Ashra emerged from the remains of the legendary Ash Ra Tempel, the innovative and often raucous Krautrock band revolving around guitarist Manuel Göttsching and soon-to-be synth master Klaus Schulze. After Schulze - who had actually played drums with the band - left to continue his solo career Göttsching shortened the name and recorded a number of fine instrumental albums that range from spacey Berlin-school ambient to more rock-inflected sounds.

Alongside Tangerine Dream's classics of the same period, the early albums New Age Of Earth (1976) and Blackouts (1977) are essential slices of mid-70's German electronica. Manuel Göttsching has profoundly influenced today's electronic music, and his compositions are performed by contemporary ensembles, by classical pianists as well as jazz musicians.