Can

Along with Faust, Can were one of the formative ‘krautrock’ bands. This deceptive label implies a cohesive movement, whereas what these bands have in common is an individual and exploratory take on non-pop music. The best that can be said about Krautrock as a genre label is that there is enormous variety—from acid-fried space rock to symphonic prog—to be found and explored.

Can began in 1968 with a quartet of serious musicians who were committed to testing the edges of rock. With a groove-based minimalism interspersed with outright experimentalism and studio manipulations, Can were at the forefront of both independent German music and the European avant-garde. Their sound is characterised by a powerful and limber bottom end, bass player/tape operator Holger Czukay and drummer Jaki Liebezeit. Can began with an African American vocalist up front. After Malcolm Mooney’s departure, Japanese busker Damo Suzuki was recruited off the street (literally). There is a huge list of Can recordings, and much of it is remarkably accessible. The triple LP set Singles is an accessible introduction while the catalogue—from the epic Tago Mago to the sinuous groove of Soon Over Babaluma—can be explored for years.