They started out as the R&B combo
Soul Caravan, but by the time of
Electrip, the group renamed
Xhol Caravan had opened up their minds for a much more bizarre mix of jazz and progressive psychedelic rock.
Electrip, one of the earliest Krautrock albums, contains high-energy, drug-induced freakouts and acid jams with wailing, electrified sax-riffs; swirling organ tones; an electrified flute; many electronic and other effects; and intense rhythm funk grooves. They also throw in some
Zappa-esque humorous touches, like the toilet flush that begins "Electric Fun Fair" and the sped-up vocals at the beginning of "Pop Games," as well as other strange studio effects that suddenly erupt in the music. Whereas the first side is almost entirely instrumental, side two contains the 17-minute "Raise Up High," another extremely wild and drugged-out number with some energetic vocals in English and, at times, even more intense rhythm grooves.
Electrip is a classic of early Krautrock, a uniquely German twist that took rock & roll into new realms, and the record was a blueprint for the many German jazz-rock groups that followed, at the same time the music is drenched in a druggy psychedelic vibe that gives it an almost surreal quality. ~ Rolf Semprebon