A road to go

In the beginning of the 70s Christian Burchard started listening to tapes and music from the Arabian world. Stuff, which was fully unknown in Europe at those times. While he was transforming the band Embryo from a Jazz into a Jazz-Rock band, his ears went a step ahead. His interest in different sounds was based on the general interest in other cultures.

Lothar Stahl, the former Checkpoint Charlie drummer and active Embryo member, told me that Christian was a very sophisticated person, who read a lot about music and different cultures. After the travel to India 1978/1979 a stronger consciousness was awakened in him. The band Embryo left the track of rock elements for the next years, looking for new influences from abroad. Some band members like Uve Müllrich or Marlon Klein, who took part in the Embryo adventure to India 1978, left the band after the tour to create a stronger E-World-Beat-Sound with the new band „Dissidenten“.

The cut was very painful for Embryo. When going to Embryo concerts, many people in Germany expected the „typical Embryo sound“ (I am not sure whether there had ever been a typical „Embryo sound before“). And many of them were totally disappointed at concerts, when they listened to the new sound of world music. Mal Waldrons masterpiece „Left alone“ somehow represented in words the situation of the band and Christian Burchard. In a review I would say that this crisis was one of the most important moments for Christian to see, how important it is, to go his own way. He started focussing on music, he was interested in, more intensively. By taking all the stuff into his mind, „Embryo has found a way to make the world small and the music big“ (Monty Waters).

The reason, why I have opened a menu called „Embryo abroad“, is that the beautiness of our cultural diversity in the world can be listened and felt by the band Embryo on all records and at all live concerts. The band has always been interested in new instruments and new styles of play. Furthermore, I think that the many travels of the band are a valuable fundament of different interesting experiences and stories. And we all cannot thank enough the Embryo member Roman Bunka, who was so convinced of the India trip 1978 that he persuaded many others into starting the new chapter of music.