E2 - E4 [Import]

1. Quiet Nervousness

2. Moderate Start

3. And Central Game

4. Promise

5. Queen a Pawn

6. Glorious Fight

7. H.R.H. Retreats (With a Swing)

8. And Sovereignty

9. Draw

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
French reissue of the German electronica act's 1984 album features 9 tracks. Spalax Music. 1992.

E2 - E4,Manuel Gottsching,Spalax,Pop,Rock/Pop

E2 - E4 [Import]

Average customer rating:

Blissful and amazing
A Krautrock Landmark
historic or moronic?
Quite simply my favourite record of all time
A Techno-Trance Milestone

E2-E4
Manuel Göttsching
Manufacturer: Spalax
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Deluxe

ASIN: B00004UXUC
Release Date: 2003-12-02

Tracks:

Quiet Nervousness
Moderate Start
And Central Game
Promise
Queen a Pawn
Glorious Fight
H.R.H. Retreats (With a Swing)
And Sovereignty
Draw

Album Description

French reissue of the German guitarist's 1984 album features 9 tracks. the one solo track of Manuel Gottsching, E2-E4 is genuine, and set the trend for Techno/Trance/House music almost a full decade before it became one. A masterwork from an essential master. Spalax Music. 1992.

Customer Reviews:

Blissful and amazing.......2006-08-03

Listening to this album makes an hour go by in what seems like minutes. In short E2-E4 is a wonderous work of musical accomplishment. I am glad to have stumbled upon this album (ultimately by reading Amazon lists from various Tangerine Dream fans) I was curious and looking for something new and exciting. The simple but attractive cover design also triggered some curiousity in me I must admit. Something drew me to this album and I am thankful.

Do not let the words "electronic" and "avante garde" scare you off. There is melody and bliss to be found in abundance here. The album is worth the ticket price. I feel it is my duty to pass along this torch of greatness. Share this one. It's a keeper!

A Krautrock Landmark.......2006-06-24

At the turn of Sixties and intensely through the first half of the Seventies, German Rock and Electronica influenced music all over the Western World. CAN, or Kraftwerk or even Ash Ra Tempel-- Gottsching's group--influenced different but important artists here, from Talking Heads to Anthony Kiedis, David Bowie or even Johnny Rotten.

Gottsching's second solo album--"E2-E4"--leaves behind the brand of Space Rock he helped invent for a crisp but extremely poetic dialogue between his guitar and Electronica. More human than Kraftwerk, Gottsching travels similar but less paved landscapes than the classic Autobhan.

Along with Michael Strother and CAN's Michael Karoli, one of the best guitar players of Rock and Electronica to ever come out from Germany. This album is a classic, a classic that remains adventurous even after almost thirty years.

historic or moronic?.......2005-08-06

Yeah, recommmended to me by a friend who, like, i trust, right, but a bit underwhelming, like, overall. I can listen to other electonic pioneers, like Kraftwerk, Harmonia, and be musically satisfyed AND be in awe of the innovation. Here, i find myself in awe of the innovation, while the music is not quite at that level. Still, worth digging up. I'm not a huge trance fan per se either, so i find myself rejoicing rather less then others that it was invented here. Just think, if this record had'nt been created, what would morons listen to on the beach in Goa? Probably something equally rubbish. Still, you can't blame this for all the kacky derivations it indirectly inspired of course (like you can't blame Robert Johnson for Eric Clappers, or the Stones for the Black Crowes, or Dylan for the Wallflowers....although maybe you can with some genetic precision there), so lets not get carried away. An interesting, lush listen, of historic note. For god's sake don't make this your only excursion into Krautrock though, many more treasures await. No i'm not telling you which ones, find them yourself, bumbrain.

Quite simply my favourite record of all time.......2004-12-22

A seminal work, nothing else to say. If you don't own this record then buy it.

A Techno-Trance Milestone.......2003-05-08

After many years performing with Ash Ra Tempel (who later became Ashra), Manuel Gottsching released "E2-E4", his first album under his own name. Recorded in 1981 and released three years later, "E2-E4" paved the way for what was to become known as 'techno' or 'trance' music. Although there are nine track titles listed, the album is essentially one single uninterrupted piece of music which is close to an hour long. The music was also recorded live in one take with no overdubs. The first half of the album consists mostly of a subtle rhythmic sequencer pattern along with a rhythm machine. As the piece unfolds, so do the variations of this sequence. At about the half-hour mark, Manuel brings in a stellar electric guitar lead which sounds like a cross between George Benson or maybe a mellow Eric Clapton. He continues with the guitar playing while alternating between his electronics and sequencers providing further variations on the repetitive chord structure heard throughout the piece. Towards the end, the guitar fades out, the rhythm pattern echoes into silence and finally this long piece comes to its end. I highly recommend this album not just to the old-school electronic music buffs (ie: people who like Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze et.al) but also to fans of todays techno/trance/chillout/etc music. This is definitely music that is ahead of its time and has been a blueprint for dance artists both old and new. It's not only great music to dance to. It's also great music to sit back and relax to as well. A classic in every way, shape and form.

Average customer rating:

E2-E4
Manuel Göttsching
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Ambient | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000O58ZMQ
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Tracks:

Quiet Nervousness
Moderate Start
And Central Game
Promise
Queen a Pawn
Glorious Fight
H.R.H. Retreats (With a Swing)
And Sovereignty
Draw

Average customer rating:

E2-E4
Manuel Göttsching
Manufacturer: Innovative Commun.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Ambient | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000006K0L
Release Date: 1990-06-01

Tracks:

Quiet Nervousness
Moderate Start
And Central Game
Promise
Queen a Pawn
Glorious Fight
H.R.H. Retreats (With a Swing)
And Sovereignty
Draw

Average customer rating:

E2-E4
Manuel Göttsching
Manufacturer: Da Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Ambient | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00008BX6K
Release Date: 2003-09-18

Tracks:

Quiet Nervousness
Moderate Start
And Central Game
Promise
Queen a Pawn
Glorious Fight
H.R.H. Retreats (With a Swing)
And Sovereignty
Draw

Average customer rating:

The Dawn of Detroit Techno and Chicago House Music
fascinating
Doing it with mirrors
Checkmate. E2-E4
"E2 E4 : The birth of Techno, house & Ambient."

E2-E4
Manuel Göttsching
Manufacturer: Import [Generic]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Ambient | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music

Jazz | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000B0UY
Release Date: 2001-11-20

Tracks:

Quiet Nervousness
Moderate Start
And Central Game
Promise
Queen a Pawn
Glorious Fight
H.R.H. Retreats (With a Swing)
And Sovereignty
Draw

Customer Reviews:

The Dawn of Detroit Techno and Chicago House Music.......2004-07-30

I was first introduced to this record by a good friend of mines and Deep house DJ in chicago, at first it took a while to appreciate it's minimal and soft synths sounds, but as i got older i really love it, and now understand the level he was on. i now spin it in sets whenever possible and also own the Carl Craig remixes, after you hear this track you will understand why the Detroit pioneers and House music DJ's like Ron Hardy were making it a part of their mixes. excellent use of synths on a very basic level but provides a lot of deep funk and high level programming for it's time.

fascinating.......2002-11-19

""Many have speculated, in fact, that had this track not existed, the explosion of equally-important dance music from the Detroit scene in the late 80's (the one that led to techno heading to Europe for that important summer back in 1987) might not have occurred""

I wouldn't go quite that far as early electro and "Sharevari" by Number Of Names were out at the same time as E2-E4, music which was far closer to detroit techno than this piece, however i'm sure this was some influence to the detroit pioneers.

this piece is nevertheless amazing, and anyone into electronic music at all who is interested in its roots should buy this.

Doing it with mirrors.......2002-03-03

In 1981, still enthused following a European tour playing with Klaus Schulze, Manuel Gottsching stepped into his studio, switched on his sequencer, and started playing, with good results. Hailed as a landmark of techno, e2-e4 is actually a product of the "Berlin School" of music (Tangerine Dream, Schulze, etc.) but manages to straddle the line, or maybe just create something new. As I said, the sequencer starts almost immediately, and goes through only subtle changes throughout the enirety of this 60 minute piece. Percussion is added, and over that, Gottsching adds various other sounds, electronic percussion and small melodies. It isn't until after the half way point that his first love - the guitar - is introduced. For most of the rest of the piece, he does with his guitar what he had been doing with synthesizers. Despite the anthemic qualities to e2-e4, Gottsching refrains from unleashing a wild guitar solo, and thus keeps the balance. Anyone who likes this should try and track down Gottsching's 1976 collaboration with Michael Hoenig, "Early Water". Much more recognizable as a "Berlin School" piece, it follows the same formula as this, though not as upbeat.

Checkmate. E2-E4.......2001-03-30

One of the first major attempts at ambiance/techno with an emphasis on being vertical rather than horizontal. While all music tends to be constructed with rhythms and beats measured in a timescale manner (hence horizontal timeline), Manuel Goettsching has attempted to create vertical music. The result is a focus on texture, layers of sound and richness of ideas. Possibly on par with Thursday Afternoon by Brian Eno. As a good subtext, the metaphor of a chess game being played out in all of it's quiet intensity and emotional peaks and valleys is quite fitting. Perhaps another good analogy would be the Kind of Blue sessions that Miles Davis recorded, where the emphasis was on texture, sound and melody, versus trite patterns and tired old ideas that only give the impression of being innovative. Worth a listen.

"E2 E4 : The birth of Techno, house & Ambient.".......2000-08-05

In december 1981, a former guitar player and member of the Krautrock outfit Ashra Tempel took a few hours off in his Berlin studio to invent house, techno and also ambient.

Trying to describe this record is really hard task.Consisting of a long 60 minute slice of motorik, instrumental piece of hypnotic electronic music meshed with perfect guitar lines it is truly a beautiful record.

Multi-layered, dense, heavely textured, complex, cleverly constructed it is so emotionnal that it is going to leave you breathless with its uplifting experience.

What's so sticking about this record is that whilst not released until 1984, it received a huge response in the Dance scene in places like the Danceteria and The Paradise Garage whilst not being made which such aim.Spun by the likes of Tony Humphries and Larry Levan it thus influenced a generation of heads like Arthur Baker, Roger Sanchez, Derrick May and Carl Craig as well as the Basic Channel crew.

Some records are meant to be and this is surely one of these. Needless to say an absolute classic.

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