Sad to hear that Holger Czukay, born Holger Schüring, the co-founder and bassist of the iconic and influential Krautrock band Can has left the planet. He was 79. He was reportedly found dead in the original Inner Space Can studio in Weilerswist (formerly a movie theater) near Cologne, where he had allegedly been living. His cause of death is unknown. It follows the loss for the band this year; of founding drummer Jaki Liebezeit who passed away in January, and then the sad loss of his wife U- She, who passed away on July 28th, her 55th birthday.
"We are very sad to confirm that Holger passed away yesterday, in his home, the old CAN Studio in Weilerswist," the band wrote on Facebook. "His wife U-She passed away only weeks before. Holger was devastated by the loss of his beloved partner, but was looking forward to making more music and was in good spirits. His passing has come as a shock. We will post more information about funeral arrangements shortly."
Czukay was born in Gdansk, Poland on March 24, 1938 but the onset of the Second World War saw his family being expelled from the country. After falling in love with music at a young age, he spent his formative years studying to be a composer and conductor, but his ideas were frequently too radical for mainstream tastes; after being disqualified from one jazz festival for his "unclassifiable music," he was later expelled from Berlin's Music Academy for similar artistic insolence.
Czukay studied in Cologne from 1963 to 1966 with the pioneering avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, a mentor-figure who made a lasting impact on his approach to life and music. While he initially had little interest in rock and roll , he was piqued by the Beatles I am the Walrus ,which led him to discover the music of the Velvet Underground, Jimi Hendrix , and Frank Zappa among others.
In 1968, after picking up the bass , Czukay teamed up with the young German guitarist Michael Karoli, fellow Stokhausen protégé Irmin Schmidt, and American born vocalist Malcolm Mooney and the group Inner Space was formed. Quickly renamed Can, they released their debut album Monster Movie in 1969, the first in a series of visionary albums establishing the band as one of the truly most seminal group of the period..
Can were described by critic Jason Ankeny as "successfully bridging the gap between pop and the avant-garde," Czukay was one of the pivotal underground figures of his era, over the course of his long, expansive career, he successfully bridged the gap between pop and the avant-garde, pioneering the use of samples and exploring the significance of world music on Western culture.He recorded nine albums with Can , leaving the group after Saw Delight in 1977. Their albums Tago Mago, Ege Banyasi, Future Days for me are timeless masterpieces. Relying heavily on improvisational songwriting they blended elements of psychedelica and jazz which has continued to exert a considerable influence on avant-garde, experimental, post-punk, ambient, new wave and electronic music ever since.
Czukay released 15 solo albums over the years, developing recording techniques and pioneering the art of sampling. This was before computers made sampling an effortless practice, as it originally required the sampler to physically cut strips of tape. He also pioneered what he called “radio painting”, using shortwave radios to record random snippets of sound and pasting them collage-style into recordings; “rhythm boxing” was his description of how he used drum machines
Czukay issued his debut solo effort, Movies in 1980. In addition to critical raves, the record won considerable interest throughout the musical community, and Czukkay subsequently began work on a number of outside projects: in addition to playing on Eurythmics' 1981 debut, In the Garden he teamed with Jaki Liebezeit and bassist Jah Wobble for the LP Full Circle and the club hit "How Much Are They."
Czukay's next official solo release was 1982's On the way to the peak of normal, another collaboration with Wobble, this was followed by 1984's Der Osten 1st Rot and 1987's Rome Remains Rome .He also recorded the Balearic disco classic Snake Charmer with New York DJ Francois Kevorkian, U2 guitarist The Edge and again Public Image Limited’s Jah Wobble
His most recent release was 2015′s archival collection, Eleven Years Innerspace. Can's most recent release was this years compilation The Singles.
A true trailblazing visionary,in our oceans of sound R.I .P
Holger Czukay - Cool in the pool
Can - Paperhouse
Can - Vitamin C
Can - Halleluwah
Holger Czukay - Float Space
Holger Czukay - On the way to the peak of normal
