Biography

Dieter Moebius (16 January 1944 – 20 July 2015) was a Swiss-born German electronic musician and composer, best known as a member of the influential krautrock bands Cluster and Harmonia.

Moebius was studying art at Berlin's Akademie Grafik and working as a restaurant cook when he met Conrad Schnitzler, founder of the Zodiak Free Arts Lab with Hans-Joachim Roedelius. The trio founded the improv group Kluster in 1969. After the departure of Schnitzler, the duo changed their name to Cluster and relocated to the countryside village of Forst, releasing influential albums such as Zuckerzeit (1974) and Sowiesoso (1976). Moebius would also draw on his graphic design training create the cover artwork for various Cluster albums and related collaborations.Meanwhile, Moebius and Roedelius founded the band Harmonia with Michael Rother of Neu!, releasing the albums Musik von Harmonia (1974) and Deluxe (1975). Admirer Brian Eno would subsequently collaborate with both groups. Moebius began recording solo works in the 1970s and was later involved in numerous side-projects with such musicians as Conny Plank and Mani Neumeier (Guru Guru), including the influential 1983 album Zero Set.

Moebius toured with Rother as Rother & Moebius in 2007. Additionally, on 27 November 2007, a Harmonia reunion concert was held in Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, where the band performed together live for the first time since 1976. He died of cancer on 20 July 2015.