Various Artists ‎– "Ende Vom Lied: East German Underground Sound 1979 - 1990" (Play Loud! Productions ‎– pl-67) 2016

What can I say except that i like a nice pair of knockers on my record covers,especially painted ones.

So all i'm motivated to do is cut'n'paste the liner notes,and come to the conclusion that the DDR produced ,by far, the best and most adventurous music in the whole soviet bloc.So as the title suggests,this can mark the end of our fabulous tour of the communist bloc.....not necessarily never to return.There's reems of DDR Punk,but,between you and me...its largely awful 1983 generic rubbish.You can't win 'em all!?

....and i quote:....

"ENDE VOM LIED" is a genre-spanning collection of punk, post-punk and avant-garde bands from the former East Germany, chronicling the work of free spirits pitted against government restraints and implied genre limitations. The underground scene in the GDR was a hydra, a noisy mix of musicians, poets, pain¬ters, photographers, filmmakers, punks and freaks. In the immediate aftermath of the primal scream that was punk, music often bred with poetry or painting in short-lived liaisons or enduring collaborations to produce a new generation of genre bastards. With the lines blurring between forms, a search for new shapes began. In the German Democratic Republic, this search constituted a tightrope walk, a dance for expression between subculture and a dictatorship.

*In German, ENDE VOM LIED literally translates to “The end of the song”, but is more commonly understood as a saying roughly meaning “The upshot”, “The end of the story” or simply “The end”.

TRACKLIST:

01 Ornament & Verbrechen : When I am I am not (1988)
02 Grabnoct : Töten und Fressen (1987)
03 L‘Attentat : linke Ecke, rechte Ecke (1984)
04 Der Schwarze Kanal : spiel mit (1979)
05 3tot : Hintere Gedanken (1989)
06 Der Demokratische Konsum : Sturm im Gepäck (1985)
07 T42 : Dreamer (1985)
08 Happy Straps : Live in Paradise (1985)
09 Planlos : Smog und Ruß (1981)
10 Sendeschluß : Deine Liebe (1982)
11 Zwitschermaschine : geh übern fluß (1983)
12 Aufruhr zur Liebe : mit’m bock auf nichts (1984)
13 Andreas Auslauf : Zivilisation (1985)
14 Rosa Extra : was mir deine schleuder ist dir meine waschmaschine (1982)
15 AG Geige : Fingerwalze (1989)
16 The Local Moon : Kingdom comes (1987)
17 fett : rifflied (1988)
18 Herbst in Peking : Parade (1989)
19 Magdalene Keibel Combo : Stahl Daab (1988)
20 Ornament & Verbrechen : keilter schwaß (1989)
21 BAADER : ceaucescu meiner seele! (1988)
22 Klick & Aus : Systeme rasten ein, ich raste aus! (1984)
23 Der Expander des Fortschritts : Fremdgehen durchs Land (1990)
24 Pffft... : Prenzelking (1985)

DOWNLOAD ende vom lied HERE!

Zwitschermaschine ‎– "Alles Geld Der Welt Kostet Geld (1983-86)" - (Moloko+ ‎– PLUS 018) 1998

Any person or persons, who say that they aren't Artists, or in this case "Ich Bin Kein Artist",you just know that they certainly are.
Zwitschermaschine,and their 'Poet' chums are evidence of that.They may not be artists,but they sure as fuck wannabe.
Art Punk is the shoebox that Cultural taste manufacturers shoe horn this kind of educated post-punk into.It has that unwelcome stain of Intellectual sterility proudly displayed among the eighties production values.The cringing perfection that Martin Hannett bust an 'art'ery to create his legacy with.The gated snare drum had even infiltrated the areas in the Soviet Bloc that levis feared to tread.
It figures that if you convinced the East German authorities that you were actually an 'Artist' then you could probably get away with a dodgier direction. Not that Zwitschermaschine ever had a record out on any of the few official labels in the DDR.They were confined to self-releasing DIY cassettes from 1983 to around 1986-ish.Some of which were collated on this career overview,fleshed out with some tracks by band member and 'Poet',of course Sascha Anderson.
Yep, "Ich bin kien Artist" alright.

Tracklist:

1 Die Funktionäre Sind Im Widerstand (I) 1:04
2 Alles Oder Nichts ... (I) 0:44
3 Ich Hab Deine Schwarzen Gedanken... 2:51
4 Die Welt Ist So... 4:12
5 Das Chaos In Meinem Chaos (Gedicht) 0:48
6 Am Montag Geht Die Sonne Auf... 4:30
7 Auf Dem Bonzenstrich... 3:15
8 Alles Oder Nichts... (II) 0:50
9 Sie Kommt An Mein Grab (Gedicht) 1:10
10 Fluid & Firm... 7:47
11 Der König Meiner Kindheit 3:40
12 Wenn Nichts Mehr Zu Sagen Ist (Gedicht) 0:53
13 Ich Bin Kein Artist... 5:15
14 Raben, Raben, Raben 0:42
15 Das Ist Eine Der Fahnen... 9:40
16 Dezember '81 (Gedicht) 0:48
17 Jeder Satellit Hat Einen Killersatelliten 1:43
18 Go Over The Border 3:23
19 Die Funktionäre Sind Im Widerstand (II) 2:10
20 Alles Oder Nichts... (III) 0:50

DOWNLOAD some iron curtain art punk HERE!

Perestroika Combo ‎– "Himmlischer Frieden" (Self-Release ‎– XVIII) 1989

Back in the good ol' DDR,The marvellously named Perestroika Combo,appeared on cassette tape around the time the East German regime was in its death throes.Hence they wore their politics on their sleeve,naming themselves after the Soviet policy of Perestroika,or Restructuring,which was official state policy;so in a way they were colluding with an oppresive state,which is another way of looking at it?

So,as the members of the group came face to face with 'Freedom', which meant unemployment,poverty,and prejudice for yer average East German, they revelled in their new status as legal musicians and entrepreneurs;I assume they sold their cassettes?

So,we have, Voda Tudor on keyboards; Andree Krause on guitar & vocals; Steffanie Lingsminat on bass vocals; Frank Neubert on drum & Holgar Kaack on guitar/vocals.Considerably more members than are pictured on the photocopied insert.

I wonder if any of them suffered the common maladie of most former-East German citizens;that of 'Trabant Nostalgia Syndrome'....I just made that up....but, the Trabant,the peoples car of the DDR, became a symbol of a weird kind of nostalgia for the old country and its institutions.Like some kind of mass Stockholm Syndrome,where one misses the security of your oppressors,and the familiarity with the benefits of the nanny State.Many wanted to climb over the wall and go back in.Most were happy just to visit relatives and shop in the supermarkets with the 100 marks welcome gift provided by the West German government, then go back to their gauranteed Job,subsidised housing transport,and the freedom 'from' choice that a communist state provides. Who in their right mind wants to choose from hundreds of different types of shampoo when you only need one?

The music of the Perestroika Combo would not have gone down well with the authorities however.Dischordant and unmusicianly as it is.Obviously influenced by the music broadcst on late night Western Radio,but with that dark edge that came very naturally to those in the East.Full of Glasnost,but the opposite of Perestroika;more to do with de-structuring rather than re-structuring.Which is how we like it, isn't it kiddies?

Tracklist:

A1 Komplikation 3 4:22
A2 Himmlischer Frieden 7:34
A3 Mournful Cry 5:30
A4 Do It 5:12
A5 Langer Weg 6:31
B1 Aufbruch Part 1 17:07
B2 Aufbruch Part 2 (Incl. Happy Future) 6:36

DOWNLOAD to your escape tunnel of the mind HERE!

AG. Geige ‎– "Trickbeat" (klangFarBe ‎– 008.) 1989

AG Geige's second cassette (get first here!) was actually,eventually, released on the DDR state label for such low brow popular musics such as this, Amiga. The signs were that the state was losing control with all this Glasnost and Perestroika nonsense.
There were several versions of this album,so the first 16 tracks come from the CD version released in 1990, and all the bonus tracks come from the original cassette release on KlangFarBe.
I dunno if the Stasi were keeping notes,so maybe the files at Stasi HQ could help with the track listing.
A fine album, or double album this is. An avant-abstract electronic rock post-punk collage of the highest proportions that should,in an ideal world, find its way into many a good boy or girls christmas stocking this yuletide. After all, Santa Claus is nothing more than a glorified member of the supernatural Stasi,with his sinister elves spying on our kids,taking notes as to who's been naughty and who's been nice.
Christmas was,after all invented in Germany,alongside Industrial Genocide,Methadone,Crystal Meth,National Socialism,protestant Christianity and,yes Indeed, the perfect Police State in the form of the DDR.They should be prooooouuuuuddddd!

Tracklist:

1 Das Möbiusband / Zeychen Und Wunder 2:04
2 Triebwerk 1:16
3 Felix 1:34
4 Kosmonauten 2:42
5 Fingerwalze 2:58
6 So Sollte Es Nicht Sein! 2:30
7 Küchenlied 5:53
8 Das Scheusal 3:29
9 Déjà Vu (Snap Mix #2) 2:51
10 Hasensong 1:35
11 Schöner Leben 3:43
12 Rohleder's 2:10
13 Maximale Gier 3:13
14 Nach Hause (Instr.) 1:35
15 Gesichter 3:02
16 Stadt-Fisch 1:46

Bonus Tracks:(not necessarily in this order)

Paß Gut Auf! 3:01
Wir Lebenden 1:08
Teufel-Trompke 1:23
Kuechenlied 5:58
Das Scheusal 3:33
Dirigent 2:15
Perfekte Welt 3:24
Untitled 1,2,3,4,&5
Nasenwalzer 2:23
Echo-Strand 2:32
Dicker Junge 1:35
Déjà Vu 2:51
Hasensong 1:30
Fischleim 2:09
Mammut 2:14
Nachts Unterwegs 5:04
Astronauten 2:05

Mondauge 2:34

DOWNLOAD this ,no tricks HERE!

AG Geige ‎– "Yachtclub + Buchteln" (KlangFarbe ‎– 006) 1987

AG Geige were an East German experimental band, formed in 1985 in that hotbed of underground musical activity,Karl-Marx-Stadt. They were kind of German new-wave gone correctly wrong, mixing together elements of Floh De Cologne and Der Plan with all sorts of electro-pop and Krauty underground styles.
Any group who has members called Olaf Bender, plus Jan and Ina Kummer has to be worth a listen....surely?
Naturally Frank Bretscheider was a member too,so musically one has a reliable reference,and its a experimental as fuck.
If Olaf Bender isn't the perect name for an East German gay porn star then I don't know what is!?.....as for Jan Kummer,i'll leave that one up to your own filthy, filthy imaginations to contrive.

Tracklist:

A1 Eine Frikadelle 2:55
A2 Glückliche Reise 4:39
A3 Papagei Der Jungen Leute 3:49
A4 Elektrische Banane 2:54
A5 America 4:30
A6 Melodie & Harmonie 1:42
A7 Schnitz 2:13
A8 Die Vier Söhne Der Frau Fanghänel 3:07
A9 Frühstart Erlaubt 3:52
B1 Beklagenswertes Los Einer Waise 3:57
B2 Die Waldschleiereule 2:53
B3 Das Grauen Der Geige 5:31
B4 Zick-Zack 2:39
B5 Zwölf Trombonen 2:22
B6 Yachtclub & Buchteln 5:09
B7 Stadt-Elegie 2:29
B8 Bruder+Schwester 4:08

DOWNLOAD two kummers and a bender HERE!

Frank Bretschneider ‎– "Scombermix" (klangFarBe ‎– FBk 001) 1985

Frank Bretschnieder was the East German equivalent of  Alain Neffe,if not in profile, but in the amount of significantly weird and scrambled up musiks that he managed to squeeze onto the medium of ferric-oxide coated tape.
This,for all intents and purposes, was Frank's debut album,on his own frankly(pun intended) superb cassette label 'klangFarBe', from the lovely DDR town of Karl-Marx-Stadt,with its delightful post war Soviet architecture and a horrifying disembodied monument to the great man himself......check this postcard as if taken directly from a line in the Pistols' "Holidays In The Sun" pop hit.

Hmmmm, lovely ain't it?
There are places like that all over Europe,but at least they had the excuse of being bombed to fuck .There are also towns like this in the USA and the only bomb attack they ever had was on 9/11,Anything over 50 years old gets demolished and a post modern brutalist skyscraper gets erected in its place. Hmmmm,sounds like what actually happened to the Twin Towers;demolition then erect an immense human-free edifice in its place. That said, The World Trade Centers were one of thee worst examples of brutalist architecture and deserved a couple of passenger jets crashing into them if you ask me....which you ain't,but I gotta write something irrelevant for the recording I'm writing about or I wouldn't be me would I?
Frank gives us a bunch of what can only be described as 'Experimental Electronica" at its abstract best. Its amazing that Frank was never arrested for making music like this,just like it was amazing that The Eagles were never arrested in the west for their crimes against western culture.Not that Bretschneider was guilty of such heinous crimes as 'Hotel California',but one had to be careful in Democratic Republic not to stray too close to decandence or a bohemion lifestyle,or you may find yourself pencilled in for a re-education program.

DOWNLOAD a postcard from Karl-Marx-Stadt HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "Melodie & Harmonie / Musik Aus Karl-Marx-Stadt" (klangFarBe ‎– 005) 1986

Not all the music in the DDR was released on the State labels,but if you wanna to put your own challenging,politically unacceptable work, you had to...yup......Do It Yourself. Behold the liberation of the audio cassette.Even more so than in the west, where the people were oppressed by the need for profit rather than by an ideological totalitarian regime. Thoughts were repressed in this gloomy remanent of the reich,and if you wanted to express them without a lurking Policeman taking notes in the corner,then you had to escape to the west which usually ended up in an east german cemetary.
An easier way to escape this enclave was to smuggle cassettes into the west.This was,somewhat, less risky.
Behold the KlangFarbe label from Karl Marx Stadt,founded by Franck Bretschneider.Of course you can't call anything after Karl Marx anymore,so the town was charmingly renamed Chemnitz after the collapse of the regime.
So here's a taster of the Karl Marx Stadt underground from 1986.This is what the real East Germany sounded like.Gloomy,abstract,miserable and minimal.Not the kind of thing that would have been state approved....no-one was officially 'miserable' in the glorious DDR.

DOWNLOAD your own personal berlin wall HERE!

Palais Schaumburg ‎– "Das Single Kabinett" (Zickzack ‎– ZZ 145) 1982

Here's Palais Schaumburg's early singles on Zick Zack, all collected on to one convenient disc. Rarely for Germans, they look as good as they sound, no leather trousers, muscle shirts or spikey mullets to be seen.
These early singles have a more prominent Synth-punk element than their later work.

Tracklist:

A1 Rote Lichter 2:34
A2 Glücklich Wie Nie 2:34
A3 Kinder Der Tod (Version) 1:54
B1 Telephon 2:44
B2 Kinder Der Tod 3:09
B3 Aschenbecher 2:37

DOWNLOAD from the cabinet HERE!

Palais Schaumburg ‎– "Palais Schaumburg" (1981)

The thing about German groups is that they may have made some interesting experimental pop, but they never looked good. Sartorial individuality never matched the music.....except for Palais Schaumberg, who obviously nabbed their image from the Postcard-type groups of the UK;Orange Juice, Josef K and the like.The music has little in common with Edwin Collins and his chums, and more to do with the funkier side of UK Post-Punk. In the video for "Wir Bauen Eine Neue Stadt", the group were even witnessed doing some 'German Dancing', which is a sight to behold.
The album sleeve is unerringly glossy and colourful for the times, suggesting major label interference;but interestingly it was produced by Flying Lizard and This Heat collaborator David Cunningham,which may explain it's compatibility with the contemporary UK scene of the time.......didn't help sales though.
Probably the best of the mainstream Neue Deutsche Welle bands. 

Tracklist:
A1 Wir Bauen Eine Neue Stadt
A2 Die Freude
A3 Gute Luft
A4 Ahoi, Nicht Traurig Sein
A5 Grünes Winkelkanu
B1 Morgen Wird Der Wald Gefegt
B2 Deutschland Kommt Gebräunt Zurück
B3 Hat Leben Noch Sinn?
B4 Eine Geschichte
B5 Madonna

DOWNLOAD a postcard from germany HERE!

Various Artists ‎– Lieber Zuviel Als Zuwenig (ZickZack Sommerhits 81) (Zickzack ‎– ZZ 45) 1981

The ironically sub-titled "Lieber Zuviel Als Zuwenig (ZickZack Sommerhits 81)" on Hamburg based Zick Zack, has very little to do with summer as we know it. Maybe a lot to do with the summer of the "Neue Deutsche Welle"? Not that a lot of the acts on this record would admit to being part of it of course.....quite rightly.
It starts off with a danceable slab of British style Post-Punk then descends into a melange of  electronics,industrial,avant garde,straight new wave, and proto-goth.
Good to see the inclusion of a rare X-Mal Deutschland track, whose singer,Anja(can't remember her surname), was as close as one got to a teenage celebrity crush (Phwoooar!).I was also a great fan of her two note flat singing style,diametrically opposed to the vomit inducing over-singing of todays dumb 'X-Factor' generation....I prefer the 'X-Mal' Factor myself.
Frankly, anything with "Die Todliche Doris" and the lovely Anja on it, has to be good ...ja?

Tracklist:

A1 –Front "Blech Und Liebe" 2:34
A2 –Kosmonautentraum "Nr. 10" 3:02
A3 –Aus Lauter Liebe "Ein Herz In Not" 2:45
A4 –Falsche Fahnen "Mutti, Ich Und Die Sonne" 0:02
A5 –Die Tödliche Doris "Überlieferung Josef Pfeuffer 3.6.76" 2:30
A6 –Abwärts "In The Summertime" 2:38
A7 –Andy Giorbino "Sxmmxr Zx Kxrz" 1:45
A8 –Saal 2 "Strandgefühle" 4:40
A9 –Nachdenkliche Wehrpflichtige "You Say You Don't Love Me (Tribute To Pete Shelley)" 3:25

B1 –Palais Schaumburg "Aschenbecher" 2:38
B2 –Einstürzende Neubauten "Bakterien Für Eure Seele" 3:44
B3 –Andreas Dorau "Sommer Im Dornrosental" 1:35
B4 –Die Zimmermänner "Ich Werde In Der Sonne Immer Dicker" 2:00
B5 –Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle "Eingeschlagene Schaufenster" 2:59
B6 –Vielleichtors "Ohne Titel" 2:05
B7 –Wirtschaftswunder "Eis" (Live) 2:30
B8 –X-Mal Deutschland "Kälbermarsch" 2:39
B9 –Die Radierer "Madagaskar" 1:17

DOWNLOAD the summer hits of 1981 HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "Denk Daran!" (Überblick ‎– SM 001) 1980

Well at least we know what Adolf and Eva got up to after faking their deaths and escaping to Argentina in a U-Boat; they recorded the opening track for "Denk Daran!".
Another Dusseldorf-ish self-financed,compilation of German New Wave, both conventional and experimental.Probably the worst track is the Beer Hall Punk of 'ZX',which has one scrambling for the skip button; and the best is a pick from Der Plan's 'Residents' impression,Pyrolator's minimal disco pastiche ,and Don Bartnick, with his recreation of an electronic 'Funny Farm'.

Tracklist:

A1 –Adolf & Eva "Det Is Nu Wehf" 2:37
A2 –Croox "24. Dezember" 2:51
A3 –Don Bartnick "Der Neue Messias" 3:15
A4 –Not Mean Themselves "Frozen" 2:58
A5 –Der Plan "Schnee-Christel Unterm Baum" 3:58
A6 –Xao Seffcheque & Die Pest "Sternhagel" 3:30
B1 –Pyrolator "Ein Weihnachtsmann Kommt In Die Disco" 4:07
B2 –Vorsprung "Weisses Trauma" 2:00
B3 –Rigoletto "Neulich, Weihnachtsabend In Der Nähe Von McDonalds" 1:31
B4 –Lemminge "Leise Stirbt Man Im Schnee" 1:26
B5 –S.Y.P.H. "Schneewitter" 5:35
B6 –ZK  "Nieder Mit Dem Weihnachtsmann" 5:00
B7 –3125 / Padeluun "Eisflacker" 1:04

DOWNLOAD to your own personal bunker HERE!

Various Artists ‎– "Das Ist Schönheit......Hamburg Mai '80 " (Art Records ‎– 1073) 1980

 "Das Ist Schönheit" translates as 'That's Beauty', which this hand painted double 12" compilation is indeed.Included within were various inserts and drawings by Walter Thielsch and/or Thomas Fehlmann, to complete a very 'arty' presentation indeed. Apart from being a thing of beauty, it has a lot of experimental electronics on it,all produced by the late great Konrad Schnitzler at the Academy of Arts in Hamburg.

It's mainly very 'Krautrock' era influenced electronica, that would not be out of place on one of Herr Schnitzler's own releases.So don't expect any undiscovered Minimal Wave classics to slap on the turntable in your night club.

Tracklist:

A1 –Peter Reitberger "Untitled" 5:07
A2 –Rima Lucia Mardoyan "Synphonie Nr. 1" 5:02
A3 –Walter Thielsch / Thomas Fehlmann "Untitled" 2:24
A4 –Rainer "Oehms Kommilitonen" 1:06
A5 –Holger Hiller / Angela Marcus "Untitled" 4:51
A6 –Karin  "Untitled" 3:21
A7 –Insook Untitled 0:39
B1 –Oliver Hirschbiegel "Billy Sagte..." 3:54
B2 –Saskia Czchoch "Untitled" 4:27
B3 –Insook "Untitled" 3:45
B4 –Insook "Untitled" 4:34
B5 –Jürgen Heimes "Untitled" 5:07
C1 –Karin  "Untitled" 3:57
C2 –Saskia Czchoch "Untitled" 1:57
C3 –Jürgen Heimes "Untitled" 4:57
C4 –Angela Marcus "Untitled" 2:28
C5 –Angela Marcus "Untitled" 3:37
C6 –Jelle Fargo "Untitled" 2:35
C7 –Katharina Baumann "Untitled" 2:08
C8 –Claus Böhmler "Falckenstein" 2:22
D1 –Oliver Hirschbiegel "Mama Ist Schuld" 2:20
D2 -Fehlmann/Thielsch/Rademacher "Untitled" 0:14
D3 –Walter Thielsch "Taken" 3:29
D4 –Holger Hiller "Sentimental" 2:06
D5 –Holger Hiller "Untitled" 1:50
D6 –Fehlmann/Thielsch/Rademacher "Leichtes Heizöl" 2:45
D7 –Fehlmann/Thielsch/Rademacher "Blumentritt" 2:37
D8 –Fehlmann/Thielsch/Rademacher "Wenn Mut Bestraft Wird" 1:43
D9 –Fehlmann/Thielsch/Rademacher "Frisst Mammi Farbstoff" 0:56
D10–Fehlmann/Thielsch/Rademacher "Kinder,Der Tod Ist Gar Nicht So Schlimm" 2:09

DOWNLOAD something beautiful HERE!

Various ‎– "Klar! 80/82 Alles Oder Nichts" (Klar! 80 ‎– b/u 17) 1982

There's some 'name' acts on this Klar!80 compilation cassette....they got S.Y.P.H., and Der Plan spin off electronic act, 'Pyrolator'. Apart from that there's the usual mix of obscure Neue Deutsche Welle ,experimental Post Punk and minimal electronic tracks. It's all good stuff indeed.

Tracklist:

A1 –Aqua Velva "Mildred" 2:30
A2 –Pyrolator "Vati Es Brennt" 4:20
A3 –Die Zwei "Kleiner Mond-Rap" 5:00
A4 –Ja ! Ja ! Ja ! "Die Wahrheit" 3:30
A5 –Xao Seffcheque & Der Rest "Mir Fehlen Die Worte" 4:00
A6 –Roter Stern Belgrad "Blas Dein Knie Ein" 3:40
A7 –Boss & Beusi "Small Talk" 1:25
A8 –TSE TSE F /RSB "Ohne Titel" 5:20
B1 –Aqua Velva "Schau Dabei Nicht Auf Die Uhr" 3:40
B2 –und Piloten "Umsturz" 4:00
B3 –Strafe Für Rebellion "Blaue Mlg" 4:20
B4 –Europa "Dein Zauber" 3:45
B5 –Shampoo (2) Frühling 0:30
B6 –S.Y.P.H. Wie Ein Filmriß 7:20
B7 –S.Y.P.H. Herrlich Anonym 2:26

DOWNLOAD so alles klar HERE!

Various Artists ‎– Der Klar! 80/81 Sampler (Klar! 80 ‎– buhuu 7) 1981

More incredibly obscure German New Wave/post punk/minimal electronica from impossibly obscure German New Wave/Post Punk/Electronic groups on the unbelievably overlooked cult cassette label Klar!80.
We've heard a few of these natives of the Dusseldorf area before on the "Massa" compilation and the other Klar!80 compilations,but as always there are some new gems unearthed, like 'Klang Da' and cut rate Neubauten clones 'Hans'.


Tracklist:

A1 –X-Wo / Der Papst -Untitled
A2 –Hans -Untitled
A3 –Roter Stern Belgrad -Untitled
A4 –Eraserhead -Untitled
A5 –Klang Da -Untitled
A6 –Dilette -Untitled

A7 -P.Projekta / G.Ranzz - M1-12

B8 –Klang Da -Untitled
B9 –Plan X-Untitled
B10 –Eraserhead -Untitled
B11 –Hans-Untitled
B12 –Roter Stern Belgrad-Untitled

B13 -Der Rest -Untitled

DOWNLOAD for more Klarity HERE!

Various ‎– "Klar! 80 Sampler 2 - Sample And Hold" (Klar! 80 ‎– buhuu 11) 1980

The same three bands who were on the "Massa" triple 12" release on Klar!80 can be found on this cassette compilation from the same legendary Dusseldorf based cassette label.
They are inevitably joined by more german post punk greatness from the Neue Deutsche Welle flood around 1980. The Bimbo Band are particularly fine I may add.

DOWNLOAD loud and Klar HERE!

Blässe / EKG / Roter Stern Belgrad ‎– "Massa" (Klar! 80 ‎– Klar! I/1/2/3) 1981

This 3x12"-set in printed dispatch box,like a teutonic cardboard version of "Metal Box",featured three groups from Dusseldorf' with styles varying from Jazzy Punk, to Gang Of Four influenced post-punk,to minimal electronic.

Blässe are the ones to slap the 'Jazz' label on because they have a Saxophone in the line-up;but it has more to do with american No-Wave than anything Jazzy.

EKG are more your conventional minimal Post-Punk outfit,with a tight rhythm section ,choppy guitar and barked vocals.Kinda like DAF meets Delta 5......a fine combination methinks?

Roter Stern Belgrad are the least dated sounding band here. They could be from 2017, with their analogue minimal electronic bleeps and squelches.I could imagine the cool kids dancing to this.....whether that's a recommendation I doubt it,but it is an observation on its timelessness.

Altogether I can't fault this shared cardboard extravaganza.None of these bands were ever heard of again beyond a few compilation appearances and live tapes.......now that,I like. 
Tracklist:

A1 –Blässe "Zitteraal" 2:45
A2 –Blässe "Bora" 4:41
A3 –Blässe "No Oberbilk" 2:13
B1 –Blässe "De-Montage" 3:28
B2 –Blässe "Ready Made" 3:08
B3 –Blässe "Blaue Orange" 2:10
C1 –EKG "Liebeslied" 3:56
C2 –EKG "Niemand Ist Sieger" 2:41
C3 –EKG "Muscheln/Schnecken" 2:23
D1 –EKG "Immer" 5:30
D2 –EKG "24 Bilder" 3:19
E1 –Roter Stern Belgrad "Wegwerfliebling" 5:27
E2 –Roter Stern Belgrad "Abend Stern Chant" 5:21
F1 –Roter Stern Belgrad "Afars & Issas" 7:20

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Abwärts ‎– "Der Westen Ist Einsam" (Mercury ‎– 6435 155) 1982

As Abwärts seem to be unexpectedly popular, it seems logical to post the second ,and major label released, studio album. Which is an altogether more polished product than their debut;but still an entertaining example of the West German post-punk world.I'm always suspicious of a garish/glossy album sleeve.Stinks of over-investment, albeit an investment i'm sure Mercury/polygram never got back....I hope.

Tracklist:

A1 Beim Erstenmal Tut's Immer Weh 3:08
A2 Papier 1:43
A3 Stein 3:39
A4 Das Wort Zum Sonntag 4:45
A5 Aus Einem Gartenhaus 3:24
B1 Agent 2:27
B2 Deprimiert 2:27
B3 Sei Froh 3:38
B4 Tierlieb 3:22
B5 Affentanz 3:00

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S.Y.P.H. ‎– "S.Y.P.H." (Pure Freude ‎– PF 15) 1981

No it's not cif's debut album repackaged, it's their third(?) LP with the same title as the first....such imagination.I do however like the idea of naming all your albums after yourself, like Peter Gabriel did on at least for three occasions in his back catalogue. S.Y.P.H did it only twice. The first eponymous album from the year before was more forward looking than this one strangely enough. This 1981 self-titled outing sounds like Can's "Soon Over Babaluma"(not one of their best I may add), especially the side long 'Little Nemo'.It even has Holgar Czukay on Bass and in the producers chair.So S.Y.P.H. managed to become their favourite group's younger and dumber brother within a couple of years of trying.Some going that.

Tracklist:
A1 Die Deep 1:18
A2 Hänschen Horror 1:11
A3 Lämmerschwanz 1:57
A4 Nachbar 12:39
A5 Satarasch 2:52
B Little Nemo 18:03

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S.Y.P.H. ‎– "Pst" (Pure Freude ‎– PF06CK3) 1980

Cif get pissed?
Whether it's pissed in the British sense of the word, in other words, Drunk; or, in the American sense ,Angry?.....more likely it's the onomatopoeic version, 'psst',as a whispered noise to gain someone's attention. Maybe they should have made a louder noise, because hardly anyone knew Syph existed.
Holger Czukay(RIP), he of CAN, knew they existed, because he produced/mixed and played on this record. And the group reciprocated by playing on his 1981 miesterwerk,"On The Way To The Peak Of Normal"(which you can find by clicking here).
This is SYPH's best record I reckon, so H.C. must have sprinkled his magic CANned fairy dust over the group and the music alike.In fact there are a few tunes that have a certain late period CAN feel about them, among the decidedly post-punk tuneage that dominates the first half of the album.

Tracklist:

A1 Euroton 0:52
A2 Einsam In Wien (Lustlos) 5:32
A3 Moderne Romantik 3:01
A4 Lametta 3:50
A5 Modell 1:47
A6 Alpha & Vieta 1:35
A7 Nachbar 3:15
B1 Regentanz 8:43
B2 Stress 6:45
B3 Do The Fleischwurst 4:26

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S.Y.P.H. ‎– "S.Y.P.H." (Pure Freude ‎– PF 04 CK 2,) 1980

S.Y.P.H. obviously had pretensions to move beyond their musical ability and quickly marched on from incompetent Punk Rock to incompetent Post Punk, with a splash of Disco? The B-side of this album betrays an obvious flirtation with their Krautrock forebears; something that had been echoed in British post punk at around the same time.So does that make this a fashionable statement for 1980 or a healthy display of inspired development? Probably both.

Tracklist:

A1 Zurueck Zum Beton 1:58
A2 Industrie-Maedchen 1:24
A3 Lachleute & Nettmenschen 2:15
A4 Unreif Für Die Zukunft 1:54
A5 Mercedes 1:22
A6 Chess Challenger 3:09
A7 What Happens? 2:44
A8 Heute Norm - Morgen Tod 1:45
A9 Untitled 1:28
B1 Partir 3:50
B2 Kein Ziel 12:32
B3 Kisuaheli 7:17

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