Eiliff -

Eiliff was a German Krautrock band behind the 1971/72 Philips albums Eiliff and Girlrls!

Members: Rainer Brüninghaus (organ, electric piano), Herbert J. Kalveram (saxophone), Houschäng Nejadépour (guitar, sitar), Detlev Landmann (drums), Bill Brown (bass), Rich Schwab (bass, 1972-74)

Background

Eiliff formed in 1970 in Cologne when keyboardist Rainer Brüninghaus assembled guitarist Houschäng Nejadépour, saxophonist Herbert J. Kalveram, drummer Detlev Landmann, and bassist Bill Brown.

Keyboardist Rainer Brüninghaus was born November 21, 1949, in Bad Pyrmont, Lower Saxony. Brüninghaus studied classical piano from childhood and led a jazz trio before university. Between 1968 and 1972, Brüninghaus studied sociology at the University of Cologne; from 1971 through 1975, he pursued music study at the same school. Saxophonist Herbert J. Kalveram was born February 26, 1944, in Oberhausen. Drummer Detlev Landmann was born July 24, 1946, in Essen.

Eiliff cut the 1971 Philips single “Ride on Big Brother” b/w “Day of Sun.” In June, the group recorded Eiliff at Star Studio in Hamburg with producer Rainer Goltermann and engineer Conny Plank.

Eiliff

Eiliff released their self-titled debut album in December 1971 on Philips.

“Bird-Night of the Seventh Day” halts after a quiet opening figure, then re-enters through oddly placed vocal phrases and a closing run of sustained ensemble lines. “Gammeloni” surges through frenetic accents, drops into suspended interludes, and tightens toward a faster close. “Uzzek of Rigel IV” presses through an uptempo vocal opening, breaks for a low-register solo, then settles before a long lead passage controls the second half.

“Suite” erupts with raw fuzz, heavy riff blocks, and abrupt sectional changes, then loosens into eastern-tinged turns before the band drives back into a hard final cadence. The album favors atonal vocal entries, choppy ensemble pressure, dissonant figures, and extended passages that pivot at exposed junctions.

Nejadepour plays multiple guitar and sitar, enmeshed with Brüninghaus on organ and electric piano.

A1. “Bird-Night of the Seventh Day” (5:02)
A2. “Gammelloni” (6:43)
A3. “Uzzek of Rigel IV” (10:54)

B1. “Suite” (20:46)

Sessions occurred in June 1971 at Star Studio Hamburg with Philips producer Rainer Goltermann, who worked beforehand with Cravinkel, Frumpy, and Weed. Conrad Plank engineered Eiliff in sequence with titles by Ash Ra Tempel, Cluster, Eloy, Parzival, and Virus.

Eiliff appeared in a gatefold designed by Klaus Witt, who also did visuals for Silberbart and Thrice Mice. On the outer-gate, the five members (multiplied) form the letters of the band name. The inner-gate shows their disembodied heads as stand-ups on a checkered floor before a rising sun.

Girlrls!

Eiliff released their second album, Girlrls!, in August 1972 on Philips.

Girlrls! favors modular pieces, abrupt section turns, eccentric vocal placement, and jagged ensemble cadences. “Eve of Eternity” hurries from an uptempo opening into a quick full-group entry, then settles into quieter church-toned passages while the tempo keeps shifting. “King of the Frogs” declaims through strange vocal lines, spoken narration, and freer group breaks before the song returns to its sung phrases. “Journey to the Ego” suspends an atmospheric opening, kicks into a firmer passage, and later clears space for low-register accents before saxophone lines re-enter near the close.

“Girlrls” opens with a blunt burst, pulls down into a slower middle section, then rebuilds through layered entries until the original riff returns. “Hallimasch” moves from a dramatic opening into percussive noise, spoken vocals, and a sudden stop, then re-forms around a new guitar-led passage and another hard section change. The album favors jagged vocal placement, exposed tempo shifts, theatrical narration, freer interludes, and ensemble passages that break apart before they lock back into cadence.

A1. “Eve of Eternity” (5:59)
A2. “King of the Frogs” (5:46)
A3. “Journey to the Ego” (6:17)

B1. “Girlrls” (6:41)
B2. “Hallimasch” (8:48)

Sessions occurred in March/April 1972 at Windrose-Dumont-Time Studios, Hamburg, with Goltermann and engineer Friedrich Bischoff, who also worked on the on-off by Zarathustra.

The Witt-designed Girlrls! sleeve shows two men (front and back) dressed as streetwalkers.

Postlude

Houschäng Nejadépour joined Guru Guru for their 1974 album Dance of the Flames.

Rainer Brüninghaus joined the backing band of Eberhard Weber and played on the double-bassist’s 1974 ECM classic The Colours of Chloë.

In 2003, archivists Garden of Delights issued Bremen 1972, a CD with two tracks — “Journey to the “Ego” (8:07) and “Suite” (33:35) — performed on April 19, 1972, at Live Lila Eule for Radio Bremen.

Discography: