After being asked by several people what “Krautrock” is—or what I meant when I used the term “Kraut-jam”—I decided to do a post that focused on the genre. So for today, I’m honored to present to you a special Krautrock playlist curated by my good friend Mike Newman from Beyond Beyond is Beyond. You can hear more from Mr. Newman by tuning into his radio show every Thursday from 12-2PM on East Village Radio.

From Mike Newman:

Hey there! I was excited when DGB asked me to assemble a playlist a of some of my favorite Krautrock jams. So here we go! Well, first of all, I think people have different ideas of what Krautrock is. To some it is simply rock made by Germans in the late 60s and 70s. To others it comes more down to style: the motorik drumming, the nod to experimental electronic music, the ambient textures, the avant garde. And some that prescribe to the latter, don’t even consider being German a crucial element, so long as it checks out in the other categories.

I like the jumble. The uncertainty. The gummi distinctions.

What I’ve got here for you today is some of my favorite Kraut rock. Dig it…

01 Exmagma – Box 25
02 Can – Mother Sky
03 Amon Duul II – A Morning Excuse
04 Kraan – Andy Nogger
05 Faust – Flashback Caruso
06 Hairy Chapter – Illusions
07 Andy Goldner – Full Moon
08 Ashra – Oasis
09 Frumpy – I’m afraid, Big Moon
10 Cluster – Zum Wohl
11 Birth Control – We All Thought We Knew
12 Epitaph – Big City
13 Lake – Scoobie Doobies
14 Popol Vuh – Get Up
15 Niagara – Bones
16 Scorpions – It All Depends
17 Kin Ping Meh – My Future
18 Agitation Free – Atlantic Overcrossing
19 Kraftwerk – Autobahn