1971–1972: Early works Dieter Moebius,
Hans-Joachim Roedelius, and
Conrad Schnitzler formed
Kluster in 1969 after meeting at the
Zodiak Free Arts Lab. The trio released three albums:
Klopfzeichen,
Zwei-Osterei, and
Eruption. After Schnitzler left the group, Roedelius and Moebius continued as Cluster. They were joined by
Conny Plank for their self-titled debut album in 1971 but continued as a duo thereafter, working extensively with producer and engineer Plank until his death in 1987. Cluster’s first release,
Cluster (later reissued as ''Cluster '71''), was released in 1971 on
Philips. It marked the musicians' first major-label release; previous Kluster albums had been limited to small or private label pressings of no more than 300 copies. The album, along with its 1972 follow-up, served as a musical bridge between the avant-garde, discordant, proto-industrial sound of Kluster and the more structured ambient and rock-oriented styles of Cluster’s later work. ''Cluster '71'' features little to no discernible melody or rhythm.
AllMusic described it as "a dislocating, disorienting meld of random space music, industrial noise, proto-ambient atmospherics, feedback, and soundwash." This album is also the only Cluster release on which Conny Plank is credited as a full third member. In 1972, Cluster signed with the influential Krautrock label
Brain Records, a partnership that lasted until 1975. Plank continued to work with them as a producer and contributor, including on
Cluster II, where he was credited as a composer and producer.
1973–1979: Harmonia, Zuckerzeit, and Eno , pictured here in 1977. In 1971, the duo moved to the rural village of
Forst,
West Germany, where they lived in several Renaissance-era farmhouses and built their own studio. After the release of
Deluxe, Moebius, Roedelius, and Rother reunited in the studio in 1976 and collaborated with
Brian Eno. The resulting album,
Tracks and Traces, remained unreleased until 1997. Eno had been impressed with both
Musik von Harmonia and
Zuckerzeit and had previously joined Harmonia for a live performance at The Fabrik in
Hamburg in 1974. During this period, Roedelius also began releasing solo material, starting with
Durch die Wüste in 1978. This sole
Cluster & Farnbauer release was titled
Live in Vienna. The music is highly experimental and discordant, reminiscent of Moebius and Roedelius' early work with Conrad Schnitzler in Kluster.
Live in Vienna was not released on CD until 2010, although two sections, each between 15 and 16 minutes long, had previously been included as bonus tracks on the
Hypnotic CD reissues of the first two Kluster albums,
Klopfzeichen and
Zwei-Osterei. Also in 1980, Sky Records reissued Cluster's debut album with new artwork and the title ''Cluster '71
. That same year, Dieter Moebius teamed up with former Cluster member, engineer, and producer Conny Plank on the album Rastakraut Pasta, released on Sky. A second Moebius & Plank album, Material'', followed in 1981. Cluster’s 1981 release,
Curiosum, lived up to its name, In 1996, Cluster embarked on critically acclaimed concert tours in Japan and the United States—their first-ever U.S. tour. These tours resulted in two live albums:
Japan 1996 Live, released in 1997 on the Japanese Captain Trip label, and
First Encounter Tour 1996, recorded in the U.S. and released the same year on the American
Purple Pyramid label. Tim Story, best known as a keyboardist and ambient music composer, co-produced
Japan 1996 Live and produced
First Encounter Tour 1996, beginning a musical association with Roedelius that would lead to future collaborations. Following the U.S. tour, Roedelius and Moebius once again parted ways.
1997–2007: Hiatus and second reunion During the following decade, Moebius and Roedelius pursued various solo projects and collaborations. Roedelius continued recording and touring with
Aquarello, which released a self-titled live album in 1998. In 2000, he reunited with his former Kluster bandmate Conrad Schnitzler for the first time in nearly three decades, resulting in the album
Acon 2000/1, released on Captain Trip in 2001. Roedelius also collaborated with Tim Story on two albums:
The Persistence of Memory (2000) and
Lunz (2002). In 2005, he released
Neverless, a collaboration with
Mott the Hoople alumnus
Morgan Fisher. During this period, Roedelius recorded a total of 14 solo albums and three additional collaborative works. Moebius recorded two solo albums during his second hiatus from Cluster:
Blotch (1999) and
Nurton (2006). He also performed and toured with his former Harmonia bandmate Michael Rother and contributed to the album by the Krautrock supergroup Amon Guru, which was released in 2007. Moebius and Roedelius reunited for a performance at the Kosmische Club in
Camden, London, on 15 April 2007. They also performed at the opening of
documenta 12 on 15 June 2007 in
Kassel, Germany, and at the fourth annual More Ohr Less festival in Lunz, Austria, on 10 August 2007. From September to November 2007, Cluster held additional concert performances in Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Estonia, and the Netherlands. Roedelius also gave a solo concert in
Ojai, California, United States. Additionally, Moebius and Roedelius reunited with Michael Rother, and the first Harmonia concert in more than 30 years took place in Berlin on 27 November 2007. They also performed four shows in
California from 22 to 25 May. In 2008, Cluster released their first album in over a decade, a live recording from their performance in
Berlin on 14 September 2007, issued by Important Records. On 21 March 2009, Cluster participated in a one-off live collaboration with
Chrome Hoof in London. In May 2009, they released
Qua, their first studio album in over a decade. On 22 November 2009, Cluster supported
Tortoise at the
Royal Festival Hall in London. On 17 November 2010, Roedelius announced via email and social media that Cluster would disband at the end of 2010. Their final concert took place in
Minehead,
Somerset, England, on 5 December 2010. Following the breakup, Roedelius formed the project "Qluster" with musician Onnen Bock. A trilogy of albums was planned, with the first release arriving in May 2011. == Musical style ==