Guru Guru | Artist

Guru Guru is a German krautrock band formed in 1968 in Heidelberg, Germany, by core trio Mani Neumeier (drums, percussion, vocals), Uli Trepte (bass), and Hans Sax (vocals). Ax Genrich (guitar, vocal) joined the band in 1970. Originally called The Guru Guru Groove, the band was highly left-wing politically oriented and associated with the Socialist German Student Union. Their shows were both extravagant and anarchistic. Some of the musicians lived together in a commune in the German Odenwald region and they were avid experimenters with hallucinogens, in particular LSD. Musically they were related to the free jazz music scene through their work with Swiss pianist Irène Schweizedr and through Neumeier, who had already won several jazz prizes for his unique drumming style. The band was also influenced by psych-rock artists, such as Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and early Pink Floyd. The band has released 25 studio albums and many excellent live albums. Standouts include their first three albums: UFO, Hinten and Känguru, plus the 1974 release Dance of the Flames. Mani Neumeier is still active with the band plus he has many solo albums to his credit. He is also one of the organisers of the annual Krautrock Festival Finkenbach.

Artist Website: mani-neumeier.de/guruguru/index.htm

Featured Albums: Guru Guru

Related Artists: Mani Neumeier, Agitation Free, Faust