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Agitation Free
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Agitation Free was a German experimental krautrock band. The band was formed in 1967 with Michael "Fame" Günther (bass), Lutz "Lüül" Ulbrich (guitar), Lutz Ludwig Kramer (guitar) and Christopher Franke (drums). They were initially called Agitation, a name they chose at random from a dictionary. The name later changed to Agitation Free as a reflection of their live performance style.
After losing guitarist Axel Genrich to Guru Guru in 1970 and drummer Christopher Franke to Tangerine Dream in 1971, the band recruited Jörg "Joshi" Schwenke (guitar), Burghard Rausch (drums), and Michael Hoenig (keyboards).
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Encyclopedia
Agitation Free was a German experimental krautrock band. The band was formed in 1967 with Michael "Fame" Günther (bass), Lutz "Lüül" Ulbrich (guitar), Lutz Ludwig Kramer (guitar) and Christopher Franke (drums). They were initially called Agitation, a name they chose at random from a dictionary. The name later changed to Agitation Free as a reflection of their live performance style.
After losing guitarist Axel Genrich to Guru Guru in 1970 and drummer Christopher Franke to Tangerine Dream in 1971, the band recruited Jörg "Joshi" Schwenke (guitar), Burghard Rausch (drums), and Michael Hoenig (keyboards). They released their debut album, Malesch in 1972 on the Music Factory label. The album was inspired by their tour through Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus, sponsored by the German Goethe Institute. Later that year, they performed at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
A second album was released in 1973, but the band disbanded in 1974. Agitation Free reunited in 1998 and released River Of Return in 1999.
The band is included on the Nurse With Wound list.
Musical Style and Sound
Agitation Free's music is psychedelic, experimental krautrock with elements of spaced-out ambient, experimental electronic, and drone. Their music for the most part consists of driving organ-patterned drone-like rock, seamless psychedelic cosmic musical textures with intricate musicianship and musical variety, hard, driving rock similar to Amon Duul II but more compelling, refined, and developed, and jamming that occasionally invokes the interplay and styles of Garcia, Weir and Lesh of the Grateful Dead. Their music features frequently great musical interplay and great playing, great textures, melodies and grooves. Many of their songs have a trance-inducing, psychedelic, and pressing, feel, usually with a bold sound.
Their first album 'Malesch' is much more cosmic, aggressive, psychedelic, creative, mysterious and densely packed with ideas whereas their second, titled '2nd' is more laid-back and upbeat, with longer structures and a more straightforward sound. On 'Malesch' the songs blend together to make a seamlessly flowing and uninterrupted musical journey, whereas on '2nd' songs are more predictably structured, more varied in their sound, and stand more as independent works.
Their sound is similar to, but at the same time fairly distinguished from, other contemporary Krautrock bands such as Ash Ra Tempel, Amon Duul II, Guru Guru, Brainticket, Yatha Sidhra, and Kalacakra as well as the Grateful Dead (with hints of the Allman Brothers), and slightly later bands like Asia Minor and Anyone's Daughter.
Discography
- Malesch (1972)
- 2nd (1973)
- Last (released 1976, recorded live 1974)
- Fragments CD-ROM (1995) month unknown BMG
- Fragments (released 1996, recorded live 1974) Spalax
- At the Cliffs of River Rhine (released 1998, recorded live 1974) Garden of Delights
- The other sides of Agitation Free (released 1999, recorded 1974–75)
- River Of Return (Reunion) (1999) month unknown
External links
Other Sources (Books)
- Ulbrich, Lutz: „Lüül". Ein Musikerleben zwischen Agitation Free, Ashra, Nico, der Neuen Deutschen Welle und den 17 Hippies“ – Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf – Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-89602-696-8
- Ehnert, Günter: Rock in Deutschland: Lexikon dt. Rockgruppen u. Interpreten / Günter Ehnert ; Detlef Kinsler. - Orig.-Ausg., (3., aktualisierte u. erw. Aufl.). - Hamburg : Taurus Press, 1984. - 434 S. ; 18 cm, ISBN 3-922542-16-6
- Christian Graf: "Rocklexikon Deutschland". Verlag Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, 2002, ISBN 3896022733
- Frank Laufenberg, Ingrid Laufenberg: Frank Laufenbergs Hit-Lexikon des Rock und Pop., Ullstein Tb., Oktober 2002. ISBN 3-5483-6362-8
- Christian Graf, Burghard Rausch: Rockmusiklexikon Europa, Bd. 1., Fischer Tb., Frankfurt Juli 2005. ISBN 3-5961-6428-1
- Christian Graf, Burghard Rausch: Rockmusiklexikon Europa, Bd. 2., Fischer Tb., Frankfurt Juli 2005. ISBN 3-5961-6429-X
- Christian Graf, Burghard Rausch: Rockmusiklexikon Amerika, Afrika, Asien, Australien, Fischer Tb, Frankfurt Oktober 2003. ISBN 3-5961-5869-9
- Tibor Kneif: Sachlexikon Rockmusik. Instrumente, Stile, Techniken, Industrie und Geschichte, Reinbek b. Hamburg: Rowohlt, überarbeitete und erweiterte Ausgabe 1980. ISBN 3-499-16223-7 (Lexikon und Beispielsammlung aus Rock ’n’ Roll, Rhythm & Blues, Jazz rock, Funk metal, Country rock, Folk rock, Blues rock, Hard rock, Punk, New Wave sowie ein Register)
- Tibor Kneif: Rockmusik. Ein Handbuch zum kritischen Verständnis. Mit einem Beitrag von Carl-Ludwig Reichert, Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt, 1982. ISBN 3-499-16279-2 (mit einem Kapitel über die Grundlagen der Rockmusik, z. B. Elemente, Instrumente und stilistische Wurzeln sowie Materialien zu einer Theorie der Rockmusik, ihrer Soziologie, Ästhetik und Geschichte)
- Artemy Troitsky: "Rock in Russland: Rock und Subkultur in der UdSSR", Hannibal-Verlag, Wien 1989. ISBN 3-85445-046-X
- Zöller, Christa. Rockmusik als jugendliche Weltanschauung und Mythologie. Religion und Biographie, Bd. 2. Münster: Lit. 2000. ISBN 978-3-8258-4517-9
- Steven & Alan Freeman: The Crack in the Cosmic Egg 1996, Audion Publ., Leicester ISBN 0-962506-0-X
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