| Qua | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 21, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | November 2008 | |||
| Studio | Seventh Chance Studio, Maumee, Ohio, US | |||
| Genre | Krautrock, electronic | |||
| Length | 54:40 | |||
| Label | Nepenthe | |||
| Producer | Tim Story | |||
| Cluster chronology | ||||
| ||||
Qua is the eleventh and final album by German Krautrock band Cluster, released in May 2009 on Nepenthe Music. It is the band's twelfth studio album and first in fourteen years.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| Classic Rock |   |
| Drowned in Sound | (7/10) [3] |
AllMusic's Wilson Neate wrote that Qua proves that Cluster still have something "relevant" and "credible" to contribute musically, as the album "conjures imaginary cinematic sequences in both spartan monochrome and rich Technicolor, spanning diverse moods: from the austere, droning 'Xanesra' and the somber, hymnal 'Flutful' to the playful 'Albtrec Com' and 'So Ney'." [1] Nick Neyland of Drowned in Sound described the album as "another bend in the road for Cluster, another set of songs knotted up in dead ends, another tiny coterie of bewildering puzzles. It’s also another chance to hear them never quite get to where they’re going to, and that still feels like the perfect space for them to operate in." [3] Hannah Gregory of The Quietus said that throughout the album, "the meandering experimentation is scripted with Cluster's still flowing, indelible ambient ink." [4] Louis Pattison of Uncut complimented Cluster for "maintaining a commendable consistency" on an album that contains songs of such divergent styles. [5]
All tracks composed by Moebius/Roedelius.
Credits for Qua adapted from AllMusic. [6]
Cluster & Eno is a collaborative album by the German electronic music group Cluster and English ambient musician Brian Eno. The style of this album is a collection of gentle melodies: a mixture of Eno’s ambient sensibilities and Cluster's avant-garde style.
Cluster were a German musical duo consisting of Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius, formed in 1971 and associated with West Germany's krautrock and kosmische music scenes. Born from the earlier Berlin-based group Kluster, they relocated to the countryside village of Forst, Lower Saxony in 1971, where they built a studio and collaborated with musicians such as Conny Plank, Brian Eno, and Michael Rother; with the latter, they formed the influential side-project Harmonia. After first disbanding in 1981, Cluster reunited several times: from 1989 to 1997, and from 2007 to 2010.
Harmonia was a West German musical "supergroup" formed in 1973 as a collaboration between members of two prominent krautrock bands: Cluster's Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius joined by Neu! guitarist Michael Rother. Living and recording in the rural village of Forst, the trio released two albums—Musik von Harmonia (1974) and Deluxe (1975)—to limited sales before dissolving in 1976. In 1997, a series of shelved 1976 collaborations with British musician Brian Eno saw release as Tracks and Traces. Following the release of the live album Live 1974 (2007), the trio reformed between 2007 and 2009. In 2015, Grönland Records released the 6-disc box set Complete Works, featuring remastered recordings and archival material.
After the Heat is a 1978 album by Brian Eno, Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius, credited to "Eno Moebius Roedelius". The album represents the second collaboration by the trio, the first being 1977's Cluster & Eno. As with the previous album, After the Heat was created in collaboration with the influential "krautrock" producer Conny Plank.
Zuckerzeit is the third full-length album by German band Cluster, released in 1974 on Brain Records. It was co-produced by Michael Rother, their bandmate in side-project Harmonia. The music on Zuckerzeit marks a shift from Cluster's abrasive early work toward a more rhythmic, pop-oriented sound.
Dieter Moebius was a Swiss-born German electronic musician and composer, best known as a member of the influential krautrock bands Cluster and Harmonia.
Kluster was a Berlin-based German experimental musical group formed in 1969 by Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Conrad Schnitzler, and Dieter Moebius. Their improvisational work presaged later industrial music. The original Kluster was short-lived, existing only from 1969 until mid-1971 when Conrad Schnitzler left and the remaining two members renamed themselves Cluster. Schnitzler later revived the band from 1971 to 1973 and then from 2007 until his death in 2011.
Begegnungen is a Sky Records 1984 collection of music by Brian Eno, Dieter Moebius, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Conny Plank, compiled from these seven solo and collaborative albums released by Sky between 1976 and 1983:
Großes Wasser is the seventh album by the electronic music outfit Cluster. It was co-produced by former Tangerine Dream member Peter Baumann. Großes Wasser marked the return to Cluster working as a duo of Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius after two albums collaborating with Brian Eno.
Hans-Joachim Roedelius is a German electronic musician and composer. He is best known as a co-founder of the influential krautrock groups Cluster and Harmonia, and for his work in the ambient jazz trio Aquarello.
Cluster is the debut studio album by German electronic music outfit Cluster. It was recorded in 1971 and released the same year by record label Philips. It is also the only album on which producer Conny Plank is credited as a member.
Curiosum is the ninth album by the electronic music outfit Cluster. It was also the final collaboration between Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius before an eight-year hiatus.
Apropos Cluster is a full-length studio album by Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius also known as German electronic music outfit Cluster. It was also their first album after an eight-year-long hiatus.
Musik von Harmonia is the debut album from the influential German krautrock group Harmonia, released in January 1974 by Brain Records. Formed by the addition of Neu! guitarist Michael Rother to Cluster, they recorded the album from June to November 1973 in Cluster's Forst recording studio. It was self-produced by the group using a primitive mixer and three tape recorders.
Tracks and Traces is a collaborative album by German kosmische supergroup Harmonia and British musician Brian Eno, initially credited to Harmonia '76. Eno joined the group at Harmonia's studio in Forst, Germany for the September 1976 recording sessions.
Durch die Wüste is the first full-length solo album by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, best known for his work with Cluster, Harmonia, and Aquarello. The title is German for "Through the Desert."
Returnal is the fourth studio album by American electronic musician Daniel Lopatin under the alias Oneohtrix Point Never, released on June 22, 2010 by Mego Records. It develops the synthesizer-based compositions of Lopatin's previous work, while also incorporating elements of noise music and his own processed vocals. The album received positive reviews from critics, and was named among the best albums of 2010 by several publications, including FACT, The Wire, and Tiny Mix Tapes.
Bureau B is an independent record label, music publisher and booking agency from Hamburg, Germany, founded in 2005 by Gunther Buskies as a sister label to Tapete Records. The label releases varieties of electronic, free-spirited music, with the spectrum ranging from pop to avant-garde. The label has amassed an extensive catalogue of reissues and new productions, including classics from the genre of electronic music in the 1970s and early 1980s popularly classified as Krautrock, alongside new recordings by such formative artists as Faust, Kreidler, Roedelius, Tietchens, Moebius.
Live 1974 is the only live album released by the highly influential krautrock group Harmonia. It was recorded live in concert on 23 March 1974 at Penny Station in Griessem, Germany. The live album was released in 2007 by Grönland Records. Its release sparked enough interest in the group to convince them to reform in order to promote the album.
I Shall Die Here is the fourth studio album by American sludge metal band The Body. Released on April 1, 2014 through RVNG Intl. record label, the album was produced by British electronic musician The Haxan Cloak.