Roedelius

In Hans-Joachim Roedelius's 30 years of electronic music pioneering, there have been many highs and surprisingly few lows. Yet it's his years spent recording in the German forests of Forst during the '70s that yielded his strongest, most essential work. It was in these idyllic surroundings that Roedelius recorded classic Krautrock artefacts with Cluster, Harmonia and Brian Eno, as well as giving rise to his lengthy "self-portrait" series, which included the now-reissued sixth volume, The Diary of the Unforgotten. Despite including solo recordings from 1972 to 1978, each track stands as a bare-bones synth mantra devoid of overdubs, studio tricks and overcooked concepts. In their place, Selbstportrait VI includes some of the warmest, most human electronics ever put to analogue tape. This is highlighted best by 24-minute opus "Hommage à Forst," which borrows a rhythmic, proto-electro synth line straight from Harmonia's timeless "Watussi." Touching, beautiful and strangely personal, The Diary of the Unforgotten is an essential piece of Roedelius history and a diary well worth remembering.