Beginnings

On today's episode I talk to musician Hans-Joachim Roedelius. A pioneer in the field of electronic music, Hans-Joachim Roedelius is considered one of the founders of contemporary popular electronic music. Born in Berlin in 1934, Hans-Joachim starred as a child in a number of UFA films, and during the war was an unwilling member of the German Youngsters in the Hitler Youth, membership being mandatory for all boys from the age of ten. During this time, he also appeared in several propaganda films. He fled Berlin in 1943, moving from one place to another before being conscripted into the National People's Army of East Germany. Again he took flight, only to end up in prison. WHen he got out, he trained as a male nurse, then as a hospice orderly. Having relocated from East to West Berlin, he went on to meander through Europe (as a thatcher, detective, masseur, bartender, janitor and many other things), before finally becoming a freelance artist, with avant-garde music his prime focus. In 1968, Hans-Joachim co-foun