Hans-Joachim Roedelius: that's nothing! We are talking about the grandfather of electronic music (almost 73 years old). A German (who lives in Austria) who after a hard childhood is a symbol and a pioneer of those sounds that some crazy German invented in the 60ies.
He is the same that Kluster, Cluster, Harmonia and have collaborated with Brian Eno, Alquimia, Tim Story... He is, above all, an open man and not jumped on a base. Thanks, Roedelius to be born!

  lee esta entrevista en español.

-One of the most surprising things about you is that you are 70 and you still create music. Are you going to be a musician till the end?

-On October 26th 2007 I'll be 73 years old and I will for sure work as a composer / musician / writer / poet / producer / festival director and honoryr president of the Jazzfest "Moving Cultures" in Albania, that I am in the moment, until I have to leave the flesh that has been given to me to behave as Roedelius, unless there'll be circumstances that don't allow me to continue this way.

-You were born in Germany but now you are living in Austria. During your childhood, you were actor in some films of the mitic german UFA Productions. What do you remember about those years?

-Enough to be able to say that until World War II started in 1939 I was living under my big familys shelter with many interesting and challenging situations such as you mentioned as an actor in many UFA-films, but then, when the bombings on Berlin began, it went out to be most horrible for me for a long time, I had to leave our home and never came back there, being thrown into a world that I only could survive because I loved nature so much and tried wherever I came to be and stay as much as possible in my beloved forests and fields.

-You had a 2 years sentence for army desertion. Why does the man want to destroy the man?

-That's a question that nobody yet would be able to answer, because there is no answer until EVERYBODY understands and practises the message of love brought to us by our spiritual master Jesus Christ.

-Kluster or Cluster?

-Both: Kluster 1969 in the beginning with Conrad Schnitzler, Moebius and me. Cluster, when Schnitzler left the group for his solo-activities in 1970.

-You were working as cooker, detective, etc. In 1969 you create Cluster with Dieter Moebius and Conrad Schnitzler. How was born this Project?

-The real beginning in 1969 was "Kluster", as an idea of Conrad Schnitzler, the first ever student of famous german artist Josef Beuys.
Schnitzler invited me and Moebius to join his project/group, which we did until Schnitzler decided to leave the group for his solo-activities and Moebius and I decided to continue to work together as "Cluster" (this was in 1970).

-And what about the departure of Conrad?

-He just left Kluster for his solo-career. All what we had to do together as a trio was done after a certain while, so there was no reason anymore to continue as Kluster, but Moebius and I had much more in common that was the reason to stay together until today, (with some creative gaps in between).

-The first disks of Cluster were full of acoustic sounds with distortion effects. Next ones had more beautiful sounds. What was happened for this change?

-We just liked to experiment, to improvise, but also we had to try to find out our about our own musical language to become aware of what we did and how to perform it seriously to the public.
So in the beginning it was more noisy stuff with the most simple gear we owned and lateron more melodic, because also the tools/instruments we used became more sophisticated.
Our aim was and still is to be as much as possible open to the moment.

-What do you remember about Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Kraftwerk, etc. during those first years?

-They were at the time as we were: just on their own way to find out what they liked best to express what they wanted to.

-And your source of inspiration in your first years?

-Life in all its colours.

-When and why was the end of Kluster/Cluster?

-Kluster ended 1970 but Cluster still continues!

-After Kluster/Cluster it began "Harmonia" with a krautrock sound more darkly. Could you please talk about that Project.

-Harmonia was a sideproject of Cluster to experience whether we would be able to do more rocky stuff and it worked for a while in a good way, because of Michael Rothers input, who came from the very succesful "Neu", but for Clusters own concept it didn't work really especially not when we played live, so we had to give up to do "Harmonia" furtheron.

-You collaborated also with Brian Eno. What could you tell us about him and the collaboration with him?

-We did with him one Cluster & Eno-album ('Cluster & Eno', via Sky-Records, re-released via Universal recently) then this Eno & Cluster-album ('After the Heat', Sky also re-released via Universal) and one Harmonia & Eno-album ('Harmonia 76', Rykodisc/Sony).

Cluster also did with Brian one track, 'By this River' which was released on Enos first ever solo-album 'Before & After Science', EG/ED.
Nice productions, timeless, great music as a picture of a fruitful collaboration of most different personalities.

-Are you still in touch with Moebius and Conrad?

-I play with Moebius in Cluster, no contact to Schnitzler anymore.

-Few months ago I did an interview to Alquimia. At the end of 90's you composed a disc ('Move and Resonate') with her. What could you tell me about the collaboration?

-She's a very good friend, we have further collaboration in mind. There are many tracks already to be elaborated or just overviewed for a release wherever possible.

-Nowadays the English label Grönland publishes the double CD 'Works (1969-2005)'. What can we find in this album? Was it hard to you to select the songs for the album?

-It's for new listeners of Roedelius a splendid door to my music because it shows a lot of the whole spectrum of my compositional qualities/abilties, it's richness ingredientwise, is's most improvisational character.
It was not easy at all to find this selection, but Groenland did a good job to help.

-You also have created music for cinema, ballet, etc. What do you do to create this kind of music?

-My music IS filmmusic, it's what I describe myself soundopera, soundcinema. So some filmdirectors found out about this fact and asked me to look after and supply some of it for their films.
One of those films, 'Witness to War', from director Deborah Shaffer got a documentary Oscar in 1985, others many awards as well.

-You also let us use an unpublished song for our 'sampler 09'. What can you tell us about that song?

-It's from a yet not released production/collaboration with my Italian friend Fabio Capanni. I like the material a lot and especially this track. It's from a session in Austria in my homestudio.

-You have collaborated in 2 discs with Tim Story. You have different styles. What do you do to put together your styles?

-I have collaborated with Tim also live many times. It seems to be two styles but it is one mind.

-What music do you hear/like actually?

-I have almost never time to listen to music, because of my work and my family, so I listen just accidentally in my car and if ever then it's classical music.

-Are you thinking on returning to Germany?

-Why should I?

-Few days ago you have a concert with Moebius in London. What can you tell us about your concerts? What is the feeling when you are playing live music?

-It's our "job"/profession to play live and compose music either solo or in collaboration, so we have to do it with empathy and love anyway.

-Explain to us something about your project Aquarello.

-It's a project/collaboration with Nicola Alesini, Fabio Capanni, Felix Jay, Onnen Bock and others that began about 15 years ago and is still working. There is material to be elaborated for its release on CD, but however I'm going to play live again with Fabio Capanni in Tirana on June 1st, so Aquarello-live is on its way again.

-Your disc 'Roedeliusweg' (2000) is one of my favourites. What was the beginning of this marvelous work?

-At the time when I composed it, it was, because I wanted to try to do some rhythmical stuff as soloist.

-Is there any musician that you want to collaborate with?

-I'm working with many musicians all the time, I have nobody in mind with whom specially I would like to work in the moment or anyway. All my collaborations happened and happen almost always accidentally. I meet people somewhere et voila.

-Actually, what are you working in?

-Many projects: go to www.myspace.com/roedelius. Click also on the blog.

-Thanks a lot for answering these questions. All the best in a future and we are waiting to hear your new work as soon as posible.

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Baden, Austria, May 05th 2007

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