Died On This Date (January 22, 2017) Jaki Liebezeit / Drummer For Can
themusicsover Jaki Liebezeit
May 26, 1938 – January 22, 2017
Jaki Leibezeit was the founding drummer for the influential German avant-garde rock band, Can. Initially performing free jazz during the early- to mid-’60s, Leibezeit moved more toward experimental rock when he co-founded Can in 1968. Can incorporated elements of world music, psychedelic rock, jazz, and electronic, with Leibezeit providing the prominent drum beat along the way. By doing so, Can helped build the foundation of Germany’s krautrock movement. Over the years, they released several albums including two of their most popular, Tago Mago and Ege Bamyası. Outside of Can, Leibzeit collaborated with Jah Wobble, Depeche Mode and Brian Eno, to name a few. Jaki Leibezeit was 78 when he died of pneumonia on January 22, 2017.
What You Should Own
Charanjit Singh was a multi instrumentalist from Mumbai, India, who, during the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, found his calling playing guitar and synthesizer on numerous Bollywood soundtracks. In 1982, he released Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat to little fanfare. But when it was reissued in 2010, it was embraced by the acid house community who acknowledged Singh as a pioneer of the genre. The sound he created clearly had an influence on the likes of Aphex Twin and Ceephax. Charanjit Singh was 75 when he died in his sleep on July 5, 2015.
Andreas Thein was a co-founder of influential German electronic synth pop band, Propaganda. Formed in 1982, the band was quickly signed to Trevor Horn’s ZTT Records who released their acclaimed 1984 debut album, A Secret Wish. The LP’s first single, “Dr. Mabuse,” was a hit in Europe, reaching #27 in the UK and #7 in Germany. Later that year however, Thein was asked to leave the group. He went on to play in such groups as Rififi and Kino who signed to Chrysalis Records and had a moderate hit with “Room In My Heart.” Andreas Thein was 59 when he lost his battle with cancer on May 30, 2013.
Pete Namlook was a German electronic music producer whose innovations in ambient are highly regarded by both fans and peers alike. In 1993, he founded the FAX +49-69/450464 record label and has since released upwards of 130 album, both of his own and as a collaborator. The list of artists he worked with includes Bill Laswell, Klaus Schulze, and Richie Hawtin. Pete Namlook was 51 when he died peacefully of “unspecified causes” on November 8, 2012.
