Aera -

Aera was a German jazz-rock band that cut the 1975–79 Erlkönig titles Humanum est, Hand und Fuß, and Türkis, followed by the 1981–82 Spiegelei titles Too Much and Akataki. Decades later, their 1973-era material appeared on the archival disc Mechelwind.

Members: Muck Groh (guitar, 1972-76), Heinz Schmitt (guitar, 1972), Davy Crocket (bass, 1972), Martin Roscoe (drums, 1972), Ditch Cassidy (vocals, 1972), Sidhatta Gautama Schwitzki [Dada] (drums, 1972-73), Klaus Kreuzeder (saxophone, flute, 1973-?), Karl Mutschlechner (bass, 1972), Carsten Bohn (drums), Paolo Grobben (bass, 1972-73), Peter Malinowsky (bass, vocals, 1972-76), Steve Robinson (organ, 1972-73), Dieter Bauer (bass, 1972-76), Wolfgang Teske (drums, 1972-75), Lucky Schmidt [Schroldt] (drums, 1975-76), Christoph Kneger (violin, 1975-76), Lutz Oldemeier (drums, 1977-82), Helmut Meier-Limburg (percussion, 1978-82), Matz Steinke (bass, 1978-79), Freddy Setz (keyboards, drums, 1978-80), Locko Richter (bass, 1979-80), Roman Bunka (guitar, vocals, 1979-80), Toni Danner (drums, 1980-82), Peter Kühmstedt (bass, 1980-82), Achim Gieseler (keyboards, 1980-82)

Background

Aera formed in mid-1972 when guitarist Muck Groh, recently departed from Ihre Kinder, teamed with British keyboardist Steve Robinson, fresh from Twenty Sixty Six and Then. Early recruits included drummer Martin Roscoe, Irish bassist Davy Crocket (a 2066 standin), and Prof. Wolfff singer–guitarist Klaus Peter Schweizer. After a brief tour under the placeholder name “Name,” they regrouped as Aera in Nuremberg and added guitarist Heinz Schmitt and Irish frontman Ditch Cassidy, a former Decca solo artist with prior ties to Thin Lizzy. This lineup stabilized by fall 1972 and began developing a rhythmically complex blend of blues, jazz, and R&B.

Through 1973, Aera functioned as a collective anchored by Groh and Robinson, cycling through players while sustaining a high volume of live activity. Roscoe remained a core presence during this period, despite multiple disruptions: a failed attempt to rescue Crocket from a religious sect; Cassidy’s increasing friction and eventual departure during an unproductive Irish tour; and repeated lineup setbacks due to accidents, visa issues, or shifting allegiances.

Permanent bassist Peter Malinowsky and drummer Carsten Bohn cycled in during summer 1973, followed by brief stints from Dutch bassist Paolo Grobben and former Wind drummer Lucky Schmidt. In May, Groh brought in saxophonist Klaus Kreuzeder after seeing him perform in Erlangen. Kreuzeder—a wheelchair-bound alumni of pre-record Ex Ovo Pro—catalyzed Aera’s shift to freeform improvisation and cemented a more stable core, with Groh, Robinson, and Kreuzeder operating as the primary trio. Muck and Klaus adopted an open-door approach with multiple rhythm players, including ex-2066 bassist Dieter Bauer and drummers Dada Gautama Schwitzki and Walter Helbig (ex-Minus Two), often fielding dual-drummers in live settings.

By year’s end, Aera had recorded live demos with the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra’s four-track mobile unit and cut two studio pieces at Südwestfunk Baden-Baden. They also documented their December 23, 1973, Christmas concert at Erlangen City Hall. Robinson and Schwitzki exited the group in early 1974 to join Nine Days Wonder.

Humanum est

Aera released their debut album, Humanum est, in 1975 on Erlkönig Schallplatten.

Humanum est (German for Is It Human) blends extended instrumental interplay with a focus on improvisation and tonal color, shaped largely by guitarist Muck Groh and reedist Klaus Kreuzeder. Groh moves between textured rhythm patterns and phrased lead motifs, while Kreuzeder alternates on saxophone and flute with sharp dynamic contrasts and tonal shading, anchored throughout by Dieter Bauer and drummer Wolfgang Teske.

Groh composed the entire album, including “Papa Doing,” a lengthier number that emerged spontaneously in rehearsal. “Demmerawäng,” taken from an expression in a Swabian dialect, draws its title from a nonsense exclamation meant to approximate a trumpet blast. The brief closing track, “Alois’ Flötending,” features bassist Peter Malinowsky.

A1. “Papa Doing” (8:22)
A2. “Demmerawäng” [Give It to Me Straight] (7:07)
A3. “Hodibbel” [Clumsy One] (5:37)

B1. “Sechs Achtel” [Six-Eighths] (10:45)
B2. “Jonas Schläft” [Jonas Sleeps] (4:20)
B3. “Alois’ Flötending” [Alois’s Flute Thing] (2:26)

Aera recorded Humanum est over three days—November 8, 9, and 10, 1974—at Tonstudio Hiltpoltstein using two-track equipment. Manni Neuner served as engineer, assisted by Jonas Porst, credited as “guter Geist.” Neuner worked on subsequent titles by Bullfrog, Cry Freedom, Octopus, Pancake, and Ramses.

Groh collaborated on the album art with Birgit Baier, whose linocut engraving depicts a seated long-haired figure on a tree stump with an upright bass and a dog, surrounded by simplified plants, trees, and a cottage with a tiled roof and small arched door. Above, the sun radiates linear beams while birds fly near stylized clouds. The band name and title appear below in Blackletter font.

Between albums, Teske cleared out for drummer Lucky Schmid while Malinowsky overtook the bass slot from Bauer.

Hand und Fuß

Aera released their second album, Hand und Fuß, in 1976 on Erlkönig.

Hand und Fuß (German for Hand and Foot) expands on their dual-soloist approach with guitarist Muck Groh and reedist Klaus Kreuzeder trading angular runs and phrasal counterpoint across extended pieces. Christoph Krieger adds violin coloration and plays “blaue Noten,” the German term for blue notes—intonations that fall outside the tempered scale.

“Wrdlbrmfd (Fürn Karl Valentin)” pays homage to the Bavarian comedian Karl Valentin, with its title mimicking a garbled attempt at verbal expression. “Kamele On” closes the album with guest performer Onkel Latzi on baritone sax and oboe, joining Groh and Kreuzeder for a three-voiced unison section. Vocal parts appear only on “Ad Absurdum” and “Kamele On,” with Groh and bassist Peter Malinowski trading phrases on the latter.

A1. “Mechelwind” (9:24)
A2. “Alabaster Keaton” (3:06)
A3. “Wrdlbrmfd (Fürn Karl Valentin)” (5:33)

B1. “Elephen Elephants” (8:40)
B2. “Herbstzeitlos” [Autumn Crocus] (2:27)
B3. “Ad Absurdum” [To the Absurd] (5:06)
B4. “Kamele On” [Camels On] (5:35)

Aera recorded Hand und Fuß between September 14 and 18, 1976, at Tonstudio Hiltpoltstein. Manni Neuner and Jonas Porst handled recording and mixing alongside the band. Groh designed the cover with input from all members, while Uli Handl contributed photographs for both the outer sleeve and the fold-out insert. Original pressings included lyric and photo content on a fold-out sheet, with visual design credited to the band under the pseudonym “Innendrin Gestaltung.”

A live rendition of “Mechelwind” (5:35) appears on Live In Concert Nürnberger Szene ’76, a document of the open-air event.

Aera disbanded after Hand und Fuß. Muck Groh backed Carsten Bohn on the ex-Frumpy drummer’s 1977 album Humor Rumor, recorded under the band moniker Bandstans with members of the Release Music Orcheatra. Groh interacted with Kreuzeder on Steve Robinson’s 1978 solo album, then went solo with the 1979 album Muckefuck, his prelude to Grotesk, a new band with Aera alumnus Wolfgang Teske.

Türkis

Aera released their third album, Türkis, in 1979 on Erlkönig. Saxophonist Klaus Kreuzeder reformed the band with bassist Matz Steinke, keyboardists Achim Gieseler and Freddy Setz, and percussionists Lutz Oldemeier and Helmut Meier-Limberg. Oldemeier played hailed from the earlier Missus Beastly incarnation while Setz and Steinke played in that band’s Vlotho 77 lineup. Gieseler and Steinke played concurrently in Cyklus.

Türkis (Turquoise) adopts a more layered, keyboard-driven sound with alternating interplay between Gieseler and Kreuzeder, who adds Lyricon textures to his soprano and alto sax parts. Freddy Setz moves between acoustic drums, organ, and string synthesizer, often reinforcing or offsetting Gieseler’s arsenal of piano, Clavinet, and Fender Rhodes e-piano.

“Dracula” forms the centerpiece of side A, constructed as a multipart suite with three interlinked segments by Matz Steinke. “Pfiffe,” composed by drummer Lutz Oldemeier, features Muck Groh’s final appearance with the group, while “Türkis” and “You Need Some Speed” highlight the new quintet interplay that solidified during early 1979 rehearsals. Steinke also provides percussion across select cuts and assumes sole bass duties following Groh’s departure.

A1. “Fetzenotto” (4:01)
A2. “Pfiffe” [Whistles] (4:23)
A3. “Dracula” (11:04)
a. “Teen Clown” (6:39)
b. “Park und Elfe (Sarg und Nelke)” [Park and Elf (Coffin and Carnation)] (1:57)
c. “Teen Clown Goes Downtown” (2:28)
A4. “Annettchen” [Little Annette] (1:19)

B1. “You Need Some Speed” (6:28)
B2. “Türkis” (8:36)
B3. “Siebert” (7:03)

Aera recorded Türkis at Tonstudio Hiltpoltstein during January and February 1979 with engineer Ralf Haupt and mixer Manni Neuner. Jonas Porst oversaw production for Erlkönig Schallplatten.

Graphic artist Hartmut Bremer developed the cover concept and shot the album’s photos, assisted on retouching by Burghardt Vossmann and Joachim Grohs. Bremer’s vibrant style also graces 1979/80 album covers for Nanu Urwerk (Irgendwo…Nicht Weit Von Hier…) and Irish folksters Wild Geese (Flight 2).

Aera’s earlier live version of “Fetzenotto” appears on Pop Nachwuchs Festival ’78 along with numbers by fellow performers Bleibtreu Revue, Firma 33, Glatter Wahnsinn, Madrugada, Tri Atma, and Virgin’s Dream. Their live version of “Siebert” (4:36)—titled “Herr Siebert Und Die Sieben Siebe” (Mr. Siebert and the Seven Sieves)—appears on Umsonst & Draussen – Porta Westvlothica 78, a two-record festival document with numbers by Checkpoint Charlie, Munju, Real Ax Band, and a reformed Out of Focus.

Aera toured Türkis with Roman Bunka, the longtime Embryo guitarist with stints in Sadja and the Vlotho 77 Beastly lineup.

Live

In 1980, Erlkönig issued Live, sourced from Aera’s November 1979 German shows.

The album captures the interplay between Roman Bunka and saxophonist–Lyricon player Klaus Kreuzeder, with drummer Freddy Setz adding organ parts and second keyboardist duties in tandem with Bunka’s rhythmic shifts. Bunka supplies lead lines across extended pieces while Setz and Kreuzeder alternate in melodic phrasing, particularly on the improvisational stretches of the longer tracks.

Roman Bunka composed “Scream Your Horizon,” “What I Can Do, You Can Do Too,” and the eleven-minute closer “Scooter Future,” each of which expanded in live settings compared to their studio templates. Freddy Setz contributed three pieces, including “Sulzheim Swinging,” a title referencing a stop on the tour. Kreuzeder’s “Harm-O-Nights” serves as a succinct interlude in contrast to the album’s lengthier pieces. The group performed as a six-piece throughout the tour, including Locko Richter on bass and Helmut Meier-Limberg on auxiliary percussion.

A1. “Scream Your Horizon” (9:20)
A2. “Yellow Moon” (2:51)
A3. “Stoned Out” (3:19)
A4. “What I Can Do, You Can Do Too” (4:22)

B1. “Sulzheim Swinging” (8:39)
B2. “Harm-O-Nights” (2:52)
B3. “Scooter Future” (11:33)

Aera recorded Live over five consecutive nights—November 22 to 26, 1979—at Ball Pompös (Kiel), Odeon-Theater (Isselhorst), Scala (Herford), Kant Kino (Berlin), and Fabrik (Hamburg)—recorded with Dieter Dierks Mobile Studio. Jürgen Krämer and Ralph Edom engineered the capture, with Muck Groh and Norbert Meidel overseeing the mixdown at Tonstudio Hiltpoltstein.

Aera designed the cover layout with graphic artist Peter Danninger and photographer Peter Moody Meier.

Meanwhile, Roman Bunka cut the 1980 solo album Dein Kopf Ist Ein Schlafendes Auto with Setz and ex-Karthago bassist Gerald Hartwig.

Too Much

Aera released their fourth album, Too Much, in 1981 on Spiegelei.

The album centers on the tonal balance between pianist–synthesist Achim Gieseler and saxophonist–Lyricon player Klaus Kreuzeder, with Gieseler weaving digital textures and rhythmic figures around Kreuzeder’s angular phrasing. Guitarist Roman Bunka contributes one track before exiting the lineup, while bassist Peter Kühmstedt and percussionist Limbus add additional color across ensemble passages.

“What I Can Do, You Can Do Too” appears here in a tighter studio arrangement following its earlier versions on Türkis and Live. Gieseler composed five of the nine tracks, including “Pricklepit,” “Brainstorming,” and the closing number “Empress,” each shaped through rehearsal-based refinements in early 1981. “Peace” by Horace Silver serves as the album’s sole cover, rendered as a short instrumental interlude. “Supercool,” written by Kühmstedt, showcases the only composition from outside the core keyboard–wind axis.

A1. “Don’t Come Back” (5:21)
A2. “What I Can Do, You Can Do Too” (3:02)
A3. “Peace” (2:08)
A4. “Supercool” (3:54)
A5. “Nevertheless” (3:54)

B1. “Brainstorming” (4:24)
B2. “Grand Slam 81” (4:13)
B3. “Pricklepit” (6:37)
B4. “Empress” (4:38)

Aera recorded Too Much in February 1981 at Tonstudio Zuckerfabrik in Stuttgart with engineers Gibbs Platen and Johannes Wohlleben. The band self-produced the album, which Intercord issued on their Spiegelei imprint. Rainer Libera handled layout and design, with cover photography by Roland Michalsky.

Akataki

Aera released their fifth album, Akataki, in 1982 on Spiegelei. Keyboardist Achim Gieseler composed the first three tracks and co-wrote “Wieder Da!” and the side-long “Akataki” with bassist/guitarist Peter Kühmstedt, saxophonist Klaus Kreuzeder, and percussionists Toni Danner and Limbus. Trumpeter Detlef E. guests on “Wieder Da!”

The album centers on extended, rhythmically fluid exchanges between keyboardist Achim Gieseler and saxophonist Klaus Kreuzeder, supported by multi-instrumentalist Peter Kühmstedt on bass and guitar. Gieseler shapes most of the harmonic structure with shifting keyboard textures, while Kreuzeder cuts across the ensemble with sharp soprano and alto phrasing.

Gieseler composed the first three tracks independently, including “Für Charly,” a ten-minute piece that stretches through multiple tonal sections. “Wieder Da!” and the title-suite “Akataki” are group-composed by Gieseler, Kühmstedt, Kreuzeder, percussionist Limbus, and drummer Toni Danner. Guest trumpeter Detlef E. contributes a lead line to “Wieder Da!,” marking the band’s first recorded use of brass. The eighteen-minute “Akataki” spans the entire second side, developed through live rehearsal motifs and structured during studio improvisations.

A1. “Mobile Base” (2:41)
A2. “Fake Jake” (3:40)
A3. “Für Charly” (10:05)
A4. “Wieder Da!” [Back Again!] (4:22)
B. “Akataki” (18:40)

Aera recorded Akataki at Tonstudio Zuckerfabrik with engineer Gibbs Platen. The group self-produced the album, which Intercord issued through their Spiegelei imprint and pressed at Sonopress (A-6967). Tomas Maria Bunk illustrated the album cover.

Mechelwind

In 2009, archivists Long Hair Music issued the double-CD Mechelwind, a collection of 1973-era material from Aera’s early pre-Erlkönig lineup.

The release showcases the formative interplay between guitarist Muck Groh and keyboardist Steve Robinson (aka Rainer Geyer), who developed extended multi-part pieces with tonal layering on Hammond organ, Mellotron, piano, and Mini Moog. Klaus Kreuzeder adds flute and saxophone throughout, alternating lyrical motifs with angular bursts, while Sidhatta Gautama Schwitzki supports the ensemble on drums and percussion with shifting time feels and live-reactive dynamics.

The first disc opens with the Mechelwind Suite, a six-part composition performed in-studio by the earliest configuration with bassist Peter Malinowski. “Hodibbel” and “Mechelwind” appear in alternate studio versions recorded weeks later with bassist Paolo Grobben. CD 2 presents a complete concert from December 23, 1973, at Stadthalle Erlangen, including early live readings of “Papa Doing,” “Hodibbel,” and “Mechelwind,” plus an improvisational interlude titled “Klaus With the Birds.” These pieces highlight the band’s early hybrid of improvisation and scored form, prior to their first commercial recordings.

1-01. “Untitled” (2:49)
1-02. “Untitled” (5:07)
1-03. “Untitled” (6:10)
1-04. “Untitled” (5:21)
1-05. “Untitled” (6:10)
1-06. “Hodibbel” [Clumsy One] (7:50)
1-07. “Mechelwind” (10:45)

2-01. “Mechelwind” (7:48)
2-02. “Hodibbel” (15:16)
2-03. “Papa Doing” (12:04)
2-04. “Klaus With the Birds” (6:31)

Tracks 1-01 through 1-05 were recorded in summer 1973 at Studio Nuremberg Symphonic Orchestra with the band’s original studio lineup. “Hodibbel” and “Mechelwind” on CD 1 were recorded October 22, 1973, at SWF Studio in Baden-Baden. CD 2 captures a live set from December 23, 1973, in Erlangen. Jörg Scheuermann digitally remastered the source tapes, licensed from Aera to Long Hair and Malesch Records.

Mechelwind includes liner notes and band history by Steve Robinson and Manfred Steinheuer, translated by Dr. Martina Häusler.

Discography: