After The Heat by Eno, Moebius and Roedelius

In 1977, Brian Eno went to Germany to collaborate with Cluster and the renowned producer Conny Plank at his studio in Forst. From these first sessions came the album “Cluster & Eno” (1977), a sonic journey marked by ethereal, melodic and pastoral atmospheres.  The following year, the trio chose to continue this fruitful partnership, giving birth to “After the Heat”.

Some biographical notes.

Eno, born in London in 1948, began his musical career in the early ’70s as a keyboardist and sound manipulator in the glam-rock band Roxy Music. After leaving the group, he released highly successful art-pop albums, such as “Another Green World”, and officially coined the term “Ambient Music” with the album “Ambient 1: Music for Airports” (1978).  Eno also established himself as one of the most influential producers in history, working on David Bowie’s celebrated “Berlin Trilogy” (Low, “Heroes”, Lodger) and collaborating with artists such as Talking Heads, U2 and Coldplay.

Hans-Joachim Roedelius, born in Berlin in 1934, was a key figure in the German experimental music scene. In 1967, he co-founded Berlin’s Zodiak Free Arts Lab, a true landmark for artists of the time.  As part of the duo Cluster, Roedelius brought a romantic, poetic and pastoral touch, blending acoustic piano and keyboards with evocative electronic atmospheres.  He also released many solo albums, exploring neo-classical and ambient minimalism, and continuing to experiment even at an advanced age.

Dieter Moebius, born in St. Gallen in 1944 and sadly deceased in 2015, was an art student who joined Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler in Kluster (which later became Cluster). Moebius added a strong visual sense to the group’s music.  In the duo, he embodied the more jagged, rhythmic and noise-driven soul, focusing on the manipulation of analog synthesizers, tapes and self-built effects. Beyond Cluster, Moebius founded the influential supergroup Harmonia (again with Roedelius and Michael Rother of Neu!) and collaborated for a long time with producer Conny Plank.

After the Heat, compared to its predecessor, comes across with a more complex, dark and layered structure.  On this album, Brian Eno returns to singing on three memorable tracks: Broken Head, The Belldog and Tzima N’Arki. The lyrics, written by Eno himself, are full of poetic and surreal images that recall his solo albums, especially Before and After Science.  A special touch is added by the bass contribution of Holger Czukay, an important figure from Can, on the closing song Tzima N’Arki.  The record’s unique sound is the result of the collaboration between Eno and Conny Plank, who used the recording studio as a true musical instrument, helping with co-production and sound engineering.

The album is split into two clearly distinct parts: side A, with its instrumental ambient compositions, and side B, with its experimental vocal tracks. 

After the Heat is a landmark work, a perfect blend of pop avant-garde and minimalist electronics. The rhythmic ideas and the innovative use of analog synthesizers on this LP paved the way for new wave, ’80s synth-pop and the later evolution of IDM electronic music. Beautiful and hugely important.

My Version

Label: Bureau B – BB 030
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Country: Germany
Released: 2009

Tracklist

A1        Oil    4:10
A2        Foreign Affairs    3:10
A3        Luftschloss    3:05
A4        The Shade    3:05
A5        Old Land    4:10
B1        Base & Apex    4:25
B2        Light Arms    1:25
B3        Broken Head    5:20
B4        The Belldog    6:35
B5        Tzima N'arki 4:30

LineUp

Engineer – Conny Plank
Lyrics By – Eno
Performer [Played By] – Eno, Cluster, Moebius, Roedelius
Producer – Eno, Plank, Moebius, Roedelius