Klangbad Records is the home of some of the most creative and experimental musicians in Germany. Faust is probably the most famous of them all, with a history stretching back to 1971. The label also has a number of non-German artists like the Russian experimentalists Ole Lukkøye, the folk-trance project Kangaroo Moon from the UK, and others.

Every year, Klangbad hosts a concert festival that has some of their best musicians as well as some from other labels. The Klangbad Festival is being held from August 1-3 this year, in the southern German town of Scheer. But, for the first time ever, the festival’s creators have decided to broadcast the entire 3-day performance live and free online. This is a fantastic idea that lets you check out the action even if you are simply too far away to actually attend the festival. Don’t miss it!

Who is performing at the Klangbad Festival this year? The major headliners on the first 2 days will be Mouse On Mars, one of Germany’s most influential electronic groups, and of course Klangbad’s own legend, Faust. Other big name artists include Bernadette la Hengst and Band, Kammerflimmer Kollektief, Jolly Goods, Pram, and Olafur Arnalds, along with dozens of other lesser-known musicians playing a wide range of musical styles. You can see the full list of artists and when they will be playing on the Klangbad Festival website.

Faust is well known as one of the earliest and best Krautrock bands, starting in 1971 in the small village of Wümme, Germany. In that same year, they released their debut, also called Faust, on a clear 12-inch vinyl record. While this first album never really sold in big numbers, it did receive lots of acclaim and established a solid fanbase that would stay with the band for decades. Now, after 36 long years, the first Faust album will be available once again, starting today. Not only will you be able to get it on the modern format of a CD, but Faust will also be re-released as an exact reproduction of the original clear vinyl. The vinyl version will have the original clear cover with screenprinted x-ray image and the clear plastic inserts with red lyrics, as well.

I would say this is something any German music buff needs to have in their collection, but I also know that Faust can be a bit of an aquired taste to say the least. Personally, I love all the old, historically important German music like this. In fact, I’m listening to a live Faust performance right now. But I would say this is something you need to hear first before hopping over to some website to buy it.

The latest Radio Goethe podcast opens with some music that hasn’t even been released yet: 2 new tracks from Einstürzende Neubauten’s forthcoming album Alles Wieder Offen. It will be released in late October (more details in a future post) but why wait until then to start listening to it? The first half of the show is rounded out with some more experimental-electronic songs including a great remix of Faust’s “Wir Brauchen Dich #6″ from the remix album Freispiel, as well as the original version of “T-Electronique” which can be found on their Ravvivando album. (The original version of “Wir Brauchen Dich #6″ can also be found on Ravvivando.)

If you like the Faust you hear, I really recommend checking out the album he did with Dälek, an indie-hip-hop musician from New Jersey. I know what you’re thinking… I was hesitant at first, too, but Dälek is nothing at all like your typical hip-hop music, and their music combined with the incredible experimentation of Faust make for an absolutely amazing fusion of sounds that is unlike anything I have heard before or since. The album, Derbe Respect Alder, also features a modified version of the song “T-Electronique” from this podcast.

Getting back to the show, the second half is a mini-special focusing on the final album by Sonic Front which was just recently released. You can listen to the Radio Goethe podcast either by subscribing to it on iTunes or simply by streaming it from the Radio Goethe website by clicking on “Listen to the latest show” at the top of the page.

The new Radio Goethe podcast
Einstürzende Neubauten: Die Wellen
Einstürzende Neubauten: Alles Wieder Offen
Dave Ball & Ingo Vauk: Wir Brauchen Dich #6
Faust: T-Electronique
Mathias Schaffhäuser: Hey little girl
Sonic Front: White out
Sonic Front: 36 Below
Sonic Front: Forgetting is bliss
Sonic Front: Common ground
Sonic Front: Crazy
Sonic Front: Wave Goodbye