Although it's probably fair to say that DIETER MOEBIUS is a 'living legend', he's not the kind of guy you read about in five page spreads or see being inducted to the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame. If you're aware of him, it's probably through his work with seminal Krautrock explorers Cluster or possibly through his later work with either Harmonia or Kluster, much of which delighted Brian Eno so much that he temporarily re-located to Germany to work with Moebius and his cohort Achim Roedelius.
In layman's terms, Moebius' music exists outside terms like 'ambient' and 'post-rock' and the like. He's been involved in a whopping 39 albums in all, of which 'Kram' (which translates roughly as 'Stuff' in English) is the fifth to be released under his own name. He's certainly one of the most uncompromising 60-somethings who continues to work in and around the parameters of what we consider as 'rock' in the broadest possible sense and it's accurate to say that German electronic music probably wouldn't have evolved the way it has without Moebius' shadowy presence.
Thus, the only agenda 'Kram' aspires to and draws up is its' own. Yes, you can detect vibrations of other seminal electronic-based starsailors from Suicide to Boards of Canada in Moebius' thrumming, amoeboid soundscapes, but the vast, often repetitive canvases he fills in his own sweet time exist entirely in their own time and space.
Consequently, 'Kram' requires both time and patience, but it's worth the effort. The self-explanatory 'Start' is amorphous, prowling and dissonant, like its' putting its' antenna out and feeling its' way ahead. Rhythms and tones merge and shift until finally rhythms penetrate and stab, but by this time your perspective is already skewed and morphing.
The album opens out slowly and the subtlety of the repetition only offers new possibilities as you become more familiar. Despite its' faux-Punk title, 'Womit' is wibbly-wobbly and supple without any obvious rhythmic anchor, while tracks such as 'Lauert' and the startling 'Kommt' ramp up the percussive element of Moebius' work. 'Dauert', by comparison, has a truly laid-back vibe and a much more pronounced rhythmic backbone, but its' inherent eeriness ensure it stays well clear of the chill out zone.
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Latterly, tracks like 'Rennt' and its' almost sister-piece 'Rast' ramp up the menacing vibe and throb away like good 'uns, although 'Rast' is more liable to branch out into abstraction. The penultimate 'Schwitzt' embraces experimentalism even further, although its' rhythmic base is always strict and organised, while the closing piece 'Markt' has the sort of colourful, chaotic vibe you'd expect from the market of its' title, with found sounds, vocal samples and what sounds like monkeys (surely not?) conspiring to create perhaps the most intriguing, playful thing here.
It's probably true to say that at least a rudimentary knowledge of Krautrock and Dieter Moebius' individualistic past will help in assimilating and enjoying his new album. His drone-y, rhythmic, yet very human explorations require patience and open-mindedness and you may well struggle if you come to him fresh off the back of the new Maximo Park single. However, live with him for a while and let his music envelop you and you may very likely discover that 'Kram' is very intriguing stuff indeed.
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