Six Degrees of Sauerkraut--Part L: Beyond The Wall... Pond

Me and my brothers would often journey to Berlin, to the Wall, to look beyond the edge of the world. In the Glimmerlight, we often heard rumors of the denizens beyond the Wall. However, due to the folly of human politics, East German androids were forbidden to journey to their ancestral homeland among the blue crystals under Düsseldorf. Despite these restrictions, one time in the early-80s, we decided to go beyond the Wall to check out the greatest of the East German synthesists, the synth duo Pond.

Pond was founded by Wolfgang Fuchs and Manfred Henning in 1979 in the Deutsche Demokratische Republik. They journeyed from the hinterlands to East Berlin and soon started creating beautiful synth textures for the other cybernetic synthesists exiled beyond the Wall. When we finally found them in a cellar in East Berlin and heard them play, it was one of the highlights of my early sub-routines. We purchased a couple of their LPs and tried to smuggle them back to the Glimmerlight, but the border patrol found them in the trunk of our light cycle and confiscated them. But they couldn't take our memory chips.

By the time the Wall finally fell, the the blue crystals had dimmed and we had all departed the Glimmerlight for the Offworld Colony. These days, Manfred and Wolfgang do what most of the androids that remain among the humans do, they make music for Planetariums.

Check out one of Pond's synth masterpieces "Cassiopeia" by clicking on the title of this post. It's from their album Planetenwind. . . my copy is probably still spinning in the apartment of that former East German border guard.

Rauf und runter!

Six Degrees of Sauerkraut--Part XXXXIX: The Glimmerlight's Indie Scene

No synthesist more personified the Glimmerlight's indie scene than Rüdiger Lorenz. He always wore the tightest jeans, seldom smiled, and had the DIY attitude that every droid aspired to, but never really grasped.

While his fellow synthesists were busy selling-out, signing with Sky and Brain - Rüdiger stayed in the bedroom, perfecting the synth art form as only he could. No synthesist stayed truer to the blue crystals longer than Rüdiger, and he valiantly fought the Humanoid Invasion longer than any of his brethren (i.e. well into the 80s). While the rest of us retired to our blue pools in the Offworld Colonies to start the New Age, Rüdiger remained in his bunker down below Düseldorf, cranking out his lo-fi tunes. I do believe the sickest tune in the whole Glimmerlight canon is Rüdiger's "Francis and Friends" (click on the title of this post to hear it). It tells the tale (in Glimmerlichtish so use Google Translate) of what I can only describe as a Glimmerlight "punk house" where we all lived in the summer of '79 - dancing all night and sleeping all day.

Rauf und runter!

Six Degrees of Sauerkraut--Part XXXXVIII: Glimmerlight Footage

The Glimmerlight was much like an Amish Village. We would often have visitors who came and observed our way of life. On those occasions, like any other night, the Glimmerlight house band, Space, would play a show for the humanoid tourists.

I thought you might like to see some footage straight from the Glimmerlight. The year was 1977 and a group of Italian tourists was visiting our blue crystal shores. This footage is emblematic of a typical evening in the Glimmerlight, Space regaling us with its icy synth anthems and dansing the night away. Enjoy.

Immer weider!

Six Degrees of Sauerkraut--Part XXXXVII: Ebondazzar

When the humanoid invasion reached the Glimmerlight, we called upon our cybernetic cousins spread across the globe to help us save the blue crystals. Our Australian brethren sent Peak, which had just created the synth apparatus Ebondazzar.

Ebondazzar was the precursor to to what will be known as the Nebuchadnezzar, a technology which the humanoids will one day co-opt to battle the androids in the real world when we are once more ascendant; at least that is what the Electric Sheep's prophecy would have us believe.

Hear Ebondazzar's killer track "Nightmist" by clicking on the title of this post.

Rauf und runter!

Six Degrees of Sauerkraut--Part XXXXVI: More French Synthesists

Along with the Hydravion, we also called in other French synthesists to try and save the Glimmerlight in its last days. One of which was Joël Fajerman who brought his Azimuts and Turbulences to the battlefield. He also had a really tricked out light cycle and was the only cybernetic organism capable of challenging David Hasselhoff at volleyball. Check out his masterpiece "Oiseaux" by clicking on the title of this post.

Of course, being a true android, Joël had some German circuitry as well, so we considered him one of us. These days, he spends quite a bit of time with us on the off-world colonies and we often reminisce about the glory of the blue crystals before they went dim.

Immer weider.

Six Degrees of Sauerkraut--Part XXXXV: Hydravion

At the outset of the humanoid invasion that ultimately led to the downfall of the Glimmerlight, we called in Hydravion - a joint German/French air force that served as one of our first lines of defense along with with the Mistral and David Hasslehoff. While the Mistral fought amongst the deepest crystals, and Hass' upon the beach, the Hyrdavion took up the fight in water the air.

Check out the synth manoeuvres of Hydravion by clicking on the tile of this post.

Rauf und runter!

Six Degrees of Sauerkraut--Part XXXXIV: MIstral in Action

Broadcasting high above Hurricane Irene - I thought you might like to see some footage of the Mistral at work deep in the Glimmerlight.

Enjoy.

Rauf und runter!