CURT CRESS – AVANTI: A Sonic Journey Through 1980s Krautrock and Jazz Fusion
Context: Germany's Sonic Vanguard of the Early 1980s
In 1983, Curt Cress released Avanti, a solo statement that sits at the intersection of Germany’s Krautrock legacy and the expanding frontiers of jazz fusion. While bands like Can, Neu!, and Tangerine Dream were defining the ambient and motorik spectrum of the Krautrock sound, Cress carved out a rhythmic niche grounded in virtuosity and studio precision. At the time, Germany's music scene was thriving on experimentation. Synthpop, electronic minimalism, and complex instrumental fusion were no longer avant-garde — they were reshaping the mainstream.
The Musical Language of Avanti
Avanti is a tight suite of eight compositions where Cress explores his drum kit not merely as a time-keeper, but as the expressive centerpiece. Tracks like “Moon Walk” and “The Screamer” fuse electronic percussion with analog textures, creating layered rhythms that resonate like kinetic sculptures. The album does not indulge in lyrical narrative or vocal ornamentation — it’s purely instrumental, allowing space for atmospheric keys, slap bass, and programmed sequences to interplay with acoustic grooves.
Side One leans heavily into fusion territory, with jazz-rock tempo shifts and melodic phrasing on bass (notably from John Davies). “The Indian Call” and “Hawaiian Punch” suggest exotic inspirations — not in cliché, but through percussive coloration and thematic refrains that evoke geographical moods without appropriation.
Side Two intensifies this momentum. “Power Vein” and “Flying High” showcase a mix of Simmons drums, analog synth bursts, and ambient effects, converging in textures that are simultaneously percussive and cinematic. The album closes with “Alone Again”, a track that subtly nods to isolation and introspection, countering the more dynamic earlier pieces with restraint.
Production & Engineering Precision
The sonic clarity of Avanti is no accident. The album was recorded at two key German studios: Arc Studio in Munich and the legendary Far Studio in Rosbach. These spaces had become known for hosting sessions that demanded high production standards. The engineering credits read like a roll call of German studio excellence: Mal Luker, Udo Arndt, Frank v/d Bottlenberg, Zeke Lund, Cedric Realty, and Jurgen Koppers. Each brought their technical sensibility to a layered and dynamic mix.
Of note is the contribution of Rainer M. Erhardt at Far Studio, who is credited with analog tape mastering, giving the album its deep sonic warmth. While many contemporaries were moving toward digital coldness, Cress and his team retained an organic core — a pulse driven by hands on skins and sticks on cymbals.
Genre Blending Without Borders
Categorizing Avanti presents a challenge. It defies the rigid lines of traditional genre boxes. It’s not simply Krautrock, despite its German origin and instrumental focus. Nor is it classic jazz fusion, though its rhythms echo the likes of Billy Cobham and Tony Williams. It belongs in the same breath as Passport, Embryo, and the more rhythmically aggressive side of Klaus Doldinger’s output — a sonic fingerprint of German rhythmic intellect and studio daring.
A Moment Captured in Precision
Avanti remains one of the most accomplished examples of German drummer-led studio projects of the early ’80s. It’s an album driven not by commercial ambition or band identity, but by the vision of a percussionist using modern tools to articulate rhythm as language. Mike Jahn once wrote that a great album reflects the moment of its creation with both clarity and distortion — Avanti does exactly that. It pulses with 1983’s optimism and experimentation, even as it hints at a world of solitude behind the studio glass.
