Der Osten Ist Rot

Upon examining the eventful life of Can bassist Holger Czukay, one might come to the conclusion that this intrepid musician was a loner. His turbulent career exuded an enduring eccentricity governed by a boundless free spirit. Yet Czukay, who passed away unexpectedly in 2017 at the age of 79, constantly emphasized that his creativity was always contingent upon a musical partner, whether that was a skin-and-bones counterpart or an anonymous manifestation that interacted with him through radio waves or, as happened later, the internet. Nonetheless, most of his partners were of flesh and blood. His post-Can career comprised a string of solo albums as well as collaborations on albums, singles and remixes. 1984's Der Osten Ist Rot and 1987's Rome Remains Rome both continued Czukay's fascination with tape loops, short wave radios, dictaphones, dub reggae, and early sampling technology to create delightfully warped, cut-up compositions imbued with mystery, sentimentality, and humor.