Ash Ra Tempel – Join Inn

Join Inn, released in 1973, stands as the fourth studio album by Ash Ra Tempel and marks a unique convergence of krautrock experimentation and improvisational space rock. It was recorded during breaks in the sessions for Walter Wegmüller’s *Tarot*, at Studio Dierks in Stommeln under engineer Dieter Dierks. The album reunites Manuel Göttsching, Hartmut Enke, and returning guest Klaus Schulze, whose contributions help shape its dual-sided structure. Each side features a lengthy piece—“Freak ’n’ Roll” and “Jenseits”—that together explore the boundaries between driving psychedelia and contemplative ambient textures. The record is often viewed as a bridge between the band’s raw early sound and the more cosmic, expansive direction they and related projects would follow.

“Freak ’n’ Roll” moves through pulsing rhythms, layered guitar explorations, and energetic interplay, while “Jenseits” drifts into atmospheric territory with ethereal keyboards, sparse guitar lines, and whispered vocals by Rosi Müller. The contrast between aggressive jamming and meditative space sets a compelling tension that attests to the band’s versatility and depth. With Schulze’s drums and synths augmenting the ensemble only temporarily, Join Inn represents both a culmination and a turning point. Its influence resonates across genres—from ambient and electronic to modern experimental rock—as an exemplar of krautrock’s capacity for both expansion and introspection.

Reviews

"A fine exercise in late-night musical dreaming that will appeal to fans of Phaedra-era Tangerine Dream while not misrepresenting that aspect of the group's work." – AllMusic

“Join Inn saw the return of Klaus Schulze … the album’s two long tracks turn out to be grandiose improvisations of two faces of the ‘Krautrock’ concept.” – HHV Mag

“First track ‘Freak ’n’ Roll’ is 20 minutes of egoless space jamming of the highest calibre … the second track … is a completely blissed out cosmic transcendent piece of ambient music.” – Head Heritage (Julian Cope Presents)