Der Osten ist Rot

The following is a review of Holger Czukay's Der Osten ist Rot I wrote back in 2017.

I bought Der Osten ist Rot by Holger Czukay (of Can fame) recently on a whim. I scouted a small collection of Czukay albums in a record store in Helsinki, and this was the only one that fit in my budget. The record itself looked like it had been used as a door mat, but I was in for a pleasant surprise giving it a whirl – it sounded fantastic! The sleeve is also near impeccable, so a good find overall.

This album is Czukay-esque through and through – world music vibes, industrial angst, sampled radio transmissions… It’s all there.

Der Osten ist Rot is rather clearly a thematic and conceptual album, conveying a certain east-west dichotomy (the label on side B is red for added detail) and an overall zeitgeisty atmosphere throughout its 40-minute run time.

The highlight of the album is without a doubt the opening of side B, the title track Der Osten ist Rot: a spliced-up ambient version of the anthem of Communist China, complete with Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit’s hypnotic drumming. I’m a huge fan of Liebezeit’s playing, and it really pulls this album together and ties it in with the Can tradition.

This album has been criticised for being disjointed, but I had no such qualms.

For me, tracks like Bänkel Rap 82 or Collage don’t come off as ”disjointed”, but rather as wonderfully restless instances of musical channel surfing.

The whole album is quite eclectic as well, opening with a whimsical interpretation of a pop song (The Photo Song) and closing with an ethereal eastern-influenced ambient soundscape (Träum mal wieder!).

Whole-heartedly recommended!