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Krautrock


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41 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

As someone of 50% Germanic parentage

Me too - and I was born there!

However, I don't mind Kraut at all; it's as derogatory as the French calling the English Les Ros Bif, or Americans calling British Limeys.

It's nowhere near as bad as people shouting "Nazi" at you while doing the raised arm salute - as I did when aged about 6 growing up in rural Cheshire!

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15 minutes ago, Leonard Smalls said:

Me too - and I was born there!

However, I don't mind Kraut at all; it's as derogatory as the French calling the English Les Ros Bif, or Americans calling British Limeys.

It's nowhere near as bad as people shouting "Nazi" at you while doing the raised arm salute - as I did when aged about 6 growing up in rural Cheshire!

Yep, I had that and more besides. My mum's Italian, so I had 'spic' , 'eyetie' and 'wop' to contend with as well as 'kraut', 'nazi'. My (roast) beef with the word 'kraut' , as used by The Sun etc, is that it's not used in good, ribbing humour.

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Kraut, Hun, Fritz, Teds, Heinies (US), Mof (NL), Szwab (PL), Boche (F), Gummihals (CH), Hunni (FIN), Skopčák (CZ), and Piefke (A) are all pejorative terms that have been used to refer to Germans.

These appalling words must never (or, at least, very seldom) be used on BassChat because someone here might be offended even  - or especially - if they're not a German citizen. The phrase 'Sausage-scoffing squarehead' is expressly verboten as it falsely characterises Germans as being excessively preoccupied with pork products.

Equally de trop are problematic culinary-based references to other European nationals such as spaghetti slurpers (Italians) or garlic munchers (French) or - coming back to the offending term - Krauts (on the basis that many Germans are fond of a spot of fermented cabbage*  i.e. Sauerkraut )

It is as inappropriate today to slur entire nationalities on the basis of what they are perceived to eat as it was 100 years ago during the Great War when Austro-Hungarian soldiery mocked their German comrades as Marmeladinger (i.e. one who consumes marmalade) on the basis that Germans were given cheap, ersatz marmalade as part of their combat rations whereas Austrians had proper jam.

The Germans counter-attacked with spiteful remarks about the Austrians' boots, insulting their allies with the words Kamerad Schnürschuh, a reference to the necessity that said boots needed to be laced up rather than simply pulled on as per the standard issue German Army boot of the time. I do not know why this sort of ghastly bigotry was permitted on the battlefields of 1914-1918 but I think we should be told.

In any event, there's no place for that sort of thing here.

 

* Sauerkraut is actually quite nice both as a side dish and as an ingredient e.g. the popular French dish Choucroute Garni

 

Edited by skankdelvar
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1 hour ago, skankdelvar said:

In any event, there's no place for that sort of thing here.

I was at school with a lad called Smith, who loved to eat chitterlings.

Unsurprisingly, some wag called him 'Chitterling Smith', which stuck instantly and obviously.

He probably cried himself to sleep each night because of it.

 

Edited by Ricky 4000
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3 hours ago, Barking Spiders said:

As someone of 50% Germanic parentage (Austrian to be precise) I don't care for the term 'krautrock' as in the UK the word 'kraut' is always used in a derogatory context. Also it's a lazy way of lumping a disparate bunch of musicians who only have their nationality in common. 

Being 50% Austrian as well I totally agree. 

It's also not only German musicians who appear to be called 'krauts' by those who still hark back to the war (even when they are too young to have even been born then). Anyone with a 'middle European' accent appears to be grouped by this derogatory term (so the Austrians, Swiss and anyone else 'forin'). I do wish certain people in this country could be a bit more 'inclusive' and understanding of others from other backgrounds. 

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3 minutes ago, super al said:

2 pages in on a thread about Krautrock and nobody has mentioned Julian Cope have they?

I'm sure the arch drude wrote a book about it...never read it myself but I love a bit of Can and Neu.

Yep https://www.amazon.co.uk/Krautrocksampler-Heads-Guide-Kosmische-Onwards/dp/0952671913

Re Krautrock the word, might have had a long day but I'm so fed up of the lengthy interrogation of every word, concept and idea that appears to be de rigueur these days. Whatever we decided to label the music in question someone somewhere will be offended, if not by the reference to region then by the reference to style (Can, Amon Duul and Kraftwerk are rock?). So if we can't agree I suggest that we replace the term Kraut rock with ..... .... so as not to cause offence

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2 hours ago, Bleat said:

How about for the easily offended by every thing that we seemingly can't escape from anywhere, not even bloody Basschat now,  we call it "kosmische Musik"  to keep the peace?

There you go...sorted! 

.

 

I’m not sure it’s a case that people are more easily offended these days.

I think we’re being challenged to be more mindful of others and consider our choice of language, in a way that we perhaps didn’t do previously.

I actually don’t see that as a bad thing... 

I like your suggestion of “kosmische musik”! 

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1 hour ago, Beedster said:

Yep https://www.amazon.co.uk/Krautrocksampler-Heads-Guide-Kosmische-Onwards/dp/0952671913

Re Krautrock the word, might have had a long day but I'm so fed up of the lengthy interrogation of every word, concept and idea that appears to be de rigueur these days. Whatever we decided to label the music in question someone somewhere will be offended, if not by the reference to region then by the reference to style (Can, Amon Duul and Kraftwerk are rock?). So if we can't agree I suggest that we replace the term Kraut rock with ..... .... so as not to cause offence

Although he's admitted it's not terribly accurate, and the truth has been embellished in parts.

A good place to start are the Soul Jazz "Deutsche Elektronische Musik" compilations, here's v1, another two volumes (at least) are available.

https://open.spotify.com/album/3lwUtVJbbPyVvgyXKjRt2Q?si=0jMpU4k3Sm2CPkIy4JoJWg

Another couple I have bookmarked:

Cologne Curiosities : The Unknown Krautrock Underground 1972-1976 https://open.spotify.com/album/0bLqscEyXOX84uhcnthb6r?si=ZQFykuGpTQGShWl5LYbaPw

Mathias Modica presents Kraut Jazz Futurism https://open.spotify.com/album/2d2rP5ogmiaIIDPS9qDl2p?si=JKlhnAPTSQeV3wdk-jvWMA

 

Check out Volumes 1-4 of Kosmischer Laufer (see above), plus live EP - https://kosmischerlaufer.bandcamp.com/. There's an intricate back-story relating to electronic music being composed in secret to inspire and motivate the East German olympic teams in the 70s, which almost suspends disbelief long enough to forget it's actually a guy from Edinburgh doing it all over the last few years. (That's him on Live In Graz. "last chance for some jogging on the spot", ho ho)

 

 

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, Beedster said:

Yep https://www.amazon.co.uk/Krautrocksampler-Heads-Guide-Kosmische-Onwards/dp/0952671913

Re Krautrock the word, might have had a long day but I'm so fed up of the lengthy interrogation of every word, concept and idea that appears to be de rigueur these days. Whatever we decided to label the music in question someone somewhere will be offended, if not by the reference to region then by the reference to style (Can, Amon Duul and Kraftwerk are rock?). So if we can't agree I suggest that we replace the term Kraut rock with ..... .... so as not to cause offence

Could be a long day, but that term was hated at the time, so it’s not even de-riguer, it’s just de-riguerogatory.

But we should get back to the music

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I saw Faust (possibly FaUSt, I'm not sure of the difference) at Cafe Oto when live music was a thing.

It featured on the one hand an angle grinder on scrap metal in one song, and on the other throughout a lady was knitting onstage continuously through the set. A music of contrasts

 

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