(((folkYEAH!))), Recombinant Media Labs & Synth News Presents:
MICHAEL ROTHER Plays NEU! plus Harmonia & Solo Works
Plus:: Isaiah Mitchell & Adam MacDougall
Monday March 24, 2025
Gray Area Grand Theater, 2665 Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94110
Doors: 7PM
Show: 8PM
NEU! featuring originator Michael Rother is and was one of the top legendary German Krautrock groups of all time formed in Düsseldorf in 1971. The band was formed by Klaus Dinger (drums, vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Michael Rother (guitar, bass, keyboards) after their departure from an early incarnation of Kraftwerk from their same hometown. The name NEU! (German for "new!”) emphasized the steady hypnotic "motorik" beat, characterized by repetition, space and driving rhythms that would become a singular consistent hallmark of their entire body of releases This minimalist and pulsating approach, propelled the music forward with relentless energy and created a trance-inducing effect which heralded a distinctive sounding prelude to the 4 decades of the modern techno movement that eventually followed.
Rother’s unique guitar playing and innovative use of electronics have helped shape the sound of Krautrock and inspired generations of musicians across diverse genres, from David Bowie and StereoLab to Radiohead and Sonic Youth.
This fresh use of experimental studio techniques forged by renowned Can and Kraftwerk producer Connie Plank proved highly influential on later genres like post-punk, electronica and industrial music. Bands like Joy Division, Public Image, and Cabaret Voltaire drew inspiration from NEU!'s ability to create a magnetic tension between the contrasting musical personalities of Rother’s mood made melodies and Dingers daring punk-like prototypes. Klaus Dinger died in 2008 but you’ll catch his ongoing musical spirit on this tour.
In 1974, Rother began collaborating with the German electronic duo Cluster, recording two albums as Harmonia: Musik Von Harmonia and Deluxe. Rother launched his solo career in 1977, where He continued to explore new sonic territories starting with his 1977 debut album, Flammende Herzen, which featured Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit. His solo work has encompassed a wide range of styles, from the art rock of his early albums to the electronic explorations of Lust (1983) and the ambient soundscapes of Traumreisen (1987).
Harmonia's final studio album with Rother, Tracks and Traces, was recorded in 1976 with Brian Eno, who had famously declared them "the world's most important rock group". Eno, drawn to their experimental and innovative sound, visited them for 11 days, living and recording with the band. The material for Tracks and Traces was not released until 1997 because the tapes were long considered lost. This collaboration, which finally saw the light of day two decades later, further cemented Harmonia's legacy as a pioneering force in experimental music.
The touring live band coming to SF with Rother in March includes Hans Lampe on drums, Franz Bargmann on guitar, and Vittoria Maccabruni on electronics and vocals. Lampe, a renowned drummer who has worked with La Düsseldorf, brings a powerful and dynamic rhythmic foundation to the music. Bargmann, a guitarist known for his work with Camera, adds another layer of sonic texture and melodic interplay. Maccabruni, an electronic musician and vocalist, contributes her unique blend of experimental sounds and ethereal vocals, adding an atmospheric edge to Rother's classic material. This lineup brings a fresh perspective to Rother’s historical explorations, while staying true to the essence of his original vision.
The Recombinant Media Labs organization was founded to research the qualities and artistic potential of Spatial Cinema. It does so by means of Experiential Engineering; exploring processes that propagate the aesthetic and technological boundaries of panoramic AV exhibition.
RML acts as producer and presenter of hybrid artworks and performances based on spatial media synthesis; intermodal works using image, light, sound, and other disseminated sensorial media in three-dimensional space. The CineChamber is RML's curated, nomadic platform under the artistic trajectory of founder & director Naut Humon plus a superhuman crew.