Following the astounding four-decade run of Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius' pioneering Krautrock duo Cluster -- whose history extends back to the late '60s as Kluster, its initial lineup with Conrad Schnitzler -- Roedelius swapped a letter as well as a bandmember in the early 2010s, forming Qluster with musician and sound installation artist Onnen Bock of Zeitkratzer, whom he had started working with in 2007. The new incarnation continued in the creative spirit of its predecessors, based on spontaneous improvisations using analog synthesizers as well as Roedelius' signature piano melodies. Appearing on Bureau B, home to numerous Cluster and Roedelius albums and reissues, Qluster's debut, Fragen, was issued in May of 2011, and was followed later that year by the live recording Rufen. In early 2012, Antworten, a recording of piano improvisations performed by Roedelius and Bock in early 2007, was released as the third Qluster album. Recorded live at the CTM-Zodiak Festival in Berlin, early 2013's Lauschen was the first Qluster album to include third member Armin Metz. A split 12" single with Schneider TM was released on Record Store Day that April. Qluster's fifth album, Tasten (2015), was another piano-based effort, and 2016's Echtzeit went in a sparse yet melodic direction. Elemente appeared in 2018, and explored Tangerine Dream-style sequencer-driven electronics. ~ Paul Simpson