Hello, drummer Jaki Liebezeit, who has died Januari 22nd aged 78, has been the trigger for these Sundazes.
The so-called “motorik” beat, a minimalist, relentless form of rhythm practised by groups including Neu! and Kraftwerk, became one of the most distinctive trademarks of Germany’s postwar rock groups. Liebezeit, a founding member of the Cologne-based quintet Can, was also a skilled practitioner of the motorik approach, but he was much more besides. He was able to incorporate a range of moods and styles into his playing, from African and funk rhythms to violent thrashing grooves, while always maintaining meticulous rhythmic control. His playing could veer from the heavy, pulverising beat he created on You Doo Right, from Can’s debut album Monster Movie (1969), to the lithe, off-kilter feel he brought to One More Night, from Ege Bamyasi (1972). On the title track of Flow Motion (1976), Liebezeit delivered a lesson in lean, bare-bones funkiness. So precise and unswerving was Liebezeit’s playing, which included an ability to repeat drum patterns with uncanny precision, that he was likened to a human drum machine. To this he retorted that “the difference between a machine and me is that I can listen, I can hear and I can react to the other musicians, which a machine cannot do”. His particular gift was the ability to refine his drumming down to a compact, streamlined essence, so that when he did eventually add a fresh accent or extra beat it became a musical event of startling significance.
Alas today is the final Liebezeit posting, but what a set of Secret Rhythms it is, i'd say get all and play them back to back and you'll get 3.5 hours of hynotically complex polyrhythmic patterns which make time fly by, it's unassuming but always purposeful a perfect sundaze. ......N'Joy
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Jaki Liebezeit (26 May 1938 – 22 January 2017) was a German drummer, best known as a founding member of Can. He was called "one of the few drummers to convincingly meld the funky and the cerebral".
Jaki was born in Dresden, Germany. In the mid-1960s, he was part of Manfred Schoof's quintet, who were early exponents of European free jazz. He subsequently moved towards the new possibilities being opened by psychedelic music as a member of Can. His drumming was prominent in the band's sound, particularly in his much-admired contribution to the side-long "Halleluhwah" on Tago Mago. Liebezeit is best known for his exceptional "metronome" style of playing; other members of Can have suggested that he sounds as though he is "half-man, half machine".
Liebezeit provided drums, in the form of the distinctive "Motorik beat", for Michael Rother's late-1970s solo albums.
In 1980, he became a member of Phantomband, and has formed drum ensembles such as Drums off Chaos and Club off Chaos. Later he recorded with numerous musicians, such as Jah Wobble and Philip Jeck, with whom he produced an album for Jah Wobble's 30 Hertz Records, and has contributed drums and percussion to many albums and as a guest throughout the years, such as the Depeche Mode album Ultra and Brian Eno's album Before and After Science. In the '00's, he has worked with Burnt Friedman on the 5 Secret Rhythms albums and with Schiller on the Atemlos album.
The last release he worked on was the Cyclopean EP, released on 11 Feb 2013 on 12” and download for Mute Records. Cyclopean was a project that involved, other than Liebezeit, Irmin Schmidt from Can alongside long time collaborators Jono Podmore (Kumo / Metamono) and musician and producer Burnt Friedman. Liebezeit died of pneumonia on 22 January 2017.
xxxxx
Keyboardist and vibraphonist from Koeln (Germany), Burnt Friedman (real name Bernd Friedmann) (born 1965 in Coburg, Germany) is a German musician and producer who works under a variety of project names in the fields of Electronica, Dub and Jazz, having recorded as Some More Crime,Drome, Flanger (with Atom Heart), Non Place Urban Field and Nu Dub Players.
Friedmann was raised in Kassel where he studied painting, performance and video at the Kunsthochschule Kassel from 1984 to 1990. His first recordings of found and self-built instruments, done with Wolfram Der Spyra from 1978 to 1982, were released under the name TOXH in 1989. Burnt Friedman has become an unavoidable maverick over the last few years. His many musical incarnations, from his jazz-fuelled collaboration with Atom™ to the electronic perversions of some of his solo projects, rarely help to create a complete portrait of the man. Beside his musical activities, the German also heads Nonplace Records, has produced numerous records and is responsible for collecting his favourite tracks from both Atom™, on last year’s Replicant Rumba Rockers, and very recently, from Freeform on Condensed.
Friedmann's music defies easy categorisation. His instruments include ambient noise and speech samples, analogue synthesizers and organs, as well as toy piano, steeldrum, kalimba, vibraphone or Melodica. Over the years his trademark sound became easily recognizable even in his remix work for other artists. Often complex polyrhythmic patterns stand beside long passages without audible drums.
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
If you are looking for a slow, cool chilling sound this album is a must buy. Matching the complex improvisational elements of electronic music with accessibly warm acoustic instruments. The German guru Burnt Friedman is becoming one of the most respected musicians of his generation across Europe. On each project Burnt gets some of the bests to work with. For this album, he's teamed up with legendary Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit.Praised and admired for his unique cyclical beats, Liebezeit offers here a rather subdued performance compared to some of his previous work. Always remaining slightly in the background of Friedman’s deceptively simple melodies, he however injects complex rhythmic structures on each track, providing a healthy balance to Burnt’s Latin inspired electronic composition. The mood on Secret Rhythms is definitely laid back and hypnotic, ranging from languorous dub style moments (Rastafahndung) to exotic impressions (Gulli Verreisen). If the work is by essence electronic, the result has the intensity of live music, establishing an interesting parallel with Flanger’s outer space jazz excursions. Here though, the jazz element is not as predominant as on some of Friedman’s previous releases, concentrating on more colourful ambiences instead. By using ambitious polyrhythms and complex arrangements, the duo manages to unlock a great wealth of possibilities, matching the complex improvisational elements of electronic music with accessibly warm acoustic instruments.
Burnt Friedman and Jaki Liebezeit - Secret Rhythms (flac 312mb)
01 Rhein Rauf 6:27
02 Rechter Winkl 4:23
03 Royal Roost 5:46
04 Shades Of Soddin Orion 4:18
05 Rastafahndung 3:40
06 Gulli Verreisen 4:59
07 Wirklich 3:14
08 Obscured By 5 3:48
09 Obscured By 5 (Nonplace Rmx) 4:50
10 Obscured By 5 (Extended) 13:26
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
As the title indicates, it's the second full collaboration between the two performers, or at least the second in the series, following on the first from 2002. Working with a number of other guests, most notably Burnt Friedman's Nine Horses bandmate David Sylvian, the duo create eight tracks which are enjoyable if not always immediately stunning. But the subtlety is actually Secret Rhythms, Vol. 2's strength -- coming here for the second coming of, say, "Halleluwah" is missing the point. Jaki Liebezeit's skill as a hypnotic drummer remains strong, as the deceptively low-key performance on "The Sticks" makes clear -- quick fills and careful shifts between drums and cymbals revolve around the central beat, with Friedman's keyboards ably creating the core textures and melodies which other performers add to. (Special notice should be given to Tim Molzer's acoustic and electric guitar parts throughout.) "Fearer" is another standout, with just a hint of dub echo at points expanding the reach of both Liebezeit's steady beat and Friedman's equally important -- almost relentless -- single piano note. At times the two lead performers almost seem to disappear behind their guests, but the results are often quite intriguing -- thus, on "Niedrige Decken," Liebezeit's drumming is initially barely there, with Hayden Chisholm's clarinet playing lead, until at two minutes in Liebezeit begins a killer groove that transforms the song. Sylvian's guest turn is on a song originally done with Nine Horses, "The Librarian." It's interesting to hear just the first signs of a rougher, older Sylvian starting to surface in his voice, but it works perfectly nonetheless, while Liebezeit's background cymbal fills, treated more as texture than rhythm, are a beautiful touch.
Burnt Friedman and Jaki Liebezeit - Secret Rhythms 2 (flac 237mb)
01 Sikkerhed 4:20
02 The Sticks 8:17
03 The Librarian (Voc David Sylvian) 8:15
04 Mikrokasper 3:40
05 Niedrige Decken 8:13
06 Broken Wind Repair Kit 4:59
07 Fearer 6:54
08 Caracoles 4:29
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
On this third release in their Secret Rhythms series, electronica artist Burnt Friedman and former Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit team up for further explorations of atmosphere, texture, and rhythm. These instrumental compositions make use of Leibezeit’s cycle-based drum system, which draws on rhythmic motifs from Africa and Asia, while Friedman adds fragments of melody and pulsing digital ambience. The unique blend of acoustic and electronic elements makes this album a startling, and thoroughly absorbing, listening experience.
Burnt Friedman and Jaki Liebezeit - Secret Rhythms 3 (flac 251mb)
01 Morning Has Broken 9:00
02 Gegenwart 9:42
03 Trittbrettfahrer 5:45
04 Die Ehrliche Haut 6:30
05 Entsafter 8:04
06 Wirklich Version 4:05
07 Sandale 9:33
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Multi-instrumentalist Burnt Friedman and drummer Jaki Liebezeit have been working together since 2000 on musical projects that have gradually emerged as numbered releases under the title Secret Rhythms. The fourth volume in the series consists of six instrumental tracks ranging in length from four to nearly 16 minutes, all having random-looking numerical titles. Some are based loosely on material heard on previous volumes, but most of the music is new, and two tracks also feature guitarist Joseph Suchy (a regular guest on Secret Rhythms releases). Because Liebezeit and Friedman like to alter their instruments' outputs both during performance and in post-production, it's frequently difficult or impossible to tell what is being played, let alone by whom: are those really steel pans on "204-07," or is it just Suchy's guitar? "128-05" sounds like it consists entirely of percussion sounds, but who knows for certain? Ultimately, it doesn't really matter that much; this is relentlessly weird music, but also consistently lovely; it would almost be recommendable as relaxation or meditation music, except that it's kind of difficult to relax in 7/8 and 5/8 time. It might pass for trance music except that the textures shift a bit too often. Not only that, but Friedman and Liebezeit have an almost uncanny ability to produce music that is simultaneously quiet and unsettled, jittery and calm. Those who are looking for something between Brian Eno's Ambient series and Byrne and Eno's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts may find that this is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Burnt Friedman and Jaki Liebezeit - Secret Rhythms 4 (flac 283mb)
01 204-07 10:44
02 128-05 10:21
03 182-11 15:40
04 131-07 5:33
05 120-11 4:17
06 120-05 10:20
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
a superb bonus
The interest for Sylvian fans is the original version of The Librarian. The track got redone later by Friedman & Liebezeit on Secret Rhythms 2 and by Sylvian with Nine Horses, but this version is the best by far. The whole EP…one for the repeat button....
Burnt Friedman and Jaki Liebezeit with David Sylvian - Out in the Sticks (flac 119mb)
01 Out In The Sticks 10:49
02 The Librarian 8:33
03 Sikkerhed (remix) 3:50
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The so-called “motorik” beat, a minimalist, relentless form of rhythm practised by groups including Neu! and Kraftwerk, became one of the most distinctive trademarks of Germany’s postwar rock groups. Liebezeit, a founding member of the Cologne-based quintet Can, was also a skilled practitioner of the motorik approach, but he was much more besides. He was able to incorporate a range of moods and styles into his playing, from African and funk rhythms to violent thrashing grooves, while always maintaining meticulous rhythmic control. His playing could veer from the heavy, pulverising beat he created on You Doo Right, from Can’s debut album Monster Movie (1969), to the lithe, off-kilter feel he brought to One More Night, from Ege Bamyasi (1972). On the title track of Flow Motion (1976), Liebezeit delivered a lesson in lean, bare-bones funkiness. So precise and unswerving was Liebezeit’s playing, which included an ability to repeat drum patterns with uncanny precision, that he was likened to a human drum machine. To this he retorted that “the difference between a machine and me is that I can listen, I can hear and I can react to the other musicians, which a machine cannot do”. His particular gift was the ability to refine his drumming down to a compact, streamlined essence, so that when he did eventually add a fresh accent or extra beat it became a musical event of startling significance.
Alas today is the final Liebezeit posting, but what a set of Secret Rhythms it is, i'd say get all and play them back to back and you'll get 3.5 hours of hynotically complex polyrhythmic patterns which make time fly by, it's unassuming but always purposeful a perfect sundaze. ......N'Joy
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Jaki Liebezeit (26 May 1938 – 22 January 2017) was a German drummer, best known as a founding member of Can. He was called "one of the few drummers to convincingly meld the funky and the cerebral".
Jaki was born in Dresden, Germany. In the mid-1960s, he was part of Manfred Schoof's quintet, who were early exponents of European free jazz. He subsequently moved towards the new possibilities being opened by psychedelic music as a member of Can. His drumming was prominent in the band's sound, particularly in his much-admired contribution to the side-long "Halleluhwah" on Tago Mago. Liebezeit is best known for his exceptional "metronome" style of playing; other members of Can have suggested that he sounds as though he is "half-man, half machine".
Liebezeit provided drums, in the form of the distinctive "Motorik beat", for Michael Rother's late-1970s solo albums.
In 1980, he became a member of Phantomband, and has formed drum ensembles such as Drums off Chaos and Club off Chaos. Later he recorded with numerous musicians, such as Jah Wobble and Philip Jeck, with whom he produced an album for Jah Wobble's 30 Hertz Records, and has contributed drums and percussion to many albums and as a guest throughout the years, such as the Depeche Mode album Ultra and Brian Eno's album Before and After Science. In the '00's, he has worked with Burnt Friedman on the 5 Secret Rhythms albums and with Schiller on the Atemlos album.
The last release he worked on was the Cyclopean EP, released on 11 Feb 2013 on 12” and download for Mute Records. Cyclopean was a project that involved, other than Liebezeit, Irmin Schmidt from Can alongside long time collaborators Jono Podmore (Kumo / Metamono) and musician and producer Burnt Friedman. Liebezeit died of pneumonia on 22 January 2017.
xxxxx
Keyboardist and vibraphonist from Koeln (Germany), Burnt Friedman (real name Bernd Friedmann) (born 1965 in Coburg, Germany) is a German musician and producer who works under a variety of project names in the fields of Electronica, Dub and Jazz, having recorded as Some More Crime,Drome, Flanger (with Atom Heart), Non Place Urban Field and Nu Dub Players.
Friedmann was raised in Kassel where he studied painting, performance and video at the Kunsthochschule Kassel from 1984 to 1990. His first recordings of found and self-built instruments, done with Wolfram Der Spyra from 1978 to 1982, were released under the name TOXH in 1989. Burnt Friedman has become an unavoidable maverick over the last few years. His many musical incarnations, from his jazz-fuelled collaboration with Atom™ to the electronic perversions of some of his solo projects, rarely help to create a complete portrait of the man. Beside his musical activities, the German also heads Nonplace Records, has produced numerous records and is responsible for collecting his favourite tracks from both Atom™, on last year’s Replicant Rumba Rockers, and very recently, from Freeform on Condensed.
Friedmann's music defies easy categorisation. His instruments include ambient noise and speech samples, analogue synthesizers and organs, as well as toy piano, steeldrum, kalimba, vibraphone or Melodica. Over the years his trademark sound became easily recognizable even in his remix work for other artists. Often complex polyrhythmic patterns stand beside long passages without audible drums.
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
If you are looking for a slow, cool chilling sound this album is a must buy. Matching the complex improvisational elements of electronic music with accessibly warm acoustic instruments. The German guru Burnt Friedman is becoming one of the most respected musicians of his generation across Europe. On each project Burnt gets some of the bests to work with. For this album, he's teamed up with legendary Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit.Praised and admired for his unique cyclical beats, Liebezeit offers here a rather subdued performance compared to some of his previous work. Always remaining slightly in the background of Friedman’s deceptively simple melodies, he however injects complex rhythmic structures on each track, providing a healthy balance to Burnt’s Latin inspired electronic composition. The mood on Secret Rhythms is definitely laid back and hypnotic, ranging from languorous dub style moments (Rastafahndung) to exotic impressions (Gulli Verreisen). If the work is by essence electronic, the result has the intensity of live music, establishing an interesting parallel with Flanger’s outer space jazz excursions. Here though, the jazz element is not as predominant as on some of Friedman’s previous releases, concentrating on more colourful ambiences instead. By using ambitious polyrhythms and complex arrangements, the duo manages to unlock a great wealth of possibilities, matching the complex improvisational elements of electronic music with accessibly warm acoustic instruments.
Burnt Friedman and Jaki Liebezeit - Secret Rhythms (flac 312mb)
01 Rhein Rauf 6:27
02 Rechter Winkl 4:23
03 Royal Roost 5:46
04 Shades Of Soddin Orion 4:18
05 Rastafahndung 3:40
06 Gulli Verreisen 4:59
07 Wirklich 3:14
08 Obscured By 5 3:48
09 Obscured By 5 (Nonplace Rmx) 4:50
10 Obscured By 5 (Extended) 13:26
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
As the title indicates, it's the second full collaboration between the two performers, or at least the second in the series, following on the first from 2002. Working with a number of other guests, most notably Burnt Friedman's Nine Horses bandmate David Sylvian, the duo create eight tracks which are enjoyable if not always immediately stunning. But the subtlety is actually Secret Rhythms, Vol. 2's strength -- coming here for the second coming of, say, "Halleluwah" is missing the point. Jaki Liebezeit's skill as a hypnotic drummer remains strong, as the deceptively low-key performance on "The Sticks" makes clear -- quick fills and careful shifts between drums and cymbals revolve around the central beat, with Friedman's keyboards ably creating the core textures and melodies which other performers add to. (Special notice should be given to Tim Molzer's acoustic and electric guitar parts throughout.) "Fearer" is another standout, with just a hint of dub echo at points expanding the reach of both Liebezeit's steady beat and Friedman's equally important -- almost relentless -- single piano note. At times the two lead performers almost seem to disappear behind their guests, but the results are often quite intriguing -- thus, on "Niedrige Decken," Liebezeit's drumming is initially barely there, with Hayden Chisholm's clarinet playing lead, until at two minutes in Liebezeit begins a killer groove that transforms the song. Sylvian's guest turn is on a song originally done with Nine Horses, "The Librarian." It's interesting to hear just the first signs of a rougher, older Sylvian starting to surface in his voice, but it works perfectly nonetheless, while Liebezeit's background cymbal fills, treated more as texture than rhythm, are a beautiful touch.
Burnt Friedman and Jaki Liebezeit - Secret Rhythms 2 (flac 237mb)
01 Sikkerhed 4:20
02 The Sticks 8:17
03 The Librarian (Voc David Sylvian) 8:15
04 Mikrokasper 3:40
05 Niedrige Decken 8:13
06 Broken Wind Repair Kit 4:59
07 Fearer 6:54
08 Caracoles 4:29
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
On this third release in their Secret Rhythms series, electronica artist Burnt Friedman and former Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit team up for further explorations of atmosphere, texture, and rhythm. These instrumental compositions make use of Leibezeit’s cycle-based drum system, which draws on rhythmic motifs from Africa and Asia, while Friedman adds fragments of melody and pulsing digital ambience. The unique blend of acoustic and electronic elements makes this album a startling, and thoroughly absorbing, listening experience.
Burnt Friedman and Jaki Liebezeit - Secret Rhythms 3 (flac 251mb)
01 Morning Has Broken 9:00
02 Gegenwart 9:42
03 Trittbrettfahrer 5:45
04 Die Ehrliche Haut 6:30
05 Entsafter 8:04
06 Wirklich Version 4:05
07 Sandale 9:33
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Multi-instrumentalist Burnt Friedman and drummer Jaki Liebezeit have been working together since 2000 on musical projects that have gradually emerged as numbered releases under the title Secret Rhythms. The fourth volume in the series consists of six instrumental tracks ranging in length from four to nearly 16 minutes, all having random-looking numerical titles. Some are based loosely on material heard on previous volumes, but most of the music is new, and two tracks also feature guitarist Joseph Suchy (a regular guest on Secret Rhythms releases). Because Liebezeit and Friedman like to alter their instruments' outputs both during performance and in post-production, it's frequently difficult or impossible to tell what is being played, let alone by whom: are those really steel pans on "204-07," or is it just Suchy's guitar? "128-05" sounds like it consists entirely of percussion sounds, but who knows for certain? Ultimately, it doesn't really matter that much; this is relentlessly weird music, but also consistently lovely; it would almost be recommendable as relaxation or meditation music, except that it's kind of difficult to relax in 7/8 and 5/8 time. It might pass for trance music except that the textures shift a bit too often. Not only that, but Friedman and Liebezeit have an almost uncanny ability to produce music that is simultaneously quiet and unsettled, jittery and calm. Those who are looking for something between Brian Eno's Ambient series and Byrne and Eno's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts may find that this is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Burnt Friedman and Jaki Liebezeit - Secret Rhythms 4 (flac 283mb)
01 204-07 10:44
02 128-05 10:21
03 182-11 15:40
04 131-07 5:33
05 120-11 4:17
06 120-05 10:20
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
a superb bonus
The interest for Sylvian fans is the original version of The Librarian. The track got redone later by Friedman & Liebezeit on Secret Rhythms 2 and by Sylvian with Nine Horses, but this version is the best by far. The whole EP…one for the repeat button....
Burnt Friedman and Jaki Liebezeit with David Sylvian - Out in the Sticks (flac 119mb)
01 Out In The Sticks 10:49
02 The Librarian 8:33
03 Sikkerhed (remix) 3:50
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Great posts as always. Thank you, Rho!
ReplyDeleteRIP Jaki! Thanks for this post.
ReplyDeletethx a lot
ReplyDeletethese are great sounds.
RIP Jaki
thank you very much for posting.
ReplyDeleteRobert
Hi Rho. Any chance that the links for these could be updated. It would be very much appreciated. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your efforts to write about this, indeed, about all the folks you feature. Don't get me wrong, I'm just here for the tunes! But somehow even if I'm not any smarter for having been here... I feel like there is a community of people out there who might be.
ReplyDeleteIn an age where it seems stupidity has lost it's shame, it comes as a comfort to read friendly opinions and occasionally actual facts (!) about music and it's interfaces with the world. Thanks a bunch!
Just now going through the pages looking here and there, mostly in lurker mode, but please know your site is appreciated even if your visitors don't say anything. My guess is you didn't get into this to become popular. It's just a pleasant side-effect.
~zmg