Kraan were one of the most distinctive and durable bands of the German scene — a group who took the free improvisation of krautrock and fused it with funk, jazz and a love of world music into something all their own. Built on Hellmut Hattler’s elastic, funky bass and a telepathic instrumental chemistry, they became one of Europe’s great live acts, and their run of 1970s albums still sounds fresh, playful and unlike anything else in the genre.

The short version

Formed in Ulm in 1970, Kraan played a funky, jazz-inflected krautrock — largely instrumental fusion shot through with psychedelia and exotic, world-music colour. Their classic quartet of Hellmut Hattler, Peter Wolbrandt, Jan Fride and Johannes Pappert made a series of acclaimed albums, from the self-titled debut (1972) through the prize-winning “Andy Nogger” (1974) and funk-leaning “Let It Out” (1975). Famed as a live band, they remain one of the most loved names in German rock.

Ulm: free jazz to fusion

Kraan came together in Ulm in 1970, four young players who had cut their teeth in the city’s free-jazz cellar listening to the likes of Peter Brötzmann. Bassist Hellmut Hattler joined guitarist Peter Wolbrandt and his younger brother, drummer Jan Fride, and the trio became a quartet with saxophonist Johannes “Alto” Pappert. They moved to Berlin in 1971 and then settled at Wintrup, a country estate deep in the Teutoburg Forest, where they lived communally for years — touring relentlessly and writing the music that filled their early records. The name, they later learned, is Dutch for “crane”; they had simply liked the sound of it.

Funky, jazz-inflected krautrock

Kraan’s music was a groove-driven fusion like little else in Germany. At its heart was Hellmut Hattler’s bass — trebly, funky and endlessly inventive, often the lead instrument — wrapped around Peter Wolbrandt’s echo-and-flanger guitar and impressionistic, half-sung vocals, Jan Fride’s tight, intricate drumming, and the effect-laden alto sax of Johannes Pappert. Into that mix they folded jazz improvisation, psychedelia and a love of exotic, Oriental and Latin colour, building long, largely instrumental pieces that breathed and grooved. On stage they were extraordinary — one of the finest live bands Europe had, and, alongside Embryo, the great exponents of Germany’s ethnic-tinged jazz-rock.

If this is your scene, the books go deeper →

From Kraan to Flyday

Their self-titled debut (1972) caught their live sound almost as-is — an instrumental tour de force of jazz, rock and Oriental flavour, home to enduring favourites like “Kraan Arabia” and “Sarahs Ritt durch den Schwarzwald”. “Wintrup” (1973) carried on in the same spirit, before “Andy Nogger” (1974) — their first with producer Conny Plank — was voted record of the year by one German magazine and pushed their funk and world influences further. “Let It Out” (1975), recorded with new keyboardist Ingo Bischof and Pappert’s final contributions, leaned harder into funk and gave them a club hit in “Bandits in the Woods”. After Pappert’s departure, “Wiederhören” (1977) and “Flyday” (1978) found the band in a softer, more keyboard-led mode, polished and virtuosic if less wild than before.

Album by album

Six albums from one of German rock’s most original bands. Tap any title for its guide.

The players and afterwards

Kraan’s classic line-up was the quartet of bassist Hellmut Hattler, guitarist Peter Wolbrandt, drummer Jan Fride and saxophonist Johannes Pappert — a unit of remarkable chemistry. Keyboardist Ingo Bischof joined in 1975, and when Pappert left the following year, Bischof’s keyboards took over the role the saxophone had played; he would remain for decades, until his death in 2019. The band’s 1974 double live album, recorded by Conny Plank, became one of the best-selling German live records and remains a high point. Kraan carried on into the 1980s, experimenting restlessly before a break-up and several reunions — but the core trio of Wolbrandt, Hattler and Fride kept the band alive, still playing together half a century after they began.

Where to start

Begin with “Andy Nogger” (1974) — their prize-winning third album and a perfect distillation of Kraan’s funky, jazz-rock fusion. From there, the self-titled debut (1972) captures the wild, Oriental-tinged energy of their early live sound, while “Let It Out” (1975) shows the funkier, keyboard-enriched band they became. For the full experience, their celebrated 1974 live album is among the finest things they ever recorded.

Why they still matter

Kraan matter as one of the German scene’s true originals — a band who blended krautrock improvisation with funk, jazz and world music into a sound no one else quite managed, and who played it with breathtaking skill. Never as famous abroad as some of their peers, they were beloved at home and revered by those who knew them, and their best albums still groove and surprise decades on. For anyone drawn to the funkier, jazzier side of the German scene, they are essential listening.

Browse the bookshelf in the footer →