The difference, by ear
Space rock drifts and floats; krautrock drives. The motorik pulse is the opposite of a drift, and it is the whole difference.
Space rock is sung cleanly where Krautrock is mostly instrumental, and a little slower: 90 to 130 bpm against 120 to 150. To hear the difference, play Can next to Hawkwind. Both grew out of psychedelic rock, Krautrock first and space rock a year after.
In figures
Krautrock
Where it sits
Rock › Psychedelic rock › Krautrock
In short
A tireless motorik beat, studio improvisation and a refusal of the chorus. It shaped post-punk, post-rock and electronic music.
How it sounds
- The motorik beat: four to the floor, unvarying, for ten to twenty minutes.
- Studio improvisation later assembled at the mixing desk - the tape is an instrument.
- A refusal of the chorus, of virtuoso solos and of American blues.
Key acts
- Can
- Neu!
- Faust
- Amon Düül II
Start here
The pickNeu! - Hallogallo. Ten minutes that fed four decades of music.
Full page →Space rock
Where it sits
Rock › Psychedelic rock › Space rock
In short
A repetitive riff under a thick layer of synthesizers and cosmic whoosh. Lemmy went straight from here into Motörhead.
How it sounds
- A repetitive riff, often on a single chord, held for tens of minutes.
- Analogue synthesizers, oscillators and white noise as a permanent layer.
- Hypnotic structure with almost no harmonic development.
Key acts
- Hawkwind
- Gong
- Spacemen 3
- Monster Magnet
Start here
The pickHawkwind - Silver Machine. That's Lemmy singing, two years before Motörhead.
Full page →