Harmonia (consisting of Dieter Mobius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius of Cluster, and Michael Rother of Neu!) was a krautrock supergroup of sorts. Their music was a stately blend of synthesizers and guitar-based bluster, and their pioneering early '70s efforts presaged much ambient and electronic music in the coming decades. LIVE 1974 offers a historic snapshot of the group during the period between their debut, MUSIK VON HARMONIA, and their follow-up, DELUXE. Hypnotically drifting between extended space-rock jams and hypnotic, burbling synth sequences, the album captures the genesis of a post-rock paradigm--where traditional song structure and development were upended in favor of the drifting soundscapes of ambient music.
Professional Reviews
Uncut (p.102) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Facing their nest of wires and hardware, the trio unravel five new kosmiche jams..."
The Wire (p.35) - Included in The Wire's "50 Records of the Year 2007".
Q (Magazine) (p.141) - "As with most of the electronic end of Krautrock, everything is mechanically crisp and precise, but also full of an indefinable emotional quality."
