Qluster

Artist: Qluster
P: 2012
“Antworten” (“answer”) is the third instalment in a trilogy of Qluster music, following on from the “Fragen” (“question”) and “Rufen” (“call”) studio albums. The fact that the music on “Antworten” was created before “Rufen” and “Fragen” were recorded is less of a paradox than it might at first appear. For the expansive piano fantasies of their 2007 recordings had already provided a clear answer to the two musicians’ question as to
whether, and to what degree, they wished to collaborate in the future. Seldom has a musical duo been so united in heart and soul as Roedelius and Bock that January of evening in 2007. Their improvised nocturnes on two Steinways in the Berliner
Philharmonie were delectable. Completely unplugged and utterly relaxed, Roedelius and
Bock tossed musical ideas back and forth without pause, occasionally adding in the delicate tone of a distant singing bowl. Something rare, something wonderful happened in the course of this midnight session. Two perfectly inspired virtuosos coalescing
into one person–Qluster–speaking in one language to tell us of something which we no longer need to dream, as we can hear on “Antworten”. The notes flow incessantly, yet they also convey peace and quiet, a balancing act of which only the most mature personalities are capable. Roedelius and Bock pulled off the trick, this sleight of hand, with the greatest of ease, The “Antworten/answers” are, in equal measure, lucid and lost in reverie. Lucid, because Qluster reveal the source of their art: inspiration and solid craftsmanship. Lost in reverie, because the music is far removed from daily monotony, from common cliché. Balsam for the ears, without any esoteric frippery or contrived secrecy. Nevertheless, the “Antworten/answers” remain auratic. Which can be explained with a single word: art. “Antworten” is an early Qluster statement, and thankfully Roedelius and Bock chose to continue and intensify their work together. The previously issued “Fragen” and “Rufen” albums offer convincing proof thereof. And Qluster senses a responsibility to long-term
artistic development whose transitory power continues to look ahead, into the future. Asmus Tietchens

Artist: Qluster
P: 2016
"Echtzeit" is already Qluster's sixth album. After the pure piano work on "Tasten" (2015), the group has now returned to their electronic equipment with renewed vigor on "Echtzeit". Yet Roedelius' favorite instrument, the piano, also receives its due. Large parts of the album were recorded in a church. The principle behind the creative process for Kluster/Cluster/ Qluster has always been much the same: Musical structures arise from the moment. The pieces on their albums are passages taken from long improvisations that feature a special atmosphere and engaging patterns or figures. Playful experimentation with new instruments and effects or settings is often what leads to the creative spark. Despite their high affinity for experimentation, the term "experimental music" would be misplaced here. Dissonance, noises or glitch sounds are largely absent. "Echtzeit" is consistently more harmonious and accessible than their previous electronic albums. The album "Lauschen" from 2013 previously indicated the direction in which Qluster is currently moving. "Echtzeit" is contemplative, mature, intelligent electronic music that could significantly expand the trio's audience.

Artist: Qluster
P: 2018
“Elemente” - album number seven from the third incarnation of the legendary krautronic project Kluster/Cluster springs a surprise with a minor sensation: sequencer lines! Using an array of exclusively analogue instruments, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Onnen Bock and Armin Metz have recorded eight tracks which, at one and the same time, are intrinsically hypnotic and sublimely beautiful. In principle, “Elemente” was created in much the same fashion as earlier Qluster albums: the three musicians met up in Schönberg, a remote hamlet in northern Mecklenburg. The eight pieces were distilled from the original recordings of their lengthy improvised sessions, with additional elements added to only three of the tracks in the production process: a synthesizer melody for “Zeno”, a prepared piano for “Xymelan” and a beat for “Tatum”.
After four electronic productions and two piano albums, Qluster now invite us to visit eight new and beguilingly beautiful worlds of sound on “Elemente”.

Artist: Qluster
P: 2011
“Fragen” is the first part of an exceptional trilogy, a grandiose new beginning, backed up by forty years of tradition. Two fundamental decisions, borne of an acutely refined sense of musical self-conception, have shaped Qluster: the use of analogue keyboards only and a focus on improvisation through vibrant playing technique. Qluster have jettisoned all forms of ballast pertaining to music and sound. Roedelius and Bock develop their musical aesthetic through seven impressionistic pictures, an aesthetic which borders on ascetic rigour. And yet each piece is motivated by something deeply human, a playful
element setting the tone. Qluster’s modus operandi guides the listener towards peaceful, pale blue rooms where airy veils of suspended matter sparkle, as if floating gently to and fro on the breeze. Beyond the veils one senses further rooms, in colours which have lost their names and become sound. To be perfectly clear: Qluster’s music is not psychedelic, neither in the traditional, nor in a wider sense. This is no meditative soundtrack for a
“journey to the inner self”. In its own way, however, it does represent a trip to the realms of utopia, where particularly careful listening is required in order to appreciate the music in all its richness and splendour.

Artist: Qluster
P: 2013
Kluster (1969) metamorphosed into Cluster (1971) and Cluster became Qluster (2011). In a period spanning over 40 years, Hans-Joachim Roedelius was a driving force behind this unique transformation. Now, as Qluster, he has recorded together with Onnen Bock in the latest incarnation. Three albums already released document the current status of their musical journey to pastures new. The fourth work, "Lauschen" (recorded live with the guest musician Armin Metz), is a particularly impressive document, with the musicians raising their art close to perfection. Using predominantly analogue electronic keyboards, they play together – in the truest sense of the word – with intense levels of concentration and yet with incredible ease.

Artist: Qluster
P: 2011
“Rufen” is the second instalment in a trilogy of Qluster music, following on from the “Fragen” studio album. In four impressive live recordings, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Onnen Bock (bios see below) unfold aural panoramas which can only be described, in the truest sense of the word, as fantastic. Had Claude Debussy not already composed “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”, then Qluster would have been ideally placed to do so, their transparency and polymorphism so reminiscent of his high impressionism. Shunning computers and discarding digital sound Roedelius and Bock appear to have detached themselves from their own age, exclusively playing analogue keyboards, such as
the good old Korg MS 20 synthesizer. Nevertheless, they do not revert to earlier periods in search of their stylistic approach. Conventional rhythmic and harmonic patterns are wholly absent. Qluster’s foreign sounds and lucidity bring their music closer to contemporary electronic chamber music; although, as paradoxical as it may sound, a form of chamber music which Qluster first had to invent. If this album’s predecessor “Fragen” (released in spring 2011) ventured into strange, unworldly musical territory, then “Rufen” pushes the boundaries still further. Qluster take the listener along a path which seems to disappear on an imaginary horizon. Roedelius and Bock neither drift off course, nor do they lose sight
of their destination. As such, they prove to be reliable scouts who earn the trust of the wanderer at their side. Perhaps there is no goal in Qluster’s music, unless it lies in cloud cuckoo land. The direction, however, is clear: head towards the sun, further and
further, to a place where everything looks – and sounds – a little different. New land, terra incognita. Listening to Qluster feels as new an experience as the music they play. “Rufen” is not new just for the sake of it. That would not be enough. “Rufen” is new because two mature musical personalities have succeeded (effortlessly) in creating music which cannot be plotted on a timeline. Music which defies comparison in terms of form and sound. A chance occurrence? Very rare, to say the least.
Asmus Tietchens

Artist: Qluster
P: 2015
QLUSTER are Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Onnen Bock and Armin Metz. "Tasten" is their fifth album. The trio explores the musical depths of three Steinway concert grands to their fullest potential. Spherical sounds of three overlapping instruments, complete with gentle tones and little melodies, sporadically culminating in impulsive sonic storms. A wonderful piece of "neo-classical" music by three masters of their art.