Happy Music Monday! This week Heaven's prog band got a little bigger, as Chris Squire was joined by the grand Dieter Moebius. It's very possibly you've never heard of Moebius because he spent more time in electronic music than in rock. But today, aren't they one and the same? The answer is yes. And you're going to enjoy his music very much. OR ELSE.
I'm starting with this because it's my favorite Harmonia song from my favorite Harmonia album. This album from 1975 still sounds astonishingly current, even if the synths have that retro/dated feel. Bits from this record pop up all over Brian Eno's career and even as late as 2004 some bands were still paying tribute to the record. And that's just ONE of the things Moebius had his hand in.
More good good music to come, after the jump.
Eno, Moebius, Roedelius - Broken Head
The nice part about stealing from other very talented musicians is that they often take it as a compliment. Eno joined up with the guys from Cluster (more on that in just a moment) and made an album that had the moody Eno feel while keeping the dreamy Moebius nature just as audible. Today this just sounds like a normal movie soundtrack (or possibly a really alternative hip hop song) but in 1978, this was NOT the sort of thing you'd hear on the radio.
Don't even pretend you don't hear all sorts of classic sci-fi noises in here. Cluster was first, before Harmonia or Eno etc. and Cluster made lots of people have to stop, blink, and take this new genre seriously. There was a reason Moebius kept working with the same people over and over again, after all. That reason was they were all pretty damn good at what they did.
Rother & Moebius - Live In Tokyo, 1999
I'm including a live set, even though the sound isn't so good, because it really shows you these guys are performers. All the producer-haters who act like electronica isn't real music? Y'all shut up and watch two professionals playing live. You don't have to enjoy it, but you better believe it sure as Hell requires actual talent.
This is from 2014. Moebius was seventy. SEVENTY. This is music made by a SEVENTY YEAR OLD MAN. Just let that sink in. How many seventy year olds do you know who are willing to throw away old ideas and try something this new?
When I saw Hallo Gallo perform Harmonia songs a few years back, one of my regrets was that Moebius wasn't there to perform with them. Rest in peace, Dieter Moebius. Thank you for decades of great stuff.
Let us just remind you: some images come from the corresponding Wikipedia page and are here under fair use. See you next week.