Doing things differently is an omnipresent idea in the West German music scene of the Eighties. Starting from scratch, and owing to a straightness rooted in punk, new things and personalities get invented everywhere and all the time, resulting in an infrastructure with magazines, record labels, and venues.

detail cover art Max Müller – Wir steh’n hier jeden Tag (1989, Die Tödliche Doris Schallplatten)

The corresponding adventurous lifestyle, its irony, artistic concepts, and some golden German humour are captured in this 53-minute mix with works by Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle, Ingrid Wiener & Chor, Martin Kippenberger, Santrra and others.

Featured cover art: Die Tödliche Doris – ” “


Proper Krauts (1971-78)

The stoic, almost machine like drumming of many West-German tunes from the early Seventies became the hallmark of a new sound – different from British pop or American rock, and in no way related to the country's horrible Nazi past. 45 minutes with Cluster, Faust, Harmonia 76, Wolfgang Riechmann and others.

Die Tödliche Doris – Fliegt schnell laut summend

Ingenious Dilletantes from West Berlin, focussing on performance art and music (1982, Zickzack)

Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle – Move Ahead

avantgarde band from Munich that refused to have a drummer for the first ten years – due to aesthetic reasons (1983, Zickzack)

Der Plan – Kennen Sie Köln?

the electronic music group from Düsseldorf was among the first to release music on their own label (1987, Ata Tak)

Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft – Goldenes Spielzeug

minimalistic superstars from Düsseldorf, inspired by living in London (1981, Virgin)

Sternhagel – King Kong

the only original song on Xao Seffcheque’s spoof concept album Sehr gut kommt sehr gut (1981, Schallmauer)

Conrad Schnitzler – Das Tier

the Joseph Beuys student and living sound cloud was a seminal figure in West Berlin’s music scene of the Seventies (1981, Sky Records)

Holger Hiller – Herzmuskel

early work, produced while studying at Hamburg’s Hochschule für bildende Künste (1980, Warning Records)

Santrra – Dao Dao

singer-songwriter solo project with accordion by the later zen nun from West Berlin (1985, Rebel Rec.)

Sentimentale Jugend & Einstürzende Neubauten – Wollt ihr die Totale Befriedigung

first collaboration between 16-year old Alexander Hacke and his later band Einstürzende Neubauten (1980, Zensor)

Die Dominas – Die Wespendomina

singer Rosi Müller and fashion designer Claudia Skoda playing with Manuel Göttsching in his studio in West Berlin (1981, Fabrikneu)

Die Zimmermänner – Ich werde in der Sonne immer dicker

new wave project from Hamburg that started in school (1981, Zickzack)

Säurekeller – Hiroshima

protest song the Hamburg way (1985, Ulan Bator)

Max Müller – Sie ist aus Holland

the A-side of this 7“ was a hit in West Berlin’s bohemian bar Kumpelnest 3000 (1989, Die Tödliche Doris Schallplatten)

Martin Kippenberger – Yuppi Du

dadaist humor meets italo-pop in West Berlin (1984, Zickzack)

Andreas Dorau – Der lachende Papst

yet another record by a teenager (1981, Zickzack)

Ingrid Wiener & Chor – Vermutlich

choir of famous artists from West Berlin reflecting about life (1985, Exil Schallplatte)

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