Anyone a fan? I noticed theres no thread dedicated to him. He is definitely one of my favorite bassists. Its great to listen to him to see what a "rythm" section is really all about. It always seems like with Can the bass and drums are a completely seperate entity, a harmony that is completely solid; I don't know how to explain in musical terms because I'm not exactly a trained musician but Holger Czukay with Can is some of my favorite bass playing to listen to. Anyone else share this feeling?
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Holger Czukay
- Thread starter jerm
- Start date
Yes, I know exactly what you're talking about. Czukay doesn't get much press here because Can isn't chops-heavy (and is pretty "difficult" music anyway), but his playing complements Jaki Liebezeit's just about perfectly. That was a monstrous rhythm section.
To be fair, Jaki Liebezeit is such a monster drummer that pretty much anyone would sound good with him behind the kit.
To be fair, Jaki Liebezeit is such a monster drummer that pretty much anyone would sound good with him behind the kit.
I know what you mean but I think thats exactly what I enjoy about it, its just very driving and its always there, it never stops, its almost like a track albeit a very interesting track that is always changing ahead of what the song is about to transform into. The rythm in Can is always providing a heartbeat to the songs, and a platform for the guitar and vocals and other instruments to create really awesome melodies.
In my opinion I'd take that sort of bass and drums any day over grinding and shredding, but then again Can was in the late 60s, early 70s at least if your looking at their prime output time. Before the advent of hair metal, Van Halen and all the whatever else that followed that.
edit: for anyone not really into Can or that has never heard of them, check out "Halleluwah" for a perfect example of Can's massive rythm section.
In my opinion I'd take that sort of bass and drums any day over grinding and shredding, but then again Can was in the late 60s, early 70s at least if your looking at their prime output time. Before the advent of hair metal, Van Halen and all the whatever else that followed that.
edit: for anyone not really into Can or that has never heard of them, check out "Halleluwah" for a perfect example of Can's massive rythm section.
Love CAN and Holger's bass playing. And yeah - "Hallejuwah" is a great track. I really like how Holger would kind of get this tumultuous sound from his bass. Great compliment to Jaki's drumming, which still floors me.
Holger is a great musician for certain. Some of my favorites are his playing on the entire "Delay 1968" album, and the tracks "Oh Yeah", and "Yoo Doo Right" by Can, and on the self titled Phew album, which is sort of a minimal/darkwave thing from '81 by this Japanese singer (also with Jaki on drums and Conny Plank doing some electronics). I was listening to the Phew thing not long ago with a bassist friend; at one point, when Holger plays some crazy (but perfect) heavily detuned low bursts, he asked, "Is he actually playing bass ?!"
Can were seriously chops heavy, with the possible exception of Karoli, they just didn't feel that they had to prove it constantly.
Can were seriously chops heavy, with the possible exception of Karoli, they just didn't feel that they had to prove it constantly.
Yeah, CAN is great. I own a number of their albums.
An aside: I do seem to recall that few years back, Jaki Liebezeit was being interviewed about his group Phantomband, and he basically said that he thought that the bass was a silly and pointless instrument, and had no place in music.
:scowl: 
An aside: I do seem to recall that few years back, Jaki Liebezeit was being interviewed about his group Phantomband, and he basically said that he thought that the bass was a silly and pointless instrument, and had no place in music.
:scowl: Atoz wrote: "An aside: I do seem to recall that few years back, Jaki Liebezeit was being interviewed about his group Phantomband, and he basically said that he thought that the bass was a silly and pointless instrument, and had no place in music. "
I am not familiar with that particular interview, but he has many times criticized the ELECTRIC bass. I think he still holds the upright in high esteem.
It seems a strange viewpoint for a guy that was lucky enough to play with such a great bass guitarist as Holger, but it's important to remember that Jaki was a jazz drummer first and that attitude is not unusual in that context. He was playing with some of the most cutting edge and badass cats in German jazz prior to his Can days; I suggest checking out his 1966 recordings with Globe Unity or anything you can find with the Manfred Schoof quintet from when he was in the band. It's all awesome.
I am not familiar with that particular interview, but he has many times criticized the ELECTRIC bass. I think he still holds the upright in high esteem.
It seems a strange viewpoint for a guy that was lucky enough to play with such a great bass guitarist as Holger, but it's important to remember that Jaki was a jazz drummer first and that attitude is not unusual in that context. He was playing with some of the most cutting edge and badass cats in German jazz prior to his Can days; I suggest checking out his 1966 recordings with Globe Unity or anything you can find with the Manfred Schoof quintet from when he was in the band. It's all awesome.
Definitely an incredibly overlooked bass player - and the Czukay/Liebezeit rhythm section rock as hard and tight as anything you care to name: Aston/Carlton Barrett, Mingus/Dannie Richmond, Sean Malone/Sean Reinert, James Jamerson/Benny Benjamin...
Holger was pushed out of Can specifically because his bass playing was not up to par. I imagine Jaki had a part in this. The guy from Traffic wasn't much better.
that kind of makes me laugh, since holger emerged as about the only name out of can anyone in america recognizes. of course, very few americans know who he is in the first place, but it's probably because of his eno connection.
That was when he was fired from the school he was teaching at. According to All Gates Open, he left Can because he told Irmin's wife about Irmin's affair and it became impossible for Holger and Irmin to work together
