---
title: Ulrich Krieger
description: Ulrich Krieger, the German saxophonist and composer who arranged Metal Machine Music for zeitkratzer and played in Metal Machine Trio with Lou Reed and Sarth Calhoun.
url: https://www.sarth.net/conspirators/ulrich-krieger/
credit: Ulrich Krieger and Sarth Calhoun were two thirds of Metal Machine Trio with Lou Reed, October 2008 to November 2010, and both played in Reed’s eight-piece band on the 2011 European tour. Krieger, tenor saxophone and live electronics; Calhoun, Continuum Fingerboard and live processing through Kyma.
author: Sarth Calhoun
---
[Conspirators](/conspirators/) / Ulrich Krieger

Conspirator

# Ulrich Krieger

[Ulrich Krieger](http://www.ulrich-krieger.com/) is a German composer, saxophonist and improviser, born in [Freiburg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freiburg_im_Breisgau) in 1962 and living in Los Angeles. He studied at the Manhattan School of Music and in Berlin, recorded the saxophone works of [John Cage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cage) for Mode Records, and has been professor of composition and experimental sound practice at the [California Institute of the Arts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Institute_of_the_Arts) since 2007. He calls his saxophone playing “acoustic electronics”: sounds that appear electronic but are made on an acoustic instrument.

He was one third of [Metal Machine Trio](/conspiracies/metal-machine-trio/) with [Lou Reed](/conspirators/lou-reed/) and me, and he later played saxophone in [Reed’s song band](/conspiracies/lou-reed-song-band/) alongside me.

> Lou decided to bring Sarth along at the last minute; he met him at tai chi practice, played with him at home and wanted his electronic sounds for this concert.
> 
> [“Unclassifiable”, The Wire, November 2013](https://www.thewire.co.uk/in-writing/essays/lou-reed-1942-2013_ulrich-krieger_unclassifiable)

## Metal Machine Music, scored

Krieger transcribed Reed’s *[Metal Machine Music](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_Machine_Music)*, an hour of guitar feedback, for the Berlin ensemble zeitkratzer, scoring it for amplified acoustic instruments. The result was chamber instruments that sounded electronic. Zeitkratzer released the recording in 2007. That arrangement is how Reed came to know him.

## The genuine article

Ulrich is the genuine article.

I got to see a performance of his transcription of *Metal Machine Music* for orchestra, which is I believe what brought him to Lou’s attention, and it was stunning.

I always loved playing with him, the [MM3](/conspiracies/metal-machine-trio/) shows could go from pure unrelenting noise to what [Laurie](/conspirators/laurie-anderson/) described as almost improvised classical music.

## Unclassifiable

Krieger wrote that essay for *The Wire* after Reed died in October 2013. It records two days of rehearsal at REDCAT, both shows sold out within twenty four hours, and late shows added.

He describes what the group became afterwards. At 2009’s Lollapalooza MM3 played a ten minute noise interlude between well known Reed songs to the frantic cheers of a large audience. On tour the trio set up four guitars and amplifiers as an opening sound installation, sometimes running for an hour before anyone walked on.

And what happened next. On subsequent tours with his newly revised rock group, including Sarth and me, he would play MM3 recordings before and after shows.

The credit: Ulrich Krieger and Sarth Calhoun were two thirds of Metal Machine Trio with Lou Reed, October 2008 to November 2010, and both played in Reed’s eight-piece band on the 2011 European tour. Krieger, tenor saxophone and live electronics; Calhoun, Continuum Fingerboard and live processing through Kyma.

## In Lou’s band

Krieger and I were both in the eight-piece band Reed took through Europe in July 2011, with [Rob Wasserman](/conspirators/rob-wasserman/) on bass, [Kevin Hearn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Hearn) on keys, [Aram Bajakian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aram_Bajakian) and [Tony Diodore](/conspirators/tony-diodore/) on guitars, and Tony Smith on drums. That run is on the page for the [2011 European tour](/conspiracies/lou-reed-2011-european-tour/), and the concerts are listed on [Sightings](/sightings/).

The Gramercy recording the trio made in April 2009 was later spatialised as an [ambisonic installation](/conspiracies/creation-of-the-universe-ambisonic/) that visitors walked into, standing where Reed, Krieger or I had stood.

My account is from September 23, 2026. “Almost improvised classical music” is Laurie Anderson’s phrase as I remember it.