Hans-Joachim Roedelius is a serial collaborator. After helping to define Krautrock in the early '70s with his bands Cluster and Harmonia, the Berlin multi-instrumentalist went on to work with experimental heroes like Michael Rother of Neu!, Brian Eno, Lloyd Cole and Air's Jean-Benoît Dunckel. On Imagori, his latest studio album, the 80-year-old Roedelius has teamed up with Christoph H. Müller of Parisian world/electronic group the Gotan Project.
For a pair of musicians with so much history to fall back on, Imagori is a surprisingly forward-facing release, thanks to the mix of Roedelius' recent love for atmospheric piano music and Müller's unidentifiable international flavour. Over the album's ten tracks, Müller_Roedelius manage to keep things fresh and buoyant, rarely repeating ideas, as demonstrated on the acid jazz-tinged "Time Has Come," the Brian Eno-guesting monologue-set-to-music "About Tape" and the disco-lite closer "808 Fantasy." Imagori works as a perfect metaphor for Roedelius's rich legacy, keeping his art fresh by keeping his choice in company fresh.
(Grönland)For a pair of musicians with so much history to fall back on, Imagori is a surprisingly forward-facing release, thanks to the mix of Roedelius' recent love for atmospheric piano music and Müller's unidentifiable international flavour. Over the album's ten tracks, Müller_Roedelius manage to keep things fresh and buoyant, rarely repeating ideas, as demonstrated on the acid jazz-tinged "Time Has Come," the Brian Eno-guesting monologue-set-to-music "About Tape" and the disco-lite closer "808 Fantasy." Imagori works as a perfect metaphor for Roedelius's rich legacy, keeping his art fresh by keeping his choice in company fresh.
