Even the most cursory scan of the track listing of this 4-CD set reveals a roll-call of artists that reads like a who’s who of Krautrock avant-gardism from the last 40 years. It’s hardly surprising as it was Plank’s label, Kraut, that inspired the term. His name appears on the production credits of albums by Kraftwek, Devo, Ultravox and countless others, while D.A.F., NEU!, Dieter Moebius (with whom Plank collaborated with on five forward-thinking albums between 1979 and 1986 as Moebius and Plank) and Cluster’s Hans-Joachim Roedelius all feature prominently on this 4-CD restrospective. Eurythmics and Brian Eno are also present and it doesn’t take long to appreciate Plank’s importance in his field, not only as a producer but as a player.
Discs One and Two provide a summary of the highlights of his seminal work, and make for great listening. Even now, some of the tracks sound super-far-out. Take for example on Disc Two, which features ‘Drops’ by Ibliss, which sounds like the Moomins having an orgy over strolling jazz backing performed in outer space. It’s all aged remarkably well, and not solely on account of the renewed interest in all things Krautrock in recent years. It all holds up in its own right, and then some.
Many will already be familiar with the material on the first two discs, though, although the inclusion of rare cuts like ‘Let’s have a party’ by Psychotic Tanks, ‘Farmer Gabriel’ by Möbius, Plank & Thompson and ‘Weihnachtssong’ recorded as Konrad Plank add further points of interest. Moreover, while it’s handy to have this cross-section of material pulled together for historical purposes, and to concentrate it within a specific context, it’s not revelatory and doesn’t explicitly offer anything new to the devotee.
|
Consequently, it’s on discs three and four that the real points of interest lie, especially for those who are already familiar with the standard studio stuff, with Disc Three collecting a slew of remixes, with a selection of Plank’s works overhauled and fiddled about with by a slew of contemporary artists. Thankfully, they’re all extremely sympathetic, and preserve the atmosphere of the original tracks. The result is a collection of intriguing and often other-worldly pieces.
Disc 4 goes even further, beyond other-worldly. Recorded live in Mexico in 1986 with Dieter Möbius and Arno Steffen, it exists as a document of Plank’s last ever live performance before his death in December 1987, aged just 47. Heavy, delayed beats thump metronomically through a mesmerising set that spirals and swirls through dense layers of sound on sound. It’s captivating stuff, and rounds off what is without doubt a well-chosen and intriguing selection of material from one of the true innovators in twentieth century music.
Conny Plank Online
|
