Der Moderne Man (The Modern Man) was a post-punk band from Hannover, Germany. They were in the early 80s at the wrong place at the wrong time. Too late for classic punk and thrown in the pot of the so called fucking Neue Deutsche Welle. I saw them once life and they were pure New Wave. This song is not representative for them because they most play the classic style with a dominant bass and a narrowed guitar. This 12-inch was a remix that was really new in the 80s because they were one of the first that used to get a funky bass into their sound (Fehlfarben, another years later did it very well also). I used to play this song often when I was DJ-ing in these days.
In the course of the unspeakable New German Wave (NDW) a band became very successful, although they were not typically for this music direction stamped by kitsch. Nevertheless, Extrabreit was no typical NDW band, but made German rock music with also critical texts. They saw itself as a punk group which had to owe it only of the NDW that they were so successful. On her website in addition they said: „Yes, we have just taken part in the shit!“
For me they never were a part of the hype, but a classical punk / rock group which has sung on in her mother tongue. About all years away have remained Extrabreit to her style loyal and have played strongly from guitars stamped songs. Unfortunately, they could never again go back to the success of her first both long-playing records, however, they succeeded over and over again in publishing above-average records for German relations.
When I started this series I thought it will end after a couple of weeks, not expecting that it last this long. In # 2 of this series I introduced you to Neonbabies a band that was well known in the beginning of the so called German New Wave. In the beginning two sisters, Inga and Annette Humpe was heard on vocals. Both of them were part of the Berlin punk scene in the late 70s. There were many rumors why Annette has left the group. Anyway, it was a good decision. Because if she didn't go her own musical way we would have missed another band in this era. Ideal was a band which hit the nerve of the time and they combined classical punk attitude, short riffs and a forward going rhythm with lyrics which act from the life and also the boredom of young people in Berlin at these days. Their self titled debut record from 1980 was nearly the start of a lot of other bands to catch the bus to Hitsville Germany to do it the same way. This record was played at these times in so many pubs in my town because a lot of people could agree to this sound. The band split in 1983 announcing it to the media with an telex: „The group Ideal resolves. Ideally was planned from beginning as a project, a study group which should insist so long, how the differences of the single members made the work exciting and creative. Our music was always a result of the discussion of four different personalities, find not around compromises, but around songs to (him) on which everybody could stand. In three great years we have got out of this constellation the best.“
Enjoy and have a good weekend people.
Herwig Mitteregger is an Austrian musician, played in former times in the back-up band from Nina Hagen - Spliff (a synonym for a joint). They were very successful in the days of New German Wave with chartbreakers like 'Carbonara' and 'Heut Nacht'. After the split of 'Spliff' he turned into a solo career, in which he played the most of the instruments by himself. On this record he tried to explore some new ways to produce the songs he liked to do in his way. Most of them sound a little bit of morbid for listeners who are not able to understand his words. But for me he made a record that still stands the test of time. 'Kein Mut, kein Mädchen' what means 'No courage, no girl' is a record that had an tries to plump the borders of rock music and electronic. It is a perfect mixture of how new sounds could sound. Nearly 20 years ago it was a masterpiece from him and it still sounds fresh and new over a long years ago.
Started this series a few weeks ago to bring you folks some German music that was underrated or nearly forgotten. I tried to post it regular Friday's series and then Dirk challenged me to our 'Battle of the Blogs' and I focused on this. I would not like to step in competition to this. So let's try a second time for a Friday post and be surprised what I'll present.
This one is from a band that has his roots in the early German punk movement in the late 1970s. The Neonbabies was formed in Berlin by the sisters Inga and Annette Humpe. They recorded three records until they split in 1983. Annette Humpe left the band after their first record to join Ideal - another band from the so called New German Wave. Ideal's first hit single 'Blaue Augen' is a monument of this era and was originally released in a rough version on Neonbabie's first record. My favorite record of them was their last record '1983'. They turned away from their basic roots and made some experiments in psychedelic sounds and classic songwriting.
As said, Annette Humpe got success with Ideal and as a producer. She produced the first record from the group her sister Inga joined after the split. It was a German-Austrian collaboration called DÖF a persiflage to the punk/dance band DAF. They had big success among the NDW-era and were one of them bands that didn't play that nonsense the other bands did. In the 1990s the sisters had a collaboration and recorded two records under their own name. Mostly soft and tender songs I use to play later in the evening. Inga got also success early this century with 2raumwohnung.
Yesterday I was thinking about the Montonie in Germany. Origin was a post of Swiss Adam and a comment from Dirk. Finally Dirk offered a tune from Ideal, who was gods at their time in Germany as he said. I still remember their first record and it was a highlight in that so called Neue Deutsche Welle (New German New Wave). Most of it was terrible and not worth to be listened to. But there was another side of it. It was the time, when everything in music was allowed - without frontiers and new horizons.
In this time everything could be possible. New groups with new sounds are shot like mushrooms.It was the time I spent a lot of nights in Stuttgart in a small club, where in the early 80s played all the bands of the NDW and also bands from from the British island. I can remember listening to the Cure who jammed with their support (a German punk band called Abwärts) after their gig. At one of these evenings I went to a concert featuring Trio, a small band from northern Germany.
I knew them from a single, which was very soft. Only spoken words from a guy talking to his former girlfriend on the telephone, trying to get her to an engagement once again. Of course it was not successful but was a good step into the music of Trio. I went there with no more expectations than having a good evening with some live music. So I went on a warm spring evening to the place where they played. It was a very small club in the red light district in Stuttgart. It was on the first floor on the left side - the right side was a well known fun house. So we waited, that they would let us in and while we stood in the row all the customers of the fun house passed us with their heads kept down to the floor.
It was a very small club where they played their gig. If there where more than one hundred people it would be more that can beard to. As I finally got inside the club I hit for a bottle of beer and I got it. While having my first beer I talked to the guy next to me. We talked about this and that and finally about music. It was very interesting to listen his view of how new music might look like. After another beer he apologizes that he has to go, as he makes an appearance. I did not recognized that I was talking to the guitar player of Trio.
I listened to a lot of concerts in this time but none of them impressed me more than them. It was nearly anarchy to play in a band with only a simple drum, no bass, just a few accords an a singer who sung German and English in one song. It is still amazing and burned in my heart.
After a busy day at the job I joined my mates for a couple of beer. Talking about useless thing like football and politics. But it is all right, if I can get down. Got home real soon to relax with some music. I decided to listen to some old German music from the eighties. It is a band still acting and making records. In their time they were known as fun-pop band amongst the others of the so called New German Wave. But they were underrated and they are still a very good band playing pure rock.
