German musician Irmin Schmidt, who founded the experimental rock group Can, has been knighted by the French ministry of culture.
He will also receive the prestigious Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres award, which will be presented to him in Berlin on February 10th. The German embassy mentioned that the French Government selected Irmin Schmidt “for his entire work and his great connection and effort between the two countries” Germany and France.
Formed in Cologne in 1968, their psychedelic and improv style production methods granted them a distinct following outside the mainstream, with occasional commercial success tracks like ‘I want more’ and ‘Spoons’. They were one of the first groups to be considered Krautrock.