One of the most original and innovative Krautrock bands, Embryo is fusing traditional ethnic music with their own jazzy space rock style.
[audio:Embryo – Abdul Malek.mp3]Over their 30-year existence, during which Christian Burchard has been the only consistent member, the group has traveled the world, playing with hundreds of different musicians and releasing over 20 records.
Originally a jazzy space rock group, Embryo was formed in 1969 in Munich, Germany, by former R&B and jazz organist Christian Burchard, Edgar Hofmann, Luther Meid, Jimmy Jackson, Dieter Serfas, Wolfgang Paap, Ingo Schmidt, and John Kelly. The lineup was already different by the time of the sessions for their debut album. The resulting record, Opal, is considered the band’s masterpiece of their early, more psychedelic sound. By the time of Embryo’s Rache, the group was already adding ethnic touches to their music.
In 1972, the same year they played at the Olympic Games in Munich, Embryo was invited by the Goethe Institute to tour Northern Africa and Portugal. In Morocco, the band was fascinated by the different tonal scales used by Moroccan musicians, profoundly shaping the group’s music to come. We Keep On, released in 1973, was the most successful album in the group’s career. After Surfin’ (1974) and Bad Heads and Bad Cats (1975), Burchard decided the band was moving in too commercial a direction and led them on an eight-month excursion to India, where they met local musicians. Shoba Gurtu, an Indian singer the band met during their travels, would later record an album with them, 1979’s Apo Calypso. Embryo also set up their own record label, Schneeball, with the rock band Checkpoint Charlie during this time.
Embryo | Opal
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=QEVA_0OLO-c
In 1979 the band started a nine month tour to India by bus, which was documented by the movie “Vagabunden Karawane”. Embryo developed from jazzy Krautrock to a world music band, which is able to merge different styles and trends.
________________________________________________________________
Embryo LIVE
presented by Experimontag
Monday, 14 November 2011 | 20:00 CET
Madame Claude | Lübbenerstr. 19 | 10997 Berlin/Kreuzberg
www.embryo.de | www.myspace.com/madame_claude
