Condrad Schnitzler, a pioneering force in electronic music and co-founder of the group Kluster and early Tangerine Dream collaborator, passed away August 4th. 

Conrad Schnitzler was a founding member of Kluster and early member of Tangerine Dream, seminal acts in the creation of Krautrock, an early form of electronic music that has influenced everyone from Brian Eno, Radiohead and Boards of Canada to Death in Vegas and Solar Bears.

Schitzler studied under Karlheinz Stockhausen and formed Kluster in 1969 with Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius, but left in 1971 to write and perform solo, reviving the Kluster name several times over the years. Around this time he also worked with Tangerine Dream.

He also opened the Zodiac Club where Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk played early shows.

Schitzler recorded over 100 pieces of music in his lifetime and even released his final piece of work “00/830″ just days before his death. The man was a workhorse and more influential to modern music than anyone can possibly imagine.

In his prime, electronic music was a curiosity, but now it is commonplace, infecting the production from underground music to pop music.

Schnitzler died of stomach cancer and will be missed by many electronic music fans.