Roedelius

Following an increasingly long campaign of Krautrock-focused reissues from Bureau B, the label has once again unearthed a pair of kosmische-coated gems: Roedelius's Selbstportrait I and II. With the former being released in 1979 and the latter in 1980, on the Sky Records imprint, the albums find Roedelius at his creative peak, carrying on the minimalist inner-space explorations he began with Cluster, Harmonia and Brian Eno. And since both releases come as part of the German's lengthy Selbstportrait series, these serve more as diary pieces than proper albums, capturing at-home experiments, explorations and improvisations in early analog keyboard/organ-driven electronics. The bare-bones pieces of ambience are far from note-perfect, but again, that's the point: to show the human side of electronic music, flaws and all. And while the thought of listening to some decades-old sketches could seem dull, these reissues emerge at the perfect time. The recent rise in popularity of modern cosmic-minded acts such as Emeralds and Oneohtrix Point Never makes these Selbstportrait releases sound more contemporary and relevant than ever. Plus, they're simply beautiful listens, from start to finish.