RIP Holger Czukay

Holger Czukay played bass in the groundbreaking Krautrock band Can, which he founded with keyboardist Irmin Schmidt, guitarist Michael Karoli, and drummer Jaki Liebezeit. He passed away on Tuesday at age 79 at the band’s Inner Space Studio. Can got their unique sound from improvisation that mixed jazz with rock, and during Czukay’s solo career, he explored the use of sound effects and sampling. His last release, Eleven Years Innerspace, came out in 2015.

RIP Walter Becker

The Steely Dan co-founder and guitarist passed away last Sunday at age 67. His songwriting partner, Donald Fagen, described Becker as having a knack for “reading people’s hidden psychology and transforming what he saw into bubbly, incisive art.” The beloved band was highly influential and advanced in terms of songwriting and song structure, though sometimes derisively referred to as the main progenitors of “dad-rock.”

RIP Fat Baby

The Lower East Side club/venue closed on Saturday, after being bought by an unknown buyer. For the residents of “Hell Square,” a highly concentrated area of nightclubs, venues and bars, this closure was not necessarily unwelcome. Yelp reviews of the hotspot vary from describing a pretty good place for a night out to a crowded pit of despair.
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NEWS ROUNDUPRIP Walter Becker, Holger Czukay and More