Zuckerzeit

1974 was a watershed year for electronic music. Tangerine Dream released the spacey, kosmische "Phaedra," and Kraftwerk released their epic ode to the German motorway with "Autobahn." Both albums which are part of the official 1001 list, and rightly so. But somewhere in the liminal space between those two more famous albums lies "Zuckerzeit," which was also released in that most auspicious year. "Zuckerzeit" is much more tightly packaged and catchy than the loose and atmospheric "Phaedra," but it is far less rigid than the conceptual "Autobahn." It was a turning point in Cluster's work, moving away from their noisier and more abrasive past in Berlin, and towards something closer to IDM, which would take another 2 decades to fully develop.

I quite enjoyed this, listened a few times. It comes off as such friendly music despite being extremely experimental.

There are multiple ways to read the boiling down of the music herein, attach something to -ness and file the record as precursor. At worst, think of the decent video game of the middle stretches; Otherwise, consider at least two label catalogs I could name, or motorik beats on a machine, or synths that bite back. Really, though, krautrock remains rarefied air, and Cluster master a pop expression of it in still-expansive form.

A really fun time listening to ambient german beats! Somewhere between vaporwave and retro-german-techno-futurism. What a cool find!

Electro pioneer Germans always get my vote. Ausgezeichnet!

I'm impressed by the number of Krautrock albums on the original- and user list. Having listened to them, I must admit they all deserve to be on it. Zuckerzeit (great album cover) is a banger.

Kinda spacey krautrock stuff, drawn out and stoned. Moogs and drumkits and bass and whatnot. Great vibe, maybe a bit *too* drawn out in places, but still a good 3/5.

Very synthesized, almost ambient "jam music." Ze Germans always had a good corner on this particular type of music. Had never heard of them until now. Based on late 60's-70's timeframe I'd imagine lots of bands watched these guys and took notes for the late 70's-80's synth "noise bands."

This is a watershed electronic album featuring drum machines and synthesizers in an avant garde style. This komische style music was incredibly influential in the further development of electronic music and post-punk. This album definitely should have been on the original list.

7/10. Had no idea what this was going in, and enjoyed it. Good instrumental music.

Comparisons with their fellow Krautrock peers are inevitable and I must say I much prefer the more melodic Kraftwerk or the spacey/prog sound of Tangerine Dream. I think these guys really start cooking when they're joined by Eno, but alas Eno is nowhere to be found on this album.

Couldn't come around on this one, just synthesizer noodling.

Interesting at times, but overall not my thing. It was 37 minutes long but it felt like an hour and a half. 2 stars.

I think I’m quite happy having this added to the list… it’s a different kind of thing than the contemporaneous Autobahn by Kraftwerk. It’s more atmospheric, not afraid to loll around a bit. By the end I was quite mesmerized! I’m sort of predisposed to enjoy some Moog shenanigans, and enjoy this I did!

Fun and happy sounding instrumental Krautrock. I can't say I've listened to much Cluster so this was a fun revisiting.

Pretty good Krautrock, although I think the selections on the list cover the genre quite well.

An actual deep cut that surprised me with its depth. While the uptempo energy does peter out over the course of the LP, the strong start is enough to demand attention with its layered rhythms and punchy, bassy synths. Most of the electronica from this era has aged poorly due to the high-pitched treble-drenched synth choices of the time, so to find a well-done LP with some electronic meat on its bones is a real treat

This is so cool. Thanks for sharing it. Whimsical and strange with an occasional undercurrent of menace. Minimalist, but rich with nuance. This is an underheard album in the Krautrock-verse, but it's a really excellent listen and highly influential. You can hear echoes of this music in pretty much every electronic band that followed it. Fave Songs: Fotschi Tong, Caramel, Marzipan, Hollywood, James

I really enjoyed this. Kraftwerk and Neu but something bouncier. I reckon I’ll end up buying it.

Classic German artist style beat.

Kooky kraut-rock

Perfectly fine and foundational early electronic music, but nothing here blew me away like contemporaries such as Kraftwerk, Jean-Michel Jarre, or Can.

I'm not a fan of Krautrock at all. I've never been able to get into the sound of the genre's big names like Can or Faust, so when I saw this album by a lesser-known band like Cluster, I was all over it. I was wrong. It's not an album that changes my opinion of the genre, but it's the most accessible thing I've heard from the era. Short instrumental tracks that could almost work as protosynth-pop. An enjoyable and appreciated listen

Typical Krautrock. Not bad, but not really my first choice of music

Pas trop mon style, meme pour un album genre electro.. 2.75

Meh. Not much my thing

I really wish I was more open-minded when it comes to musical genres that live in the more outer regions of the musical spectrum. I would really love to actually 'get' music like Cluster's. But I don't. I can't wrap my head around why this would be even remotely interesting for anyone to listen to. Luckily there are many people that do 'get' this. Makes life a lot less plain and boring. But still, to me this sounds like endless noodling on electronic switch-boards. I envy those that hear actual music in this.

Als het openingsnummer al geen zang bevat, maar wel elektronische gelaagdheid weet ik genoeg.

Nice Spielart of Krautrock.

Sehr gut

It was cool and different. Very futuristic in a 70s kind of way.

Incredibly impressive for 1974, the use of electronics is bright, atmospheric, and able to induce feelings of calmness, energy, and hope. It sounds incredible, very clean and you're able to pull apart the layers. There are some amazing unique styles on here. My major complaint is that it does sometimes come off as a bit harsh, with moments where it sounds like the dudes are just abruptly hitting random keys. It's more noticeable in the eerier more experimental tracks, which I don't think are very good compared to the brighter, fuller ones. I think one reason it sounds a bit harsh and weird at times is because the technology is dated (rather than their skill or precursor artists), and I'm sure it would sound so much smoother had they used stuff from just a few years later.

Gentle instrumental electronic krautrock that gives off a great sense of movement. Sounds like a 90s computer game. Rating: 3 Playlist track: HeiBe Lippen Date listened: 09/09/24

Really cool electronic pick, I liked this one a lot! Certainly worth a listen, thanks for sharing! 3.5/5

A really cool and varied kind of krautrock / kind of electronic album, with some tracks resembling the ambient soundscapes of Tangerine Dream and others having those tight and almost mechanical krautrock grooves. It’s a lot more concise and to the point than a lot of other krautrock albums I’ve heard though, with a real pop sensibility shining through, and also sounds ahead of it’s time in quite a few places - Caramel sounds like it could be an LCD Soundsystem instrumental and Marzipan sounds like something from Butterfly 3000 It was a bit inconsistent, with some songs really not doing much for me at all, but the highs were pretty impressive and it’s one I’d revisit for sure

It is like the soundtrack of the most annoying video game you have never played

A first time listen for me and a great suggestion. Thanks.

Hypnotic beats with a synthy edge. Very easy to get lot in, and seldom outstays its welcome.

A personal favourite, glad to see that someone else thought to include it here! There’s a light bounce to this album that keeps me circling back to it. A early example of electronic pop. Sweet!

[To be read in Werner Herzog’s voice] There’s a beauty in the repetition of Krautrock and Cluster’s take on it is no exception. At its core, repetition is the base of the song, but on top of it, layers get added in, one after another. The layers interweave with the base, fading in and out of focus, building up and breaking down…they breathe life into the base and it becomes something more: a sort of pulsating, self-sustaining, auditory organism. That same repetition is found in our day to day lives, our routines: We get up, go to work, have lunch, finish the workday, go home and have dinner, relax and then go to sleep to do it again. Despite that repetition, every day is not the same. Each day, there are different layers, no matter how minuscule they seem, that weave in and out, moving our days forward and changing their trajectory in various ways. This is the music of life

Elusive, poetic, improvisational, seminal (listen to "Hollywood", and tell me if you're not hearing something akin to the more experimental tracks on Radiohead's *Amnesiac*, for instance), this kosmische / kraut LP is as enigmatic and enticing today as it was when it was released in 1974. Enigmatic are Moebius' avant-garde soundscapes and gritty rhythm patterns, almost devoid of melodies, and yet strangely soothing. Enticing are Roedelius' lighter and airier compositions, displaying so many mysterious harmonies and subtle earworms patiently munching their way into your brain -- no surprise "Brain" was the name of the label which released this legendary record, I guess... The quite different intents from those two electronic pioneers are meshing seamlessly here, indeed offering something adjacent to Kraftwerk's *Autobahn*, but with a looser feel which stems from the duo's preference for concise lengths, free form and pure empiricism. A near-perfect balance, owing to the same set of avant-garde skills on a surface level, paradoxically yielding to quite contrasted results depending on who the composer is. And the outcome of that balance is a record that is firmly set in the time and place in which it was conceived, and yet also feels timeless five decades later. Listen to it on a lazy Sunday afternoon in the countryside and let yourself go into a pleasant daydream, just as you watch a gentle breeze brush through the foliage of trees all around you... If you're enjoying this LP and yet knew absolutely nothing about who Cluster were before today, I suggest you also check out *Muzik Von Harmonia* by... Harmonia, which is actually Cluster + Neu!'s guitarist Michael Rother. And then you can go to the extraordinary -- and yet belatedly released -- *Harmonia 76*, where the same trio united their forces with Brian Eno of all people. And of course, if you've never listened to Neu!, Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, Michael Rother's solo albums, or early Tangerine Dream, go there as well. You're in for a treat. But be warned... That kraut / kosmische rabbit hole is potentially endless. So you better have (sugar) time on your hands... 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 5. 9.5/10 for more general purposes. Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ----- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 41 (including this one) Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 50 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 97 --- Émile: voir ma toute dernière réponse sous le disque *Triage* au-dessus...

Feels like such a voyage.

What a great call to add this- it really is up my street. I have heard this before but never listened to it properly. These guys certainly corned the market in the early 70's.

These deserves to be on the list instead of Kraftwerk. Experimental bubble gum pop, which is apparently right in my wheelhouse.

Retro dance. Super

I would hate this on any other day. But today, it is the exact right thing my ears needed and I'm enthralled.

Interesting in a sort of "retro futuristic" sort of way. Like, "this is what the 70s thought the future would sound like" sort of way. I think it sounds a little jam-ish, a little sloppy. I think if it had sanded off a few of those imperfections, it'd be better. Call it a 3.5. Favorite tracks: "Caramba"

This is stupid but sometimes it feels like a subplot of the main and user list is trying to find who really made electronica first. First it’s some no name 80s American band, then it’s tangerine dream then it’s kraftwerk then it this, which I think is a kraftwerk contemporary. Like I’ve heard “this is electronica in its earliest form” at least 3 times now. Anyway this was mostly mid but fotschi tong is such an insanely catchy banger that I have no choice but to give it a 4. Can’t wait to listen to it on drugs.

Very much enjoyed this. One song in I thought it might end up on my 'music for coding' playlist and it has.

Pretty nice, never heard of these guys before, I’ll certainly listen to it again,

Another group of movers and shakers within Germany's evolving krautrock scene, this time with more electronic influences. Cluster's first two albums would be produced by Conny Plank, who would also produce for Kraftwerk and Neu!. Clearly, Plank was cooking up some of best music from Germany. Zuckerzeit has no plank though, as Cluster homed in on the playful electronic music that Kraftwerk would eventually get all the credit for. Not so! These kosmische are worth a listen to at least broaden more horizons beyond the usual krautrock staples. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Sure!

A highlight in the electronic Krautrock. It seems to have all the basic ingredients that would make electronic music big about 15 years later

One's fully onboard with this quality Krautrock – and very much enjoy it being on the contemplative side though it can seem borderline inert at times. One has no idea what a "Folschi Tong" or a "Rote Riki" or "Heise Lippen" (best cut) would be but mostly dig all of the above. Not sure this would add much to list proper but certainly seems on par musically (and musicologically on other albums of this ilk and era).

I'm in a bad mood today, you could say "morgenmuffel", after a bad night. This isn't what I thought it would be and was quite glad it wasn't some complex, over produced, space rock, nonsense. The chill-out vibe, instrumentals were exactly what I needed. The last few songs did get a bit weird though. If I was in a good mood perhaps my review would be completely different. Oh well.

"Rote Riki" irritated me a bit (sounded really wet, somehow? bad headphones listen either way) but beyond that one, this is some nice krautrock

Bra grejer det här.

A surprising variety, not really my thing though

Interesting and weird

Definitely more pop and sugary than Kraftwerk, but, as with sweet confectionery, not nearly as satisfying.

OK

Not bad. Surprisingly minimalist. It really seems like a very basic electronic loop with a few layers and a little atmosphere. Stripped down and each track doesn't wander too far from that. Interesting to listen to, but it doesn't do a lot to capture your attention. I did have a moment where i was getting a Heroin/VU vibe from James.

Synthy

Electronic, avant-pop, kosmische, electronic pop, krautrock. Ni fu ni fa.

Interesting instrumental ambient type album. Listed as rock but I certainly wouldn’t classify it as such. I liked it!

This was a cluster of synthesizers. Not a bad background listen.

It just faded into the background as I listened to it. Nothing really special. It's neat historical curiosity and living in Germany I'm sure I could find a bunch of their records laying around, but nothing that will stick with me beyond that. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Fartstep. Pretty minimalistic krautrock. Very gloopy, very bloopy.

Fine, I guess

Another record in place in the category for probably not coming back to, back glad that I’ve listened to. This user list has been great for providing records in this category for me. Enjoyable from front to back.

Lovely instrumental.

Started off hating it, then minutes later was in a trance. It's weird AF and low-fi but low-fi 70s Krautrock electronica is infinitely cooler than low-fi 90s emo rock garbage. Not sure it's entirely repeat-listenable yet ("Rote Riki" is a tough one) as by the end a lot comes off as a bit of either a demo reel or "look what i can do!" with early electronica but the best of this is cool and considering this came out in '74 it's pretty nuts. 6/10 3 stars

Electronic, avant-pop, kosmische, electronic pop, krautrock. Escuchable.

Electronic, avant-pop, kosmische, electronic pop, krautrock. Ni fu ni fa.

Listening to this while working was not the move. It just stressed me out more and ended up giving me a headache. 4/10

Eh. It is just synthesizers and techno. Thankfully it was short.

Rating: 5/10

I'm not sure I understand this one, either. It sounds like a bunch of songs you might hear at a carnival, with other instruments.

Just too much synthesisers for my taste.

Zuckerzeit isn't for me, lo-fi electronic stuff is boring, not rubbish enough for a 1/5 but close. 2.

One of the things I learned from this list is the actual definition of krautrock. I had a vision of David Hasselhoff in my mind, 80s, leather, metal studs, mullets and pointy guitars. I was pleasantly surprised to learn its true nature - experimental, electronica from the early 70s. So I was happy to get another example here to expand my knowledge. Unfortunately, this leans too far into “experimental” and ends up as noddling. None of the tracks seem to have much purpose and no-one in the outfit has the ability to write any form of hook. I think I’d rather listen to The Scorpions.

This isn’t really my cup of tea and that’s okay. I’m not a fan of early electronic music although I give it full reverence for the path that it started us on towards today’s music.

Meh. Not for me. Not enough substance.

Was it supposed to be different from the original list or some kind of weird complement to it?

Looks like fun! Should be fun! But isn't that much fun. Mostly just stressed me out. I learned through this project that I'm a huge Kraftwerk fan. But this just doesn't do it for me. I do respect the share and am glad to heard a little more of this kind of music.

Krautrock

It’s almost like anyone living in West Germany was forced to learn how to play a theremin. Yes, it’s pleasantly bleepy and bloopy and signals things to come but it’s the harbinger, not the messiah. It’s an appetiser to the synth heaven of the 80s and should be appreciated as such.

Ritmos medios todo instrumental, de un estilo un tanto novedoso y algo psicodélico. No capta mi atención, demasiado insulso a pesar de no ser muy estridente.

Absolutely stellar and fantastic production. Boring as shit. 2/5

This seemed like an incomplete album. As I listened to it felt like it was missing something. I get it was an electronic but other electronic albums have more substance. This was just the base layer of something that could’ve been better. 2.2/10

3rd track by R2D2

Noises. Why would someone add more albums like this onto the list?

Weird and not in a melodic or fun way.

I have always said I’m not a fan of just noises, and that’s what this felt like. I again can see it being on 1001, but not just someone’s 1.