Can was an experimental rock band formed in West Germany in 1968. Can constructed their music largely through free improvisation and editing, which bassist Holger Czukay referred to as "instant compositions". comprising bass guitarist Holger Czukay, keyboard player Irmin Schmidt, guitarist Michael Karoli, and drummer Jaki Liebezeit, along with original member David Johnson. Johnson, an American composer, flutist, and electronic musician, left at the end of 1968 after the band had begun taking a more rock-oriented direction. Czukay's and Schmidt's musical orientations up until that point had been exclusively avant-garde classical, while Liebezeit had played in jazz groups before joining Can.