Album Review: Various Artists – Krautrock Eruption: An Introduction to German Electronic Music 1970-1980

The very idea of an introductory Krautrock compilation is a tricky one. As the liner notes themselves acknowledge, the genre (if you can even call it that) has been sliced, debated, and redefined in countless ways over the years, with the likes of Julian Cope’s Krautrocksampler and Crack in the Cosmic Egg both mythologizing and canonizing what falls under its broad, shifting umbrella. Krautrock Eruption, released via Bureau B, makes no claims to be definitive, and at just 12 tracks, it’s far from a completist’s guide. Instead, it’s a selective, Bureau B-leaning survey of the era’s electronic and experimental fringes, offering a tightly curated journey that still has plenty to satisfy even the most seasoned Kosmische fan.

The album opens with Conrad Schnitzler’s “Ballet Statique”, a beautifully understated piece of minimalist synth work. The edgy, layered textures radiate a sense of calm, setting a strangely soothing yet slightly mechanical tone. In contrast, Faust’s “I’ve Heard That One Before” is a blurred, ambient jazz-rock number, its drifting trumpet winding over a static backing before being swallowed by ghostly vocals and an insistent drum pattern. The experimental chaos is palpable, but never overwhelming.

The inclusion of Eno, Moebius, and Roedelius’ “Foreign Affairs” offers a moment of hypnotic beauty, oscillating between a steady piano line and sweeping, cinematic synths that wouldn’t be out of place in a John Carpenter score. Harald Grosskopf’s “Emphasis” leans into quasi-soundtrack territory as well, but with the added surge of a driving electric guitar solo that lifts it into something more soaring and propulsive.

The midsection of the compilation plunges deeper into experimental soundscapes. Cluster’s “21:32” (Bureau B edit) is exactly what its name suggests—clusters of sound forming and dissolving, shifting unpredictably rather than adhering to a conventional melody. Similarly, Moebius & Plank’s “Rastakraut Pasta” is an odd yet infectious detour, melding reggae-inflected grooves with jagged synth experiments and a squelchy, off-kilter bassline.

The second half leans heavily on textural exploration. Roedelius’ “Glaubersalz” pairs picked guitar and icy synths, giving the track a strange, wonky lilt that keeps it in a state of constant movement. Pyrolator’s “Minimal Tape 3-7.2” is pure hypnotic repetition, hard-edged synths looping and evolving in a near-techno fashion, evoking Philip Glass-like minimalism. Riechmann’s “Himmelblau” (Bureau B edit) takes the opposite approach, stretching long synth lines over a gently driving beat, its obscured vocals adding a hazy, meditative quality.

The album closes with some of its most abstract selections. Kluster’s “Kluster 2 (Electric Music)” begins in a deliberately chaotic, disorienting swirl, before retreating into minimal, repetitive beats and synth echoes. Günter Schickert’s “Apricot Brandy II” (Bureau B edit) brings Indian and Asian influences into the mix, its slithering vocals and traditional instrumentation creating a tense, anxious atmosphere. Finally, Asmus Tietchens’ “Falter-Lamento” lives up to its name, a melancholy yet eerily beautiful piece that closes the compilation on a note of reflective unease.

As a one-stop primer on Krautrock, Krautrock Eruption is, by nature, incomplete. The focus on Bureau B’s back catalogue means certain heavyweights of the movement are absent—no Can, Neu!, or Harmonia, for instance—but the tracks selected still paint a vivid, immersive picture of the era’s electronic and experimental edge.

For newcomers, it serves as an engaging entry point, offering a mix of the hypnotic, the melodic, and the outright strange. For long-time fans, while it won’t reveal anything radically new, it still provides a well-curated, enjoyable snapshot of the Kosmische world. More than anything, it achieves what any good compilation should: it sparks curiosity, debate, and the urge to dig deeper