Turned On is your space station recharge between the Astral Range and Psychic Radio. You know me, I’m famous – I’m DJ Goldbond. I live in the basement, crawl up through the crawlspace, and drop down from the loose tile in the ceiling with a flying car full of new tunes just for you. Yes, just for you, Dear Listener!

I hope you enjoy this show featuring German Kosmische Musik ranging from 1969 to 1978.

Germans who grew up after WW II weren’t told of what had happened. When they asked adults and teachers, they were simply told, “There was a war.” They were raised on a type of optimistic pop music, that they would later condescendingly refer to as “Schlage” music.

When they learned through their own means about what had happened in Germany in the 30s and 40s, they were shocked. The belief was that society had become fractured and that art was a means to bring disparate communities back together. Musicians at this time experimented with beat-driven long form music and that concerts could function ceremonially. The music could bring people together in a trance-like state.

The last song in the playlist is the first chronologically. Amon Duul, and by extension, Amon Duul II pioneered a lot of the sound and ideas in Kosmische Musik. Innovation was highly accepted by Kosmische musicians and by the time Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider pivoted from free-form experimental rock to fully electronic music with “Autobahn,” the scene had shifted from hippie idealism to an ironic utopian futurism. Over fifty years later, many of the artists and bands will still tour in the near future and release new work as well as re-release classic albums and live shows.