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Joined: August 27 2006
Location: The Beach
Status: Offline
Points: 13489
Posted: August 19 2014 at 18:55
It's cool that Mani rates his Mani And Friends album highly, it really sounds more like a Kraan album with the guys from that band helping out a lot with this one.
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916
Posted: August 19 2014 at 06:42
Sure, Krautrock is often dumbed-down within the Prog-rock sub-genre........
Mani Neumeier is No.1 when it comes to classic 'Kraut' drummer people when I take all these complexities in.....
Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Offline
Points: 17510
Posted: February 25 2011 at 19:32
Vibrationbaby wrote:
Mani is not a man of many words. I like his "strange" English.
...
He doesn't have to be!
Between the kazoos the little horns and all the other little toys and effects, he has everything he needs to say the most with the least!
And think about this ... and how so much of this was considered very political at one time ... and then Mani's response in the last song of "Tango Fango" ... it was about having fun ... with the music, not the politics ... and he is still wonderful to enjoy ... specially when Ax also shows up! And the music was "it" ... not the politics ... as the example rips into Chuck Berry ... !!!
Edited by moshkito - February 25 2011 at 19:33
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com
Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Offline
Points: 17510
Posted: December 14 2010 at 21:11
Hi,
I wonder how much his English really prevented him from saying more.
Guru Guru has a lot more to tell us and the stories are endless from the commune days to the political days to the free concerts to the jokes about East Germany (heard the last song of Tango Fango yet?) ... and such ...
So far, only Helmut has been open about his experiences and the time and place. And he did say one thing that is really important and is really what Guru Guru was all about most of the time ... and that was totally out front improvisation and anything goes ... and something always comes ... and the surprises are endless.
It's hard to not think Mani such a great person and musician ... you see his band with yet another guitarist ... and it still sounds good and comes up with new material and it is not a repeat of his previous stuff. I'm not sure we can ask more of any musician than that. But it is also a tribute to his ability to feel the moment and allow it to spread and stretch and help the folks around him find something else and something new.
Should pair this up with his own writings on the Guru Guru website ... there is a lot of really good stuff that makes the creation of the "krautrock" idea really important and creative. And we must remember that this happened parallel other arts, and specially film and theater and literature. I can't speak for the painting stuff in that area at all.
Ready for the bomb now? ... Dream Theater could really use Mani right about now!
Edited by moshkito - December 14 2010 at 21:13
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com
Joined: February 13 2004
Status: Offline
Points: 6898
Posted: December 01 2010 at 10:46
Mani is not a man of many words. I like his "strange" English. I'm glad that I got everything right on the bio. It was kind of tough finding some details as not much has been written about the band suprisingly. I had to do a lot of translating. I'm sur a lot of people were suprised to find out that he was initially influenced by Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane & Miles Davs before he started with fusion experiments.
Good to see an interview with this legend and also great to hear that he is not running out of steam. The wax figure he is referring to can be seen on their website. It's pretty cool.
Let's start with your personal history.
Where were you born and what was your introduction to rock music,
which at that time was regarded as a bit “risky” for young people
?
I was born in Munich on 31.12. 1940. I
came from the Irene Schweizer Trio and I was the first freejazz
drummer in Germany and Europe. After I heard Jimi Hendrix I wanted to
play electric/amplified music. We - Uli Trepte bass and I started the
idea and concept of GURU GURU.
When and where was Guru Guru formed ?
By whom ? Who was your musical influences ?
This was spring 68,our first concert
was 4.aug. 68 in Heidelberg, Germany. We were influenced by Coltrane,
Miles, Monk, Coleman, Taylor, also by indian,african +other
worldmusic + stockhausen+all kind of natur + citysounds + noises.
How was your first gigs and how did you
get spotted by your first record label ?
Our first gigs where very
free,noisy,spacy improvised sounds,chaotic+loud and in the end always
police came. The pope of ,krautrock, -Kaiser was running for weeks
behind us to get us for his new label Ohr. First we did not want to
make a lp.
Each individual Guru Guru studio album
is pretty different from each other so it is only fair that we run
through each of them and you just add your own, short or long
comments to them and what type of music we can find on them.
Please tell us more about UFO from 1970
A milestone of the space/acid rock with
me, uli t.+ ax genrich guitar
…..Hinten from 1971
With Conny Plank on the mixing desk,
very compact and a great,clear sound. One of my favorits.
…...Känguru from 1972
Also produced with Conny, supersound,-
sold ca. 20.000
…....Guru Guru from 1973
First influences of rockn roll+others.
…...Don't Call Us We Call You from
1973
Influences of, world + red indian music
to hear.
….....Dance of the Flames from 1974
With Houschäng Nejadepur on guitar.
Influenced by Mahavishnu Orchestra.
…......Mani und seine Freunde from
1975
My first solo lp with musicians from,
kraan, + moebius(cluster) a.o. -very groovy album!
….......Tango Fango from 1976
Rock, pop, worldmusic, good produced -
sold ca. 20.000
…......Globetrotter from 1977
Rocky, spacy, with guests from
kraan...etc
…....Hey Du from 1979
Many different stiles, good produced,
sold good.
…...... Mani In Germani from 1981
Influenced by our USA tour, a bit
punky..
…........Guru Mani Neumeiers neue
Abenteuer from 1983
Thommy Patexx, key chowmeier, bass
-diff.stile-psycedelic too
….......Jungle from 1987
With Hans Reffert, guitar + other line
up new influences
…........Shake Well from 1993
With Luigi Archetti guitar.+ Rasem
Rübel, voc, bass spacy + rockn roll influenced
….......Wah Wah from 1995
with roland Schaeffer guitar + others,
psycadelic + rocky
…...... Moshi Moshi from 1997
+ l.archetti, Peter Kühmstedt
bass+H.Reffert guitar., a very nice record, many stiles, influ.by our
Japan tour
….......2000 Gurus from 2000
Same line up, used many loops +
el.drums, a bit loungy, spacy
….......In The Guru Lounge from 2005
Same people, rocky, loungy, jazzy
….. and finally; PSY from 2008
Same line up with guests , Chris
Karrer-Amon Düül 2- Helmut Hattler+Jan Fride- Kraan,
Moebius-Cluster, Uchihashi Japan...
You have also released a lot of live
and compilation albums. Is there any of them you highly recommend and
is there any of them you would warn us against ?
guru guru 2008 live....
22..in work...doublebind..
dec.2010
30 years guru guru live-98 ,-2 from 98
finkenbach festival with g.g. +musicians from ,can, ,-1 cd guru guru
live 1971,a good feeling!
1live cd 75, outcuts, bootleg,
not good
You have cooperated with Bo Diddeley
and other greats from the history of music. Please tell us more about
these co-operations.
no,,sorry ,we did not cooperate with bo
diddley, we only gave a song on ,,HINTEN his name.
Was Guru Guru ever a part of a music
scene or had any political affiliation during the 1970s which saw a a
lot of political activities in the then West-Germany with the
Baader-Meinhof gang and other leftist “movements” ?
Of course, we where and are still a
part of the music scene, with over 3000 concerts since 1968, on our
40 years jubilee tour we had 69 concerts in 2008.
Yes, we had political affilations with
the student movement and played sometimes in prisons.
What is your experiences with the
record labels and the rest of the music industry ?
The experiences with the rec.labels was
mostly not so good, they keep too much money for themself.
Your many live albums testify that Guru
Guru was and is an active live band. Please tell us more about Guru
Guru at stage.
Guru Guru on stage try to make more
than only a concert, it is like a happening and I have a warm
connection with the people. We want to make them happy.
What is your memories of Guru Guru and
how do you think Guru Guru will be remembered in the next 200 years ?
I have 1000 memories of Guru Guru. And
people will may be remember us for that music we made up with other
krautrockgroups and listen our cds.
And if my waxfigure in the Tokyo Wax
Museum is not melting away, people can still look at me, ManiSan of
Guru Guru.
Is there any of today's music and bands
you like ?
I like many,for instance
Acidmotherstemple or Afri Rampo of Japan or Gong...
What is the future plans for yourself
and Guru Guru ?
We play as long we can, bring out a new
cd ,doublealbum, make this year 55 concerts in Europe and I go to
Australia, New Zealand & Japan in 3 months and have gigs
holidays.
What is your all time five favourite
albums ?
Hinten, Känguru, Mani + Seine Freunde,
Moshi Moshi and the new one.
Anything you want to add to this
interview ?
Thank you for your interest and
questions and forgive me for my strange English.
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