demusic1-8, Exercise 1: The Krautrock label

Model answer (check the details):

Why it is controversial: the name came from the British music press, with an edge of mockery, since "kraut" was a slang term for a German. Many of the musicians disliked it. The bands also differed a great deal, from the rhythmic improvisation of Can to the electronic pieces of Tangerine Dream, so one label hides more than it shows.

Two things in common:
1. A wish to avoid copying British and American rock and the blues-based forms behind it, and to find a sound of their own.
2. A taste for experiment, using long pieces, repeating rhythms, tape and electronics, often in their own studios and on small labels.

The label is still used because it is convenient, but it is best treated as a loose grouping, not a movement with a manifesto.