Harmonia

Complete Works

BY Bryon HayesPublished Jun 6, 2016

9
In the 1970s, Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius of Cluster, along with Neu!'s Michael Rother, decamped to the small German village of Forst. The trio lived and worked in the hamlet, producing the bulk of the Harmonia catalogue there. Relatively unknown in their native country at the time, the three men of Harmonia, which is now considered a Krautrock super-group, were keen to make a few records and then return to their respective projects. 
 
Their two proper albums — 1974's Musik Von Harmonia and its 1975 follow-up Deluxe — found their way to influential British musicians such as David Bowie and Brian Eno, and the rest is history. Eno eventually joined the trio in Forst the following year to collaborate as Harmonia '76, the results thought lost until the 1990s when Tracks and Traces appeared.
 
This stellar box set from the Grönland imprint collects those three albums and packages them alongside a live set from 1974 and Documents 1975, a collection of previously unreleased material. The music, which is essential listening for any fan of modern underground rock or pop, is timeless and utterly gorgeous. Worth more than the price of admission itself, the albums are accompanied by a whole host of goodies that enhance the experience.
 
Grönland has given both Krautrock fans and music lovers in general a real gift with this well-packaged collection of transcendent music.
(Grönland)

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