Essential Krautrock Albums of The 1970s

Emerging from the radical Amon Düül art commune, Amon Düül II was at the forefront of the West German krautrock movement. Their second album Yeti features a mix of structured songs and improvisational tracks that many view as a catalyst for the entire space rock subgenre. The album’s ambient textures and psychedelic explorations of immersive and aggressive atmospheres have cemented Yeti’s legacy as a cornerstone of kosmische music.

Recorded in a medieval castle with sessions lasting up to 16 hours a day, Can’s second album is full of free-flowing improvisations that were edited down into structured compositions. These unique musique concrète tape editing techniques empowered Can to draw inspiration from a wide range of influences and blend avant-garde takes on jazz, electronic, and funk in an incredibly impactful way. Over five decades later, Tago Mago maintains its status as one of krautrock’s most ambitious and influential works. 

Released in 1971, Faust’s self-titled debut is filled with infectious dissonance, quirky vocalizations, and sound collages that further expanded upon the early krautrock scene’s possibilities. The grittiness of Faust’s way-out-there synthesizers and the band’s playful eccentricities altered the trajectory of art rock and laid the groundwork for industrial music and noise rock. For anyone looking for a krautrock album that is as influential as it is unconventional, Faust’s self-titled album is a must-listen.

Cluster’s self-titled debut takes krautrock to the outer reaches of the cosmos where there is very little rock to be found. Armed with a couple organs, audio-generators, a lap steel guitar, and an electronically treated cello, Cluster put their own unique spin on kosmische music with proto-ambient washes, noisy feedback, and unidentifiable sonics that make listeners feel like they’re floating through the darkest reaches of space. For a darkly hypnotic krautrock experience, put on Cluster’s first album and get swept up in the otherworldly sounds.

Formed by krautrock legends Manuel Göttsching and Klaus Schulze, Ash Ra Tempel released their legendary self-titled debut in 1971. Göttsching’s mind-altering guitar work and Schulze’s mesmerizing percussion and keyboards showcase a unique blend of technical ability and fluidity as the album’s free-form jams also sound cohesive and intentional. Progressive, psychedelic, calming, and climactic, Ash Ra Tempel’s first album is a krautrock essential, especially for those most interested in exploring the rock part. 

The debut album from Neu! helped pioneer the “motorik” beat, a 4/4 drumbeat that holds a steady rhythm with only occasional interruptions. This iconic rhythm became one of krautrock’s most recognizable creations as fellow German groups like Can and Kraftwerk also used the drumbeat to great effect. Beyond the album’s profound rhythmic influence on krautrock, psychedelic rock, post-punk, and indie rock, Neu!’s debut maintains an intoxicating balance of being driving, dreamy, droney, and dynamic all at the same time. 

Tangerine Dream’s third album Zeit takes you on a gloomy astral adventure that laid the foundation for dark ambient music back in 1972. The album moves through soothing ambient soundscapes and unsettling drones and strings to create a listening experience that oscillates between being meditative and nerve-wracking. Zeit also helped further establish the Berlin-School sound, a synthesizer-centric strain of krautrock that has been characterized by its space music atmospherics and its later influence on electronica, new-age, and trance.

Released to mixed reviews in 1974, Autobahn has since become recognized as a landmark krautrock record and a pivotal album for one of Germany’s most beloved musical exports. With Autobahn, Kraftwerk started to chart new musical territory by building songs around synthesizers and drum machines and incorporating pop sensibilities. This new approach led to the shortened single version of the title track becoming an international hit and Kraftwerk’s continued success as purveyors of experimental electronic pop.

Harmonia was formed by members of Neu! and Cluster and 1974’s Musik Von Harmonia proves that each member had so much creativity that they could easily contribute to more than one influential krautrock project. With three tape recorders and a primitive mixer, the band recorded themselves laying down layers of organ, piano, guitar, synthesizer, and electric percussion. The album’s mechanical feel, shimmering melodies, and ambient synth passages inspired Brian Eno to call Harmonia “the world’s most important rock band” and collaborate with the group for a project called Harmonia 76.

Klaus Dinger formed La Düsseldorf in 1975 after the original dissolution of Neu! Dinger was able to allow his playfulness, penchant for minimalism, and more aggressive tendencies to come to the forefront as La Düsseldorf’s debut features propulsive rhythms, light-hearted vocal approaches, and plenty of space for synths to swirl and pulsate. These expertly crafted krautrock songs would prove to have an immense influence on David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy and the emerging punk and post-punk scenes of the late 1970s.