AAlong with Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel (later Ashra) was one of the first bands to convert the trippier side of late '60s psychedelia into the kosmische rock of the '70s. Most Ash Ra titles were solely the work of Manuel Göttsching, plus any other additional players who happened to be around during the recording of his ten albums. Göttsching trained in classical guitar and studied improvisational music plus electronics at school. In 1970, he formed Ash Ra Tempel with no less than Klaus Schulze (fresh from a brief stint in Tangerine Dream) and Hartmut Enke. After a self-titled album in 1971, Schulze left for a solo career; Göttsching continued on with a variety of bandmembers and guests, including Timothy Leary on 1973's Seven Up (and Schulze again, for Join Inn).

Their albums are all classics; those with Klaus Schulze ("Ash Ra Tempel" and "Join Inn") are the best. Ash Ra Tempel's first release is a classic of the space/cosmic genre.