Rock On! Wednesday, 7 august 2024 – Can, Ash Ra Tempel, Manuel Göttsching, La Düsseldorf & Amon Düül II

Psychedelic, heavy, prog and more innovating sounds spanning the late 60s and the early 70s – Wednesday April 17th. Dan’s pick of the week: Can (Future Days), Ash Ra Tempel (Schwingungen), Manuel Göttsching (Inventions for Electric Guitar), La Düsseldorf (Viva) & Amon Düül II (Vive La Trance).

Can was een experimentele- en avant-garderockgroep. De band werd in 1968 opgericht in Duitsland. Het was geen conventionele commerciële groep, maar wordt wel tot de belangrijkste krautrock-groepen gerekend en heeft tal van hedendaagse artiesten in de rock en elektronische muziek beïnvloed.

Aimee Ferrier van Far Out Magazine: “However, Future Days is a much better record, showing the band’s progression into ambient and truly unconventional territories. In just four tracks, Can take the listener through a journey of coastal-inspired grooves and spacey rhythms, all of which are entirely immersive. Listening to Future Days is a unique auditory experience, and while there’s a risk of long jams becoming tedious, the songs on Future Days never tire, proving Can’s masterful approach to unorthodox song practices. (…)

Future Days, in all of its ambition, is actually a relatively simple record to listen to. The album is never too challenging because the band create such interesting sonic textures, maintaining cyclical rhythms while changing things up just enough to keep the songs exciting. The album’s final song, ‘Bel Air’, proves this. It’s not easy to create a long piece of music that can truly sustain the listener’s attention, yet Can are masters of the craft. The sprawling song moves between various vignettes, which all come together beautifully. It’s slightly heavier than the previous songs, with the final quarter of the track welcoming electric guitars that seem to spiral around the listener, all while Liebezeit’s cymbals crash in the background.

(…) Can’s music, in all of its experimentation and lengthy jamming, never becomes dull, repetitive or ostentatious. Future Days remains one of the band’s most significant works, forming an unofficial ‘Damo’ trilogy alongside Tago Mago and Ege Bamyasi, demonstrating the band at the height of their career.”

Wednesday, 7 august 2024 12:00 noon CET Brussels – 11 a.m. GMT London. Repeated: 16:00 & 20:00 hrs CET Brussels, 3 p.m. & 7 p.m. GMT London
Ends: 12 midnight CET Brussels, 11 p.m. GMT London.