One half of classic Krautrock first-wavers Cluster, Hans-Joachim Roedelius has been making music under the name Qluster since he and musical partner Dieter Moebius parted ways in 2010. But Roedelius has always been a true musical vagabond, putting out over 70 albums throughout the last 55 years as a solo artist and collaborator.
Echtzeit, his sixth album as Qluster (with Onnen Bock and Armin Metz) is their first release since Moebius' death last summer, and it finds Roedelius in a contemplative but expressive mood. Heavily arranged around Hans-Joachim's piano playing, much of the music on Echtzeit is surprisingly melodic, as Qluster keeps a thawing pace throughout the album. Bock and Metz's synthesized oscillations and distortion supplement each song's mood, but there are so many facets to Qluster's sound on Echtzeit, from the meditative beeps of "Verdweile doch" to the soulful piano on "In deinen Händen," that the album never feels repetitive, bogged down or conceptual. It's a beautiful and fitting eulogy, whether Roedelius meant it that way or not.
