If you have ever put on a progressive rock record made in
the 70s, there is a good chance that you have reached for a krautrock record at
least once. Krautrock is a progressive rock sub-genre that mostly grew to
prominence in the 1970s, featuring groups like Kraftwerk and Amon Duul II. Many
of these great musicians have inspired the founders for punk, metal, and
experimental groups that have grown to prominence. Today, we wanted to take a
look at some of the best bass players from the genre:
- Holger Czukay – This funky guy is most likely the patron saint of funky krautrock bass players. As a founding member of Can, Czukay often held down the bottom with drummer Jaki Liebzeit, playing funky grooves inspired by rock and soul coming out of the US. Check out “Oh Yeah” from Tago Mago.
- Jean-Hervé Péron – Inspired by groups like the Velvet Underground, Péron and company often laid down hypnotic riffs that were simultaneously busy and simple. Hear him rocking hard on "Just a Second / Picnic on a Frozen River, Deuxieme Tableau" from Faust IV.
- Hartmut Enke – Ash Ra Tempel were one of the best examples of ambient cosmic rock. Bass player and founder Harmut Enke, as well as members Manuel Göttsching and Klaus Shulze, often got together to break out intense jams that will still send your mind into outer space. Listen to the album Ash Ra Tempel to travel to another world.
This is just the tip of the iceberg! There is plenty of
great groups to check out, including Neu!, Cluster, Xhol Caravan, and Popol
Vuh. When you are ready to start making your own mind-expanding jams, check out
the electric bass guitar
selections at BassCentral.com.
