 2017|doi-access=free}}</ref>{{sfn|Adelt|2016}} it is also used as a German analogue to the English term "[[space rock]]".<ref name="Bloomsbury Academic">{{cite book |editor1-last=Horn |editor1-first=David |editor2-last=Shepherd |editor2-first=John |title=Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Volume 11 |date=2017 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |page=177}}</ref> The style was often instrumental and characterized by "spacy", [[ambient music|ambient]] soundscapes.{{sfn|Adelt|2016}} Artists used synthesizers such as the [[EMS VCS 3]] and [[Moog modular synthesizer|Moog Modular]], as well as sound processing effects and tape-based approaches.<ref name="harden"/> They often rejected [[rock music]] conventions, and instead drew on "serious" electronic compositions.{{sfn|Adelt|2016}}

The term "kosmische Musik" was coined by [[Edgar Froese]] and later used by record producer [[Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser]] as a marketing name for bands such as [[Ash Ra Tempel]], Tangerine Dream, and [[Klaus Schulze]].{{sfn|Adelt|2016|p=12}} The following year, [[Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser]]'s [[Ohr Records]] used the term when he released the compilation ''Kosmische Musik'' (1972) featuring tracks by Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Ash Ra Tempel, and [[Popol Vuh (band)|Popol Vuh]].<ref name="harden"/> Kaiser eventually began referring to the style as "cosmic rock" to signify that the music belonged in a rock idiom.<ref name="Bloomsbury Academic"/> German producer [[Conny Plank]] was a central figure in the kosmische sound, emphasizing texture, [[sound effects|effects processing]], and tape-based editing techniques.<ref name=seabrook>{{cite book |last1=Seabrook |first1=Thomas Jerome |title=Bowie in Berlin: A New Career in a New Town |date=2008 |publisher=Jawbone Press |page=85 |isbn=978-1-906002-08-4 |access-date=25 April 2019 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xsSHjTf_-F8C}}</ref> Plank oversaw kosmische recordings such as [[Kraftwerk]]'s ''[[Autobahn (album)|Autobahn]]'', [[Neu!]]'s ''[[Neu! 75]]'', and [[Cluster (band)|Cluster]]'s ''[[Zuckerzeit]]''.<ref name=seabrook/>

Several of these artists would later distance themselves from the term.<ref name="harden"/> Other names for the style, and for sub-genres were "[[Berlin School of electronic music|Berlin School]]" and "Düsseldorf School", both of which are recognised and actively contributed to by artists such as Node, Martin Sturtzer, Propaganda, Kraftwerk, Tannheuser and Fritz Mayr, from the 1980s through to the present day.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bandcamp.com/tag/berlin-school | title=Berlin School Music & Artists {{pipe}} Bandcamp }}</ref> The style would later lead to the development of [[new-age music]], with which it shared several characteristics.{{sfn|Adelt|2016}} It would also exert lasting influence on subsequent electronic music and [[avant-garde rock]].<ref name="Bloomsbury Academic"/>

==Legacy and influence==

Krautrock has proved to be highly influential on a succession of other musical styles and developments. Early contemporary enthusiasts outside Germany included [[Hawkwind]] and in particular [[Dave Brock]] who supposedly penned the sleeve notes for the British edition of Neu!'s first album.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.starfarer.net/quotation.html|title=Hawkwind Quotations|last=Starfarer|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314102111/http://www.starfarer.net/quotation.html|archive-date=14 March 2012}}</ref> Faust's budget release ''The Faust Tapes'' has been cited as a formative teenage influence by several musicians growing up in the early 1970s such as [[Julian Cope]], who has always cited krautrock as an influence, and wrote the book ''[[Krautrocksampler]]'' on the subject. Krautrock was a significant influence on [[Simple Minds]] albums ''[[Real To Real Cacophony]]'' (1979) and ''[[Empires and Dance]]'' (1980), as well as on artists such as [[Brian Eno]], [[Gary Numan]] and [[Ultravox]].<ref name="sa">Sean Albiez, David Pattie ''Kraftwerk: Music Non-Stop'' 2011, page 146-157</ref> The genre also had a strong influence on [[David Bowie]]'s ''[[Station to Station]]'' (1976) and the experimentation it inspired led to his [[Berlin Trilogy]].<ref name="Buckley p.275–277">Buckley (2000): pp. 275–277.</ref><ref name="The Complete David Bowie pp.205–206">Pegg (2004): pp. 205–206.</ref>

Krautrock has been cited as an influence by [[post-punk]] artists such as [[Joy Division]], [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ohanesian |first=Liz |date=2018-12-07 |title=The Guide to Getting Into Siouxsie and The Banshees, Dark Pop Outsiders |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-guide-to-getting-into-siouxsie-and-the-banshees/ |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Pere Ubu]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=media |date=2016-10-28 |title=PERE UBU –Post Punk before Punk? |url=https://underground-england.com/pere-ubu-post-punk-before-punk/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Underground |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[The Fall (band)|the Fall]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dazed |date=2018-05-03 |title=Can's Irmin Schmidt interviews Mark E Smith |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/39949/1/mark-e-smith-the-fall-can-irmin-schmidt-interview |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Dazed |language=en}}</ref> [[Public Image Ltd]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berman |first=Stuart |title=Public Image Ltd: First Issue |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18200-public-image-ltd-first-issue/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Wire (band)|Wire]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gallucci |first=Michael GallucciMichael |date=2019-09-25 |title=Gang of Four Take Punk in New Direction on 'Entertainment!' |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/gang-of-four-entertainment/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |language=en}}</ref> [[Gang of Four (band)|Gang of Four]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-29 |title=Farewell to the revolution: Gang of Four to embark on final North American tour |url=https://stairwayto11.com/farewell-to-the-revolution-gang-of-four-to-embark-on-final-north-american-tour-01jbcrfctvq9 |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Stairway to 11 |language=en-US}}</ref> [[the Pop Group]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Pop Group - For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? (Freaks R Us) |url=https://bigtakeover.com/recordings/the-pop-group-for-how-much-longer-do-we-tolerate-mass-murder-freaks-r-us |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=The Big Takeover |language=en}}</ref> [[Cabaret Voltaire (band)|Cabaret Voltaire]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quietus |first=The |date=2013-12-09 |title=Justified Fascination: Richard H Kirk Of Cabaret Voltaire Interviewed |url=https://thequietus.com/interviews/cabaret-voltaire-interview-richard-h-kirk/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=The Quietus |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Killing Joke]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Perfect Sound Forever: Killing Joke retrospective |url=https://www.furious.com/perfect/killingjoke.html |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=www.furious.com}}</ref> [[Swell Maps]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quietus |first=The |date=2021-05-24 |title=Organised Chaos: Swell Maps Interviewed |url=https://thequietus.com/interviews/swell-maps-interview/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=The Quietus |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[This Heat]], [[the Feelies]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=BOMB Magazine {{!}} Glenn Mercer & The Feelies |url=https://bombmagazine.org/articles/2011/04/28/glenn-mercer-the-feelies/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=BOMB Magazine |language=en}}</ref> [[Chrome (band)|Chrome]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Breznikar |first=Klemen |date=2021-12-29 |title=Chrome {{!}} Helios Creed {{!}} Interview {{!}} "Let's create acid punk" |url=https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2021/12/chrome-helios-creed-interview-lets-create-acid-punk.html |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Blurt]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cafe OTO → BLURT - 40th anniversary show + Leverton Fox, Thursday 12 December 2019, 7.30pm |url=https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/events/blurt-2019/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=www.cafeoto.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> [[Six Finger Satellite]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Crock |first=Jason |title=Six Finger Satellite: A Good Year for Hardness |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13679-a-good-year-for-hardness/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> as well as [[post-rock]] artists [[Stereolab]]<ref name="Klein (2001)">{{cite news |last=Klein, Joshua |date=29 August 2001 |title=What the Bleep? Stereolab Does Some Actual Tunes |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/08/29/what-the-bleep-stereolab-does-some-actual-tunes/f5ecba58-415b-4394-aac6-9ebf56f59e6e/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112114142/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/08/29/what-the-bleep-stereolab-does-some-actual-tunes/f5ecba58-415b-4394-aac6-9ebf56f59e6e/ |archive-date=12 January 2021 |access-date=10 October 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> and [[Mogwai]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-08-14 |title=A Brief History of Post-Rock |url=https://thethinair.net/2014/08/a-brief-history-of-post-rock/ |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=The Thin Air |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-08 |title=NEU! 50th Anniversary Tribute Album Features The National, Mogwai, Guerilla Toss |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2189209/neu-50th-anniversary-reissue-tribute-album/news/ |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=Stereogum |language=en}}</ref>

Modern bands, such as [[Osees]], [[King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard]], [[Guerilla Toss]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-29 |title=Guerilla Toss – "Zum Herz" |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2194726/guerilla-toss-zum-herz/music/ |access-date=2024-12-14 |website=Stereogum |language=en}}</ref> [[DIIV]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-05-23 |title=Jeff Tweedy, Dan Deacon, DIIV's Zachary Cole Smith Discuss Krautrock in New Documentary |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/59683-jeff-tweedy-dan-deacon-diivs-zachary-cole-smith-discuss-krautrock-in-new-documentary/ |access-date=2024-12-14 |website=Pitchfork |language=en}}</ref> and [[Minami Deutsch]] have been described as krautrock, or have noted krautrock as influential on their styles.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Reed |first=Ryan |date=December 23, 2021 |title=Exit Interview: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard on Butterfly 3000, 'Jammy' New Music |url=https://www.spin.com/2021/12/king-gizzard-and-the-lizard-wizard-interview-2021/ |access-date=August 18, 2023 |work=Spin}}</ref>

==See also==
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
*[[Space music]]
*[[Ambient music]]
*[[Electronic art music]]
*[[Electronic music]]
*[[Experimental music]]
*''[[Krautrocksampler]]''
*[[German rock]]
*[[Cosmic Couriers|Kosmische Kuriere]]
*''[[Romantic Warriors IV: Krautrock]]''
*[[Space rock]]
}}

==References==
'''Citations'''
{{Reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Adelt| year=2016| first=Ulrich |title=Krautrock: German Music in the Seventies |location=Ann Arbor |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=978-0-472-05319-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YakXDQAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book|last=Buckley| first=David|year=2000| orig-year=1999 |title=Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story |location=London |publisher=Virgin |isbn=0-7535-0457-X}}
* {{cite book|last=Buckley|first=Peter|title=The Rough Guide to Rock|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ctjc6UWCm4C|year=2003|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=978-1-84353-105-0}}
*{{citation|last1=Hegarty|first1=Paul|last2=Halliwell|first2=Martin|title=Beyond and Before: Progressive Rock Since the 1960s|year=2011|publisher=The Continuum International Publishing Group|location=New York|isbn=978-0-8264-2332-0|author-link1=Paul Hegarty (musician)}}
* {{cite book| title=Electronic and Computer Music |url=https://archive.org/details/electroniccomput00mann|url-access=limited| publisher=Oxford University Press |last=Manning|first=Peter | year=2004 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/electroniccomput00mann/page/n197 175] | isbn=0-19-517085-7}}
* {{cite book|title=European Film Music | publisher=[[Ashgate Publishing]] | author=Mera, Miguel and David Burnand | year=2006 | pages=118 | isbn=0-7546-3659-3}} 
* {{cite book|last=Peel|first=John|author-link=John Peel|title=The Olivetti Chronicles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vlf1SSKA2VEC|year=2011|publisher=Transworld|isbn=978-1-4464-8627-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Pegg |first=Nicholas |author-link=Nicholas Pegg |year=2004| orig-year=2000 |title=The Complete David Bowie |location=London |publisher= Reynolds & Hearn |isbn=1-903111-73-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Unterberger|first=Richie|author-link=Richie Unterberger|title=Unknown Legends of Rock 'n' Roll|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jzabxWx_vCYC&pg=PA174|year=1998|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=978-1-61774-469-3}}
* {{cite book|title=Faust: Stretch Out Time, 1970-1975 | publisher=Andy Wilson |last=Wilson|first=Andy | year=2006 | pages=2 | isbn=0-9550664-5-X}} 
* {{cite book |last1=Freeman |first1=Steven |last2=Freeman |first2=Alan |title=The Crack in the Cosmic Egg: Encyclopedia of Krautrock, Kosmische Musik & Other Progressive, Experimental & Electronic Musics from Germany |date=1996 |publisher=Audion |isbn=978-0-9529506-0-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aoInAQAAIAAJ |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last=Haddon |first=Mimi |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/What_Is_Post_Punk/p-ClEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=What Is Post-Punk?: Genre and Identity in Avant-Garde Popular Music, 1977–82 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |year=2020 |isbn=978-0-472-03921-0 |access-date=13 November 2025}}
* {{cite book |last=Stubbs |first=David |author-link=David Stubbs |title=Future Days: Krautrock and the Building of Modern Germany |date= 2014 |publisher=Faber & Faber |isbn=978-0571346639 |edition=Main |language=English}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051016222523/http://www.phinnweb.org/krautrock/ Krautrock @ pHinnWeb]
*[http://www.wasistdas.co.uk krautrock website]
*[http://www.krautrockseite.de/index.htm Krautrocksite] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614092411/http://www.krautrockseite.de/index.htm |date=14 June 2017 }} – online magazine from Germany

{{Experimental music genres}}
{{rock}}
{{Electronic rock}}
{{Electronica}}
{{psychedelic music}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Krautrock| ]]
[[Category:20th-century music genres]]
[[Category:Music scenes]]
[[Category:Electronic rock]]
[[Category:Electronic music genres]]
[[Category:Rock music genres]]
[[Category:German styles of music]]
[[Category:1970s neologisms]]
[[Category:1960s in music]]