Berlin School of Electronic Music

A significant part of 20th Century German electronica seems to stem from this Berlin School of Electronic Music, a specific sound characterized by extremely long, flowing songs that sound "spacey" and alien started in the 1970s, emerging from the Krautrock movement of the 1960s. Krautrock signified a shift in the notion of German identity, as musicians soaked up what they learned from rock and roll and sought to create a distinctly German, post WWII sound. It was for the most part contained to West Germany. The Berlin School was the result of more bands experimenting with melodic lines and sequencers. Tangerine Dream is a popular and influential band that falls into this category. It contributed to the sound of the New Age and ambient genres. Notably, the band is well-known for touring with the then newly developed Moog modular synthesizer, which allowed it to have direct control over its sound by modifying the sound waves through modules, meaning a much larger variety of sounds and notes were possible. Though fiddly and difficult (check out these pictures), the Moog was among many synthesizers that revolutionized sound for electronic musicians. This was particularly true in Berlin, where the developing electronic music scene demanded new ways of synthesizing music for unique sounds.