Looks back over 50 years of making music. “I am just an ear,” he says, “someone the music goes through.”

Interview by Portrait by

eserted by 7pm on this warm may evening, the west German townlet of weilerswist – 20 miles south of Cologne – is a picture of sleepy orderliness. yet it was here that Can, the mightiest and most arcane group of the Krautrock ferment, recorded their albums – from 1972’s Ege Bamyasi onwards – in a former movie house renamed inner space. today the cinema is home to holger Czukay, Can’s former bassist and solo artist of innovative renown, and his partner Ursa major. entered via the old box office, which can be seen on the cover of a new edition of Czukay’s 1979 album Movies, now retitled Movie! – and which still proffers chocolate treats from the sarotti company – their living space suggests some spectacularly decorated installation, reflecting a world-view that marries whimsy, the esoteric and intellectual rigour. the 100-plus Us military mattresses that formerly lined the high-ceilinged interior are gone to join, ironically, a recreation of inner space at a museum in Gronau; now drapes featuring the ancient egyptian ankh hang on the walls, while below an assemblage of southeast asian and tibetan artefacts alongside toy animals, pictures, clothes, flowers, lamps, sound equipment and couches are arranged around a central carpeted space.

Ddirecting proceedings, the shirtless holger cackles toothlessly, “the women must sit, but we men must stand and fight!” since debuting on record with 1969’s Canaxis, Czukay has never failed to hold his ground. born in 1938 in what was then the Free City of danzig, he emerged from the european avant-garde and studied with Karlheinz stockhausen. he would leave the classical world in 1968 to co-found Can, a group still held in vital regard for the albums of their early classic period. after departing the group in 1977, Czukay returned to his pioneering experiments in sampling, electronics and unorthodox rock, working with like minds including Jah wobble, david sylvian and brian eno. arranged around the room are the many instruments he’s played throughout this history, including his French horn, double bass and a well-worn Fender mustang electric bass. Like the Fender Jaguar guitar with a broken headstock on display, they don’t look like they’ve been used for a while. this writer hasn’t spoken to Czukay at length since 1997, when he was a fast-talking and energised presence within a briefly-reconvened Can. today he seems all of his 78 years, his responses slowed, his voice low. after some portraits inside inner space, and others in his nobly overgrown garden, for which the solicitous Ursa tells him to put “I believe Holger more or less invented the art of sampling on Canaxis and brought it to a state of near perfection on Movies. He has always claimed this accolade belonged to Stockhausen as Hymnen was his source of inspiration, but I personally don’t agree with him. He brought sampling to the forefront with élan, humour and an amazingly unorthodox technical proficiency. Persian Love remains the touchstone for all who venture into this territory.”