#manuel göttsching

[c-40]

A-T-4 005 Manuel Göttsching - E2-E4

I'm going straight in with what is probably the most enduring and influential pieces of electronic ambient music of 1984. Of all of Manuel Göttsching's compositions E2-E4 was one that has crossed over to fans of Dub Reggae, Disco, Prog Rock, Techno, Vapour Wave, and a many more musical styles

Any nerd will tell you it was recorded in December 1981 but it didn't see a release date until 1984. E2-E4 is a performance recorded for himself in a single take one December evening. Its intention was to help Göttsching wind down from a recent long tour. "“I was flying to Hamburg the next day and I thought I’d record something to listen to on my Walkman during the flight,” says Göttsching. The piece was improvised and entirely in the moment."[2]  There was something about the recording that he couldn't just shelve alongside the many other tapes he'd made for this purpose over the years, he knew he'd hit on something different and special. In interviews from the late 2010s Göttsching continually highlights his delight at how well the recording had come out from a technical point of view. When a friend said he would love to release something by him on their new independent record label E2-E4 was ready to go. Göttsching was a key member of Ash Ra Tempel and he released solo work as Ashra he decided not to do that with E2-E4 and for the first time puts something out under his own name

The initial reaction in Berlin was negative, it was described as "muzak"[2]. In a 2019 interview with LoudAnd Quiet, Göttsching said "“The newspapers said I have not understood anything in the modern developments of electronic music,” Göttsching says of the initial reactions from Germany. “They said I should better listen to Depeche Mode.” The Berlin Magazine apologised to Göttsching a decade later, saying they probably made a big mistake."[1] Luckily E2-E4 was picked up by djs in New York, all articles point at Larry Levan introducing it into the New York club scene of the 1980s. “I was a bit surprised people were actually dancing to it,” says Göttsching now. “I didn’t record it in the sense of a dance piece. The drums were very in the background, and it’s not really a ‘bom bom bom’ bass”[1]

Like many people I first heard E2-E4 when it was used as the backbone of 1989 italo house classic Sueno Latino. It was hidden in plain sight as Balearic Mike discovers "One early Italian pressing [of Sueno Latino] on DFC even names the track, E2-E4"[3]

Manuel Göttsching died just over a-year-ago on December 4, 2022

Last year the supermarket chain ASDA did a range of homewares, duvets/bathmats/etc in a checkerboard with the same coffee and cream colour way that the sleeve of E2-E4 has, it reminded me of the record

It's a stunning piece of music. Hear it in its entirety below

quotes

[1] https://www.loudandquiet.com/interview/the-story-of-e2-e4-manuel-gottschings-accidental-masterpiece/

[2] https://thevinylfactory.com/features/manuel-gottsching-e2-e4/

[3]https://banbantonton.com/2023/01/22/balearic-mikes-musical-diets-in-memory-of-manuel-gottsching/

[ordosmarkzero]

Ashra - Deep Distance

[seymourmusicclub]

MANUEL GÖTTSCHING - LIVE @ FREEDOMMUNE 0＜ZERO＞

[zef-zef]

Album art for:

Manuel Göttsching - E2-E4

1-4  LP (Inteam GmbH, 1984) 5-10 CD (Spalax, 1992)

[fuchinobe]

(1990, Nutmeg, NC-2018)

VERY cool Japanese lover’s take on Manuel Göttsching’s E2-E4. 

[jacobwren]

Manuel Göttsching - E2-E4 (Full Length Version) - 1981/1984

[vsthepomegranate]

Ash Ra Tempel (1971)

by Ash Ra Tempel

[theoszczepanski]

Manuel Göttsching, the legendary German musician who led Krautrock group Ash Ra Tempel before producing landmark composition E2-E4, has died at the age of 70.

[musickickztoo]

RIP  Manuel Göttsching

[spilladabalia]

Manuel Göttsching - E2 E4 clip

[dendre]

[lastdreamofdreams]

Rip Manuel Göttsching 💔

[mariuccia]

[radiophd]

hoenig / göttsching -- early water [album, 1995]