R.I.P. Dieter Moebius

Sorry to learn that Dieter Moebius passed away this morning.
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Moebius was first in the band Kluster with Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler. Their recordings in this era were unusually harsh, almost industrial. Then Moebius/Roedelius broke away from Schnitzler and began recording as Cluster with producer Conny Plank. This era saw them embrace a sound more in tune with the German scene of that era and they made records just as challenging, timeless and innovative as Kluster but with softer edges.

A collaboration with Michael Rother of Neu! lead to three piece supergroup Harmonia whose two studio albums are held up as absolute classics of the era and drew in Brian Eno as a collaborator both with Harmonia and Cluster.

Moebius leaves behind a vast body of work and many more classic collaborations such as his albums “Material” and “Rastakraut Pasta” made with Conny Plank. I had the pleasure of meeting him once when he played Hebden Bridge back in 2006 and I was DJing. He seemed sweet, unassuming and charming. He also gave me a couple of bottles of beer from his rider which guarantees my eternal thanks.

This October German label Groenland are releasing a deluxe Harmonia box set with both studio albums, the Brian Eno collaboration, their live album and some unreleased material. Although Moebius may have sadly left us, his music shows no signs of going away and continues to fascinate and inspire. Our commiserations to all who knew him well.

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