Manuel Göttsching | Artist
Manuel Göttsching was a German experimental musician and composer born 1952 in Berlin. As the leader of the groups Ash Ra Tempel and Ashra in the 1970s and 80s, as well as a solo artist, he was one of the most influential guitarists of the Krautrock genre. He also participated in the Cosmic Jokers sessions. His style and technique influenced dozens of artists in the ambient and Berlin School of electronic music scenes in the 1980s and 1990s. In school, Göttsching played Stones, Beatles and Who songs with a cover band. However upon hearing Blue Cheer's proto-metal cover of "Summertime Blues" and learning about the free jazz movement, Göttsching and his bandmates were inspired to pursue a freer, more improvisatory approach to music. Ash Ra Tempel was born in 1970. "We didn't play blues" Göttsching recalls, "we used some elements of it but tried to keep the freestyle of improvisation and using some blues themes." Along with Göttsching, the group included Klaus Schulze, who had just left Tangerine Dream, and Hartmut Enke. Just after Ash Ra Tempel released its superb self-titled debut album in 1971, Schulze left to pursue what became a successful solo career. In 1974, Göttsching set up his own studio, and released his first solo album Inventions for Electric Guitar. He was joined by Lutz Ulbrich as second guitar player, and church organ player John Strawn on synthesizer. Gottsching went on to release a total of 15 studio albums. The first three albums Inventions For Electric Guitar (1975), New Age of Earth (1977), and E2-E4 (1964) mark the peak of his creative output, however the artist also released several fine albums in the mid '70s working with Schulze and others in the Cosmic Jokers collective, plus his work with Ash Ra Tempel. In 2000, Göttsching and Klaus Schulze released a final studio album and a live album as Ash Ra Tempel. The live album was recorded as part of the Cornucopia concerts curated by Julian Cope at the Royal Festival Hall in London. While Göttsching never imagined that people would dance to his masterpiece, 1984's E2-E4, the immersive track's gradual melodic transitions held appeal for a new generation of music producers, from techno artists in Detroit to acid house acts in the U.K. It has been continuously remixed and sampled ever since. Göttsching died on 4 December 2022, at the age of 70.
Artist Website: ashra.com
Featured Albums: Manuel Göttsching
Related Artists: Ash Ra Tempel, Cosmic Jokers, Manuel Gottsching
Video Clips: Interview, Live 2018, Live 2013
