Manuel Göttsching’s electronic masterpiece ‘E2-E4’ that changed everything
Declared by Pitchfork as “the most compelling argument that techno came from Germany,” and ranked the fourth best album of the eighties by FACT, Manuel Göttsching’s 1984 E2-E4 is considered by many to be one of the greatest electronic recordings of our time.
Recorded in 1981 as just a “rough sketch idea” by Göttsching, a German guitarist and composer who at the time played in the Krautrock group Ash Ra Tempel/Ashra, the one-take 58-minute suite resulted into what The Guardian would describe as “modern dance music’s DNA…as important as any disco, funk or Kraftwerk record.”
Named after the most common opening gambit in chess, the hour-long improvisational masterpiece centers around a two-chord synthesizer pattern that dynamically builds with the layering of analog sequencers, synths, drum machines, and Göttsching’s mesmerizing guitar playing. The second half of the recording almost evolves into a psychedelic groove, with the layering of guitar tones and textures that in a way brings us back to earth from the cosmic journey that you often find yourself on while listening to the piece.
I took ideas from dance music, but my composing goes more into the minimalist style of Steve Reich, Philip Glass. —Manuel Göttsching
Even though the recording didn’t resonate at first with German music critics, often writing it off as “Muzak”, E2-E4 has since inspired generations of electronic/dance music artists and musicians including LCD Soundsystem, Hans-Peter Lindstrøm, Prins Thomas, Ricardo Villalobos, Joe Claussell, Four Tet, and many others.
Interestingly enough, Göttsching was surprised to see the recording embraced so heavily by the EDM and club scene. “When I found out E2-E4 was played in clubs, I couldn’t imagine people dancing to it,” he says in a 2013 interview he did for The Guardian. “There’s not a strong bass drum and the rhythm is very subtle. I took ideas from dance music, but my composing goes more into the minimalist style of Steve Reich, Philip Glass.”
Regardless of Göttsching’s intention on that mid-December afternoon back in 1981, E2-E4 has played a vital role in shaping the direction, and even the future of electronic music to come.
