Amoeba Music

Cluster’s Dieter Moebius and legendary krautrock producer Conrad Plank were frequent collaborators at the end of the 1970s into the early ‘80s. The duo had released two records, the dub/krautrock hybrid Rastakraut Pasta with Can’s Holger Czukay and the synthesizer dominated Material. In 1982 they released Zero Set with Guru Guru’s Mani Neumeier on drums. The record is dominated by percussion, with Neumeier’s rock solid drumming accompanied by sequenced synthesizers and drum machines. These elements combine to form a polyrhythmic synth-led progressive rock with that uniquely German twist. Overall the record is fast paced and upbeat, with pre-industrial ‘80s drum sounds, innovative synth programming and a sense of deep dub spatiality. Zero Set is an imaginative collection of songs and it’s intriguing to watch these major players of German experimental rock move forward into the ‘80s. Highly recommended.