peter brötzmann

Peter Brötzmann - Machine Gun

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"Though Machine Gun (the original sleeve is pictured left) is certainly a dyed-in-the-wool classic, the two years of music surrounding it are equally worth considering. Breuker was active in the Instant Composers’ Pool starting in 1967, and had already recorded the large-scale work “Litany For The 14th Of June 1966” on Relax Records. Kowald was in the Swiss trio of drummer Pierre Favre and pianist Iréne Schweizer; they recorded Santana (PIP, 1968) later reissued on FMP. Parker at the time also worked with Pierre Favre’s group, recording for Wergo in 1968, and shortly thereafter joined Tony Oxley’s unit. Niebergall and Johansson were working in trumpeter Manfred Schoof’s group, which also included Gerd Dudek and Alexander von Schlippenbach. Johansson had augmented and then replaced drummer Jaki Liebezeit (later of Can).
There was a lot of music being made under the banner of “European free improvisation,” most of it equally arresting and just as heavy as Machine Gun. But the fact that Brötzmann’s ensemble is an international swath of players on the European free music scene is what makes it especially unique. Sadly, most of the connections it draws are beset by scant recorded availability.
It’s uncertain if Machine Gun and its brethren are the soundtrack for Vietnam, the Left Bank revolt or the washing away of Germany’s Great War legacy. The session isn’t exactly “dated,” even as Brötzmann and company have clearly evolved as musicians and composers since that time. In fact, it’s a blueprint for bands like Mats Gustafsson’s The Thing (hear them do “Ride the Sky”) and has fueled recent combinations of Ayler-esque fervor with punk-rock energy.
Certainly the natural reverb provided by Lila Eule contributed to its legacy as a stamp of presence for European improvisers (though I prefer the live recording as it separates the drummers), so dense is its aesthetic—not to mention that the title is often misconstrued as a veritable riot if not an assertion of purpose. It’s hard to say whether Machine Gun makes one want to take to the streets, but it does inspire a yell—and more than a few grins."

sounds like: machine guns, stabbings, rusty wheels, fun