The Obscure Genre That Changed the Sound of Rock
In 1968, a new genre of music appeared in Germany. This music, which had elements of 1960’s rock and experimental music, received the patronizing nickname ‘Krautrock,’ from the British press. Due to the relatively small size of this musical movement and the somewhat offensive moniker, Krautrock was all but forgotten in the 1980s and 1990s.
The Sound of Krautrock
Krautrock is broadly defined as a form of rock music that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s in response Germany’s post-war industrial rebirth, and the U.S. and U.K rock scene. Due to this broad definition, there is a wide variety of music that can be classified as Krautrock. Most of this music can be broken down into four unique sub-genres: Psych-folk, space-rock, hyper-minimalist grooves and avant-garde rock.
Krautrock’s Influence
Although Krautrock is a relatively obscure genre, it had a profound effect on modern music. Krautrock has influenced everything from pop to rock to techno to electronic music. Krautrock showed the world that the rhythmic essence of rock was a groove “that fused the luscious warmth of flesh-and-blood funk with the cold precision of techno.” It also introduced synthesizers and electronics to the popular music scene.
Nowadays, countless numbers of bands are still inspired by Krautrock.
Quelle: http://www.terribleinformation.org/zane/files/Krautrock.pdf
