A. Here are some essential Krautrock records:
Double album that moves from hypnotic grooves to full experimental chaos. Damo Suzuki on vocals, the rhythm section locked in for the long haul.
Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother. Side one has the motorik beat that influenced everyone from Bowie to post-punk. Side two gets stranger.
More accessible than their first two, but still unpredictable. “Krautrock” and “The Sad Skinhead” are standouts.
The title track is a 22-minute drive down the highway. This is where they fully committed to electronics and became the blueprint for synth-pop and techno.
Sprawling, psychedelic, occasionally messy. More rock-oriented than some of their peers.
Minimal, melodic, electronic. Roedelius and Moebius working in short, hypnotic loops.
Harmonia – Musik von Harmonia (1974)
Cluster plus Michael Rother from Neu!. Eno called them “the world’s most important rock band” at the time.
All of these shaped post-punk, electronic music, and ambient. Start with Tago Mago, Neu!, or Autobahn depending on whether you want groove, drive, or glide.