How Krautrock Came to Be

For something often so sparse and inorganic, Krautrock has odd roots. Most of the inspiration came out of the Psychedelic seen of the late 60's, like most Prog Rock. Germany had as much of a counterculture as anywhere at the time, and American and British Psych groups got wide recognition. Where the Krautrockers began to split off (circa 1970) was their incorporation of a distinctly German identity in the music. Having been twice robbed of a national feeling after the two world wars, German youths were ready to forge something new.

Politics played a role in the making of Krautrock. Many of the best known groups and the most obscure tangents were socialist, communist, or even anarchist in nature. While Krautrock genraly de-emphasizes lyrics, this is reflected in the music. Atonal, irregular, and jarring, Krautrock often grates at the ear due to its rejection of many traditional parts of music theory. As a result, Krautrock became amongst the more liberal and anti-establishment of the music scenes of the 70's.

Additionaly, like many other Prog hotbeds (Italy, Spain), the Germans put a bit of their own music heritage into the music. For centuries some of the most revolutionary composers including Beethoven, Brahms, and Wagner were German nationals. This tradition is both upheld and subverted. On one hand, there was a rejection of the old ways to achieve a new form of art, a German tradition. On the other hand, these prior episodes were emotional and romanticist, this time the revolution was far from it. Krautrock, in essence, is a post modern spiritual successor to prior achievements from the country.

The mutli-layered origins of Krautrock often worked in conjunction to make some truly unique music. Though the genre was effectual killed of by Punk in the late 70's, a resurgence in the CD age has benefited the old groups well. Due to the lack of synthesizers and lyrics, Krautrock is amongst the freshest and least dated pieces of classic prog.