Popol Vuh

Among Krautrock's storied figures, Popol Vuh distinguished themselves through early foresight into today's electronic landscape. They became the initial German ensemble to integrate a Moog synthesizer, foreshadowing ambient music while breaking ground via their incorporation of worldbeat elements.

Concurrent with the Munich formation of this Popol Vuh in 1969, a separate Norwegian-rooted outfit adopted the identical name, generating ongoing mix-ups thereafter. Both entities drew inspiration from the sacred text of Guatemala's Quiche Indians, a title Mayan researchers interpret roughly as "meeting place." Keyboardist Florian Fricke, steeped in Mayan mythology when launching the project alongside synth player Frank Fiedler and percussionist Holger Trulzsch, channeled those interests into the spiritual motifs of their 1970 debut Affenstunde.

The 1972 successor In den Garten Pharaos represented their artistic pinnacle, an immersive meditative piece merging ambient atmospheres with organic percussion. Afterward Fricke embraced Christianity, prompting abandonment of electronics in favor of ethnic instruments such as guitars, oboe, and tamboura. He recruited Korean soprano Djong Yun for vocals on the 1972 Hosianna Mantra, then partnered with former Amon Düül II drummer Daniel Fichelscher for Seligpreisung. Fichelscher and Yun both appeared on the 1975 Einsjäger & Siebenjäger, frequently ranked among the group's strongest releases. That year launched an extended collaboration with filmmaker Werner Herzog, yielding soundtracks to Aguirre: The Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo, and Nosferatu.

Popol Vuh maintained their pursuit of global instrumentation throughout the later 1970s. Prominent sitars, tablas, and tamboura on 1977's Herz aus Glas and 1979's Die Nacht der Seele: Tantric Songs later prompted characterizations as raga rock. In 1978 Fricke launched the Working Group for Creative Singing and joined the Breathing Therapy Society, lecturing internationally on both subjects. His external commitments increasingly overshadowed Popol Vuh, yielding sporadic recordings after the excellent 1983 Agape Agape. Fricke periodically reassembled the lineup for 1985's Spirit of Peace, the 1987 Herzog soundtrack Cobra Verde, and 1990s efforts such as For You and Me and City Raga, the latter bearing unexpected resemblance to prevailing electronic and new age styles. The band concluded with two late-1990s releases, the 1997 Shepherd's Symphony and 1999's Messa di Orfeo, captured the prior year during an installation in Bari, Italy.