Music Arcades: Hans-Joachim Roedelius: Geschenk des Augenblicks

This album is always linked in my mind to one of those gestalt memories of a specific moment that somehow stay with you for ever. The moment in question is in 1986 (or possibly late 1985) and I'm in my room on J Staircase, Buckingham Court. It's late, after midnight, so Peel has finished, and I'm winding down before bed. I put on the cassette I'd recorded of this record and made myself a cup of Horlicks. And then I caught myself: I'm drinking Horlicks and listening to pleasant piano music, and I'm only 20 fucking years old.

Now I'm more than twice the age, and my 20-year-old self would no doubt have guessed that I'd still be doing the same now, though probably not that I'd still be going along to see Sonic Youth play their '80s hits.

Going further back, to 28th July 1985, I persuaded Jeremy to come and see Hans-Joachim Roedelius at the Bloomsbury Theatre — part of the same series of events there that included Michael Nyman and Dagmar Krause. Roedelius was one of the first who made their names with synthesisers to abandon them in favour of conventional instruments. He played that night, unaccompanied, at the piano, dressed in white from his flowing shirt to his espadrilles. He played so delicately and quietly that, when Jeremy fell asleep, I had to nudge him lest the increased volume of his breathing disturb other listeners or even Roedelius himself (we were only about three or four rows back). It was the first time I'd seen a performer leave the stage at the front, rather the back, as he stepped down to talk to any of the audience who cared to engage him. I liked that; it made a point.

I think this was the first Roedelius album I came across and the first I bought, probably because it was on the Editions EG. Consulting my Roedelius bible, Stephen Iliffe's magisterial Painting with Sound, I see it gets two stars (out of three) and is apparently R's "first British release". Iliffe continues:

"His music has grown a bit too sweet (read New Age!)" complained Dag Erik Asbjornsen. But EG Records gives him a wider audience of folk unaware of the Cluster legend, not to mention an independent chart placing between Nick Cave and The Smiths.

Yes, there was a bit of New Age alarm going off when I listened, but not enough to spoil my wistful enjoyment, especially of the second side. And speaking of the Cluster legend, Guy emailed me a couple of days ago asking if I wanted to see Harmonia (that's Roedelius & Moebius of Cluster + Rother of Neu!), reformed apparently, in April at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Well, yes, I do.