Wirtschaftswunder & Post-Punk from Limburg special

Zwanzigster Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog, Juni 2006:

Wirtschaftswunder & Post-Punk from Limburg special

Die Wirtschaftswunder were a unique German-Italo group featuring the crazed vocal work of the Sicilian Angelo Galizia. His backing group was the Czech songwriter Tom Dokoupil (Siluetes 61, Die Partei, Die Radierer), Canadian Mark Pfurtschneller on synths, and the German percussionist Jürgen Beuth (also the songwriter with Die Radierer). Great stress was placed on the group's origins in the small town of Limburg, the capital of the district Limburg-Weilburg in the west of Hesse. Recorded in Dokoupil's small home studio, the 1980 C-50 cassette sampler titled Non Dom, a Wirtschaftswunder, Die Radierer, and Siluetes 61 triple header (available via mail order and at early gigs), all groups from in and around Limburg, featured a cover drawn from the 600 year old Lahn Bridge overlooking the Limburger Dom cathedral.


(It would be interesting to hear from any German fans in regards to the group's lyrics, artistic message and/or politics, if any. I am guessing the group led a wry commentary on the Soziate Marktwirtschaft, and how its aims of a 'socially conscious free market' never actually lived up to the so-called 'miracle' that the Wirtschaftswunder created for the post-war German economy. This would need verifying, though I know many groups at the time supported the likes of RW Fassbinder's film work, and his examinations into the kind of cultural hollowness at the heart of the German economic miracle, Einstürzende Neubauten being the finest example of Berlin's urban blues of the late 70s and early 80s. Sound-wise, Wirtschaftswunder had a Dadaist/ Doktor Caligari combined vibe, reminiscent of Cardiacs' warped seaside-fairground sound in Britain, that was being practiced and recorded to tape around the same time in the early 1980s.)

Die Wirtschaftswunder's big break came when they landed a slot playing alongside Fehlfarben and Östro 430 as part of a series of gigs organised at Düsseldorf's legendary Ratinger Hof venue in July, 1980. Frank Fenstermacher witnessed the concert and soon flew to Limburg with his fellow label and Der Plan colleague Kurt Dahlke to arrange the group's first EP release on Warning Records, aka Ata Tak, in 1980. It featured two of their most punk inspired tracks Allein and Don't Listen.


By this time the Non Dom cassette sampler had been quietly causing a stir due to the promotion and distribution of Alfred Hilsberg's Rip Off shop, and its mail order catalogue service. Hilsberg had plans to document the emerging Limburg post-punk scene, and so brought Wirtschaftswunder over from Ata Tak to his ZickZack label based in Hamburg. The subsequent Die Limburger Pest 3 x 7" pack grouped Wirtschaftswunder's next single, the Television & Kommissar/ Ein Meadchen auf der Strasse 7", together with Die Radierer's Angriff Auf's Schlaraffenland and the one-sided flexi Wo Ist Der Dom? by Siluettes 61, a creative Tom Dokoupil side project, once again making use of the iconography of his town's cathedral with both its sleeve and the song's subject matter. Evidently, the nutty detective piece on the b-side to Wirtshaftswunder's Television single, Der Kommissar, takes its title from the German TV crime series of the same name, and goes so far as to re-work Herbert Jarczyk's jazzy title score from the 60's, even sampling voice extracts from an episode appropriately named Tod eines Hippiemädchens. This actually became an underground hit, lingering in the Sounds indie charts for several months, and for good reason.

Tom Dokoupil went on to produce several radical experimental works solo, utilising all manner of found objects and instruments, including the vocoder, for sound collages such as his debut LP for ZickZack, Überrollt. There was also another Dokoupil solo album put out in 1981 called Wat? Sanitär! which was ZickZack's second cassette release. He'd later team up with Walter Dahn to become Die Partei. Check the first part of the Mein Walkman mix tape for an incredible Die Partei track that pre-figures the programmed electronica of Aphex Twin by a good 15 years. As for The Wirtschaftswunder debut long player, here's three great numbers from the 3-Klang Records/ Line Music CD reissue of the Salmobray LP (ZickZack, 1980):

Wirtschaftswunder- Schein
Wirtschaftswunder- Stop Talking
Wirtschaftswunder- Marktwirtschaft


I understand Angelo Galizia's vocals were often incomprehensible, his Canadian origins more often than not producing a sort of German babble speak. This furthered a real sense of Dadaism already lending itself to the cut-up text and artwork, in conjunction with the music's left of centre stance. Sound-wise, Wirtschaftswunder had a Dadaist/ Doktor Caligari combined vibe, reminiscent of Cardiacs' warped seaside-fairground sound in Britain, that was being practiced and recorded to tape around the same time in the early 1980s.

During this spell, Wirtschaftswunder, and several other experimental NDW groups and artists, were being parodied by Xao Seffcheque on the infamous Sehr Gut Kommt Sehr Gut prank compilation, which can be found as part of WFMU's Audio Hoaxes and Urban Legends post. After a brief collaboration with Wolfgang Luthe for a punk fanzine flexi-disc, the group's major label debut landed on Polydor, worth picking up, if only for the excellent DAF inspired number they titled Kopfgeldjäger ('Head Money Hunter' [sic]). However, there was a slight sense that the freewheeling punk spirit of the earlier work was slowly starting to be fizzled out by Polydor.


Wirtschaftswunder's name suggested a wry commentary on the Soziate Marktwirtschaft, and how its aims for a 'socially conscious free market' never actually lived up to the so-called 'miracle' that the Wirtschaftswunder created for the post-war German economy. I know many groups at the time supported the likes of RW Fassbinder's film work, and his examinations into the kind of cultural hollowness at the heart of the German economic miracle. The Mondpalast cinema in Lindburg was an important meeting place for the local scene's art students, especially the venue's bar, which often featured live gigs from politically charged groups in the area, Nylon Euter and Korpus Kristi among them. Wirtschaftswunder attempted to rescue some of their experimental edge back by releasing the eclectic soundtrack to Gabor Altorjay's Tscherwonez film through Polydor. Here is Die Flucht from that LP, the rest of which seems to travel musically across the globe. Tscherwonez was a black and white Super-16 film from 1982 that featured both Tom Dokoupil and Angelo Galizia in major roles. The movie's style also happened to anticipate some of the Soviet aesthetics creeping back in to experimental German film of the late 80s. But really, as for the Wirtschaftswunder sound, by 1984's predictable Pop Adenauer LP, and the slick mid 80s white-boy funk of its accompanying Pizza single, Wirtschaftswunder's edge was finely being chiseled off and polished up for the New Pop era, that dubious Warhol inspired post-punk theory about going for gold and beating the pop charts at its own game. But that's another story altogether.

I would very much like to hear from anyone willing to offer sound clips of Tom Dokoupil's cassette release for ZickZack, or the record he produced later on under the name Quick Culture. For a far more in depth overview of the Limburg post-punk scene, please consult this wonderful essay published by the good people at Belchluft, which helped considerably with the latest revising of this post.


Jörg said...
You beat me on the Wirtschaftswunder post, but I will post Television soon.
Thanks for the link to Xao's record! As i said I saw it in record shops but didn't buy it.
The Tscherwonez song btw is called "Die Flucht". This film was shown on german television in 84, a story about soviet sailors and their adventures in Hamburg I think. If I remember it correctly Tscherwonez is a russian gold coin. Tom Dokoupil played a russian sailor looking for his brother in Hamburg, followed by the KGB.
Thinking of this movie makes me think of "Die letzte Rache" by Rainer Kirberg with music by Der Plan and lots of funny decorations by Moritz Rrr. Maybe I should get this LP into the net?
Keep on, there are songs on your blog even I have never heard of. I think to get the old issues of Sounds and SPEX from my Kinderzimmer. (download)

Update 2016-04-27:
The original posting of the Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog from 10 years ago only offered 3 tracks from the Salmobray-album (Schein, Stop Talking and Marktwirtschaft), so I offer here a complete rip from the CD. Enjoy! (Still don't know what "Salmobray" means...)

Wirtschaftswunder "Salmobray"
Analphabet / Tanz Mit Mir / Schein / Die Leute Sind Interessant / Völlegefühl / Eis / Stop Talking / Le Rose / X-Y Nein Danke / Blue Cherie / Marktwirtschaft / Bauernlife / Patre Del Mondo / Heimweh
Angelo Galizia / Jürgen Beuth / Mark Pfurtscheller / Tom Dokoupil
CD, 3-Klang Records DKCD 9.01053 O, 1991 (download)

Update 2018-10-09:
The original posting of the Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog didn't offer any tracks from the "Non Dom"-MC, so here is my rip from 2004:

Wirtschaftwunder/Silouettes 61/Radierer - Non Dom (1981)
Wirtschaftswunder: Ich Bin So Allein / So Ist Es / Massenpreise / Don't Listen / Metall / Silouettes 61: Ohr / Bauernlife / Rein-Raus / XY-Schlümpfe / Stop Talking / D.P. In Japan / Terror In Block 11 / Radierer: Schlaraffenland / Inzucht / Madasgaskar / Probleme / Drogentod / Egal (download)
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Die Radierer - Demo (1980)
Angriff Auf`s Schlaraffenland / Probleme / Modell / Inzucht / Drogentot / Fabrik (download)

Monoton

Neunzehnter Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog, Juni 2006:

Monoton- Monotonprodukt 02 LP 1980


Offering a download link to Konrad Becker's music taps into some of the politics of info-streaming that Becker has highlighted over the years, particularly through his non-profit organisation Net Base, and its support for the right to flow information freely across the web. Questions on censorship still generate debate, and in relation to music downloads it's skyrocketed, particularly amongst industry types. Becker has never been concerned with music as business though. The Monotonprodukt moniker suggested the task at hand was partly to recontextualise the monotonous product symptomatic of the mainstream. Edinburgh's Fast Product pulled a similar stunt (Fast's Mutant Pop LP is at Post-Punk Junk). Label boss Bob Last and his 'interventions in any media' supplied its consumer with all sorts, mainly ravishingly designed LPs but, and here's the catch, in very limited editions. Monotonprodukt's approach went one step further, and was far more clinical and sophisticated, retaining a cold faceless Teutonicism as it went.

Konrad Becker's main interest was converting metamathematischen strukturen into music. Each interdisciplinary program that bared the Monotonprodukt name existed via a new culture-synthetic medium, be it a concert/ installation, video, or cassette, and each would produce its material from arithmetic. Becker was his own 'subjective scientist' carrying out his electronic operations as part of an institute he founded and named Wissenschaftliche (Scientific) Sensation.

Monotonprodukt dates back to 1979 with a cassette known simply as 01. Its tightly wound oxide-coated tape held by its cheap plastic case was merely another medium for this all-round multimedia artist/ writer to document and present his craft. Though situated in Vienna, a city steeped in Gothic-Romanticism preserving its history as it modernized, Konrad Becker just about showed up on the early NDW radar, his electronic work bearing similarities with other Germanic sound designers of the period such as Conrad Schnitzler, Harald Falkenhagen, Ralf & Florian etc. This is his debut LP, number two in the Monoton production line. It is the sound of him almost contemplating a forthcoming masterwork, or perhaps pondering a future mindset and head space in which people could allow for sonic repetitions to enter their living environments, as complimentary to their strange electronic netherworlds, like Orwell predicting helicopters would take off.

Konrad Becker did not search for life's numerical answers alone. He often enlisted the help of musicians Eugenia Rochas and Albert 'Ali Krawalli' Griehmann, formerly of Austrian punks Chuzpe, and later on Daniël Leeflang/ DJ Dano. Becker himself guested on the self-produced Tausend Seen 12" by Dämmerattacke, New Wave minimalists from lower Austria, on the Panza-Platte label from 1982. After a second cassette (03 in line) titled Neujahrskonferenz 80/81, a split with sister project Wissenschaftliche Sensation (the Ich Weiß Nichts 7" (04) it produced can be heard in Real Audio here), there was the Gesellschaft für Wissenschaft & Volkstanz (Society for Science & Folk Dance) project, furthering his exploration of psychosomatics. According to Christian Höller, from the Lost and Found article (translated by Timothy Jones), Becker performed an 'eight-hour-long dismantling of the sound barrier... in the Virgil Chapel under Vienna's Stephansdom' in June 1981, an exploration into sonic art that sounds like the kind of installation work Disinformation produce today.

As for this record, if DJ Food's Raiding The 20th Century, a plunderphonic compression of trends over time in electronic music, acted as the overground express journey through Words & Music, with Paul Morley your conductor/ host, then Monotonprodukt is its nightlong slow service soundtracking Morley's thought process in piecing together the connections between Alvin Lucier and 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head'. Like Lucier and Ryoji Ikeda after, Becker was interested in human perception in relation to the physical characteristics of sound. His greatest achievement was undoubtedly 1982's self-released double-album, finely tweeked and reissued 20 years later as the definitive Monotonprodukt 07 20y++ CD on Montreal's Oral label, its re-release perhaps inspired by its inclusion in The Wire's 100 Records That Set The World On Fire (When No One Was Listening), published in 1998. Becker's electroacoustic conversions from roots, powers and periods, pi factor, Fibonacci series, fig tree numbers, and 'magic squares', was a fine precusor to the digitalia and minutiae of today's laptop processed sound. Due to its minimalist/structuralist sleeve design and trancelike electronic repetitions, it went one further than predicting techno as Kraftwerk had done beforehand. In hindsight, its calculations for the post-techno habits of the Mego label were spot on.

As it is bootlegged, I have no idea where you'd find a copy of the 02 debut (it has not yet resurfaced). Recorded August 1980 at Monoton Studio Wien, a small handful only were pressed onto clear blue vinyl. This is a perfect chance then, to sample Becker's pre-Monotonprodukt 07 masterwork, its sound an equally fascinating series of vibrations on the lines of a musical stave. (download) - link removed by request, see comments

The Tanzdiele - Musik Musik Musik

Achtzehnter Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog, Juni 2006:

The Tanzdiele- Musik Musik Musik GEEBEEDEE 7" 1982


Led by comedian/ author/ actor Peter 'Piet' Klocke, The Tandiele (The Dance Hall) was Klocke's studio project from the Ruhr district of Germany, Essen, before they had to change their name, apparently due to legal reasons, to Die Tanziebe (The Dance Thieves). With Tanziebe, they scaled down mainly to a three-piece group (Klocke, Norbert Woike, and Achim Grebien), removing the electronic element, and releasing a live album, following the success of Tanzdiele's debut Folgt den Führern! (Follow The Leader!) LP for GeeBeeDee back in 1982. This is the one single from that record. Munich's Gomma label brought it back to light in 2002, by including the A side on the first Teutonic Disaster compilation, in amongst other lost relics of the era such as that excellent Am Abend Im Land Der Träume track by 50 Tabletten. The New Wave project known as Carmen was also featured on the comp, which Piet Klocke happened to write for. Other pre-Tanzdiele groups for Klocke were Kamikaze Orkester and Gesundes Volksempfinden, the latter producing 1981's half decent self-titled record for the Ahorn label. Klocke went on compose film music, soundtracking several Richard Claus films, and play small acting roles for film and German television, including his part in the comedy program Hip Hop für Angestellte. Is his comedy any good? Musically, Klocke's Tanzdiele project was so great, I've upped it at 256kbps in celebration.

01. Musik Musik Musik
02. Candy (download)

Thorax-Wach

Siebzehnter Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog, Juni 2006:

Thorax-Wach- s/t Schnellschnitt/ Rip Off 7" 1980


In the early eighties, it seemed Germanic groups produced a lot of what is now called 'minimal-synth' or minimal-wave' music. And with every new movement there are precursors. West Germany happened to have a native tradition of visionary electronics to fall back on, from Stockhausen through to Czukay up to Kraftwerk, pioneers, I should add, who had very little in common with these two teenage pranksters. Yet Thorax-Wach happened to represent one of hundreds of early groups documenting, without knowing it, a major turning point in the history of electronic music. For better or worse, technology quickly fell into the hands of the unacademic, untutored, but inquisitive new generation of kids, raised on the excitement punk generated amongst the youth, especially in its DIY opportunities. Vintage synths were handed down somewhere along the line, or cheaper alternatives were picked up flogged off the backs of lorries.

A further shift in dynamics from what came before was how electronics became the tool to reflect a sense of urgency and panic out of the sheer pace of life and technological growth racing towards the eighties, coupled with punk's fearsome annihilation of the hippy movement altogether. The kind of major label utopian electronica of the New Age (what happened to Ash Ra Temple for instance), a 'nostalgia for the future' David Toop once talked about, was completely at odds with the street level rawness and anti-spiritual vibe of the German New Wave scene, shoving its way out from punk's failings. These failings seemed to resonate with German art school students the most. One thing new German groups certainly didn't want to do was emulate the Chuck Berry Americana of the Ramones. Kraftwerk had already made famous their unflinching interpretation of West Berlin as a grey, cold, and decadently fashionable city of the future, and one that Lou Reed, Nick Cave, Steven Stapleton, Brian Eno, Iggy Pop, David Bowie etc. would all flock to or visit at some point. Minimal-synth took this deliberately dry and detached approach back into the underground, from where it once originated, and presented a far more dark and dystopian view of both popular culture and the socio-political climate of the times, and with a knowing smirk.

Punk's simple liberating conceptions reached all neighbourhoods, even the German ones. From the small northern town of Göttingen, which also produced the New Wave groups Katastrophentheorie and Der Gegenschlag, came perhaps the most prolific duo from that area, Thorax-Wach. They produced only pure 2-track no nonsense DIY, with two Korg MS-20's and a microphone. Frank Dieckmann and Olaf Krämer self-released their first record on their own label creation named Schnellschnitt, in early 1980. A demented LP clocking in at a grand total of 11 minutes. It was titled Kaum Erdacht Schon Mode, which translates as something like 'only just thought-out, already fashionable' (I think). I much prefer its comical sleeve, an old photo of a large family crammed into a 3-wheeler, over the 7" and its imagery of doctor's apparatus. The cover to this 7" has got that stuffy 80s Gothic edge that was never a place that I discovered this music from, and by 1981, their C30 tape reached new creepy heights with songs about bodily functions, the elderly, eating children, and famous serial killers that were shocking the German nation at the time. Still, it's with this earlier single, co-distributed in accordance with Alfred Hilsberg's Rip Off shop, that is the duo's most finely inspected dissection of the commercial structure and instrumentation of early New Wave music.


The duo relocated to Berlin, working by day in the Zensor record shop, and by night, running amok amongst the agile underground Berlin scene. Their Der Moderne Luftkampft side project featured on the live at the S036 compilation Licht & Schatten. Olaf Krämer went on to form Die Goldenen Vampire, Germany's answer to The Cramps, whilst Frank Dieckmann settled for becoming a teacher. 'Art damaged electronicus' and 'a mildly Shaggs-ian Kraftwerk' were some of the more creative descriptions of the group's sound when I Googled. There's certainly some wonderful electronic experimentation going on here, which made me wonder what future generations hold for hands-on electronic sound manipulation? A side issue, but see what you think of The Blue Man Group's new range of musical toys, and their flash equipment soon to be on the market already pre-circuit bent.

01. Huckepack und zu Hunderten in den Tod
02. V.S.O.P.
03. Vetter Tom's Knüppel
04. Dick sind sie und keuchen (download)

Weltschmertz und mehr

Der sechzehnte Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog vom Juni 2006 ist wieder eine Zusammenstellung mehrerer Postings, wo nur einzelne Tracks von Platten gepostet wurden:

Weltschmertz- Grund Und Ordnung ARISTON MUSIC 12" 1982


Now is the time to post an NDW party anthem (no, we're not talking Falco here). This is the Italian 12" version (Ariston Music) of the 'Grund und Ordnung' single by Weltschmertz, although I've had to steal both tracks from the 1982 LP, because I've yet to locate a copy of the 12" single with a reasonable price tag. The 'Grund und Ordnung' 7" features 'Astronaut' on the flip instead of 'Gala der Stars', and, though it's still better than the rather dated New Romantic-ish 'Sehnsucht aus Beton'/ 'Steinzeit' 45 (both tracks also on the LP), it's the 12" version of 'Grund und Ordnung' that's the one to get. I highly doubt any DJ's are playing this one out these days! Weltschmertz were a trio comprised of Barbara Schewe, Clemens Clemenzone, and Xaver Aahorn. The scan above is from the LP on Achim Reichel's Ahorn label, just to confuse matters, and there's also a Metronome Italian pressing (looks like they had the odd fan or two in Italy). It's a silly album, and well worth getting if, like me, you're having trouble finding the 12" single version. 'Grund und Ordnung' translates directly as 'Reason and Order', and the bizarre name-dropping b-side seems to have no logic or end in sight. Shameless fun.

01. Grund und Ordnung
02. Gala Der Stars

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Andy Giorbino- Stolpern ZICKZACK 7" 1981


Definitely Giorbino's greatest single. Andy Giorbino was a major player in the early 1980's Hamburg avant-garde scene and a fine contributor to Alfred Hilsberg's Zick Zack label (see the Grosse Freiheit single, below, for more ZickZack). This is number 032 in the label's back catalogue. Original copies came with a free 7" flexi-disc, featuring a live recording of Giorbino's performance group called Radio Moon, with the dancer Gitta Luckau, titled 'Lebendig Begraben in Köln' ('Buried Alive in Cologne'). My version is missing the additional flexi vinyl (maybe you had to send off for it?), but not to worry, it's both the a-side and b-side of Stolpern that are most important here. This is a real underground classic Neue Deutsche Welle single, just before the major labels caught on and capitalised on the New Wave sound, ultimately destroying the punk attitude and experimentation that made the movement so vital to begin with. All the more reason, then, to treasure works like this from the early 1980's period. Take a listen.

01. Ich Stolper Zu Dir
02. Banane, Zitrone

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(…) Lorenz Schröter's Lorenz Lorenz performance group, their most famous piece being '3 Minuten Ei', three minutes of Lorenz screaming 'egg', a performance of which was included in Richard L. Wagner's (Sounds writer) Dreiklangsdimensionen Teil 1 & 2: Dokumentation über die Neue Deutsche Musik, a TV documentary from 1982 for BR (Bavarian television), which allegedly received many viewer complaints. A performance of '3 Minuten Ei' from the Kreuzberg SO 36 venue can be found on the Berlin Super 80 DVD. Lorenz's 'Honecker In Cambodia' can be heard here. (…)

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Mannschreck- 80-8 EP 1980


Mannschreck was a New Wave project put together by Günther Mannschreck from his own Mannschreck Tonstudio in the greater Stuttgart area, about 200 km from Munich. Herman Kopp recorded his 1981 Aquaplaning In Venedig album in these studios, and the Stuttgart punk group F.A.K. also made use of the premises, releasing their self-titled debut EP on Günther's own Schreckschuss Records way back in 1981. This, however, is the pre-Schreckschuss label DIY debut from Mannschreck, the 80-8 EP, from one year earlier. The four tracks alternate between Günther's, rather dry, vocals and Lilo Gasparitsch's more wild delivery. This 7" apparently didn't cut it with Alfred Hilsberg, whose scathing review in Sounds at the time may have encouraged the rawer and edgier sound of the second 'Beiträge zur Sinnespflege' 7". True, the two Günther vocal tunes 'Made In The USA' and 'Depression' are best forgotten about, though, in hindsight, this is by far the better of the two early singles. Mannschreck's version of 'Where Have All The Good Times Gone', that rare Kinks b-side from 1965, rescued by David Bowie in 1973 on his Pin Ups LP, is surely ripe for rediscovery. Even better is their own composition 'Walking In The Human Mud', again with Lilo on the mic. I'm guessing the subsequent Ou-Wou-Wou and Metromania 12"s were a little more polished sounding. Drop a comment here if you recommend their later work, I'll be sure to check it out, and keep an eye open for future Schreckschuss/ G. Mannschreck related posts. This was a great independent label that even the good folk over at Information Overload have yet to fully document.

02. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
03. Walking In The Human Mud

martinf said...

well...
schreckschuss released the following records (as far as i know):
280854 Mannschreck - 80-8
280855 Partner der Welt - Moderne Zeiten
280856 Mannschreck - Beiträge zur Sinnespflege
280857 F.A.K. - Verzweiflungstat 1
280858 Mannschreck - Tag für Tag
280859 Pascal - Rendez-vous Europe
280860 Die Lennons - Die Wahrheit über Claudia
and there are lot of other small german labels which only released a few records like SUPERMAX with 4 12"s from Borsig, Mona Mur, Flucht Nach Vorn and Christina, UNSER ANGEBOT with 2 7"s from Rex Dildo and Der Favorit, then there is NIELSEN 2 with records from Vorgruppe and Disque Omo and AROMA PLUS with releases from Max Goldt and Foyer Des Arts, so it takes some time to write about all these small labels...
Mannschreck also recorded the Beerdigung/Tollwut-Split-LP but gets bad credits from both bands for spoiling the sound... (download)

Gorilla Aktiv - Umsonst ohne Risiko

Fünfzehnter Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog, Juni 2006:

Gorilla Aktiv- Umsonst Ohne Risiko WAS SOLL DAS SCHALLPLATTEN LP


My favourite underground NDW find of late and a fine example of how us music bloggers work. Thank FM Shades first for this one. I knew nothing about this group until the excellent Nur Für Erwachsene 7" post, which was a response to the style of music posted here. Since then, I've tracked down a rip and upped the full re-issued Umsonst Ohne Risiko collection, partly to return the favour. These reissues were so absurdly limited in quantity that they are now collector's items themselves (all 300 copies of this one sold out quick). So 2003's Nur Für Erwachsene 7" and 2005's Umsonst Ohne Risiko LP can now rightfully be heard both here and at FM Shades. These two were compiled by a fellow record obsessive Franck, founder of the Punk-Disco database, and released on his Was Soll Das Schallplatten reissue label. These gather all the Gorilla Aktiv cassette material released between 1982 and 1983, the two years in which they operated, even including the third demo previously deemed lost. Having done my homework like a good boy, I can now reveal to you, in English, the full Gorilla Aktiv story.

Formed in 1982, Gorilla Aktiv (formerly known as Bex and then Fingerfarben) were Tommi Eckart, Nick Deinhardt, and Ian Moorse, an unsigned New Wave trio from Munich. Tommi Eckart was initially a member of Munich punk rockers Alternative Arschlöcher (featuring Lorenz Lorenz), which translates exactly as you thought it might. Once the DIY cassette movement hit its stride in the early 1980s, Tommi teamed up with Nick Deinhardt in 1981 to produce a homemade C-20 cassette of industrial-electronic music under the name Der Kohlenklau. This material can now be found on an LP reissue from 2003, another collectable Was Soll Das Schallplatten re-release.

Ian Moorse, the son of film producer George Moorse, was an actor. His roles included a part in Eckhart Schmidt's psychological-horror Der Fan (1982), a cult movie about a girl's obsession and love for a German New Wave pop singer turned nasty! Music-wise, Moorse was initially a member of Lorenz Schröter's Lorenz Lorenz performance group, their most famous piece being '3 Minuten Ei', three minutes of Lorenz screaming 'egg', a performance of which was included in Richard L. Wagner's (Sounds writer) Dreiklangsdimensionen Teil 1 & 2: Dokumentation über die Neue Deutsche Musik, a TV documentary from 1982 for BR (Bavarian television), which allegedly received many viewer complaints. A performance of '3 Minuten Ei' from the Kreuzberg SO 36 venue can be found on the Berlin Super 80 DVD. Lorenz's 'Honecker In Cambodia' can be heard here. Moorse co-wrote Elaste with Lorenz himself, the self-announced 'King of Munich', which was the group's fanzine from the late 1970s. Moorse could later be found jamming with No-Wavers Mauvais Temps, and also writing, with Richard L. Wagner, on the controversial state of the fashion and music scene in Munich in 1982, for Sounds magazine. Here is the original article.

Gorilla Aktiv debuted in 1982 on the underground cassette circuit with a homemade C-10 tape, labeled Die Andere Seite ('The Other Side'), for their own Va Bene fanzine. It featured four songs, reissued as 2003's limited edition Nur Für Erwachsene 7", and now available for download at FM Shades. A second tape known only as 12/82 (No Aarhus No.5), was dubbed the following year on a C-20, which sold mainly on the underground cassette market in Denmark. This excellent material is gathered on Franck's wonderful but absurdly limited (in terms of quantity) Umsonst Ohne Risiko LP collection, released last year, including the unreleased third demo tape (scroll down for download). I'm amazed this did not reach vinyl back in the day. Every track here has a real bite and edge to it, and, with a respectful nod to DAF, shows just how well the punk influence lent itself to the electronic New Wave. In 1982, the group were included on Michael Tesch's Spex tape sampler Die Vizeweltmeister ('The Vice-World Champions'), and Lorenz's own München Ist Die Beste Stadt Der Welt! ('Munich Is The Best City In The World!') compilation, featuring the earlier Der Kohlenlau and Mauvais Temps material from the local punk scene.

Gorilla Aktiv disbanded by 1986, playing their farewell gig at the Tanzlokal Größenwahn venue. Tommi Eckhardt went on to produce hits for Andreas Dorau such as 'Demokratie' and 'Das Telefon sagt Du', before finding fame in the 1990s as a dance producer, and, secondly, as the male half of pop duo 2raumwohnung. For all the long lost NDW cassette releases of the era, you can scroll agonisingly through Franck's collection, but bear in mind there was a good reason (hopefully, surely?) the majority of these were neglected and long forgotten. I can't help thinking something tells me otherwise. (download)

Elektronische Musik aus Köln

Vierzehnter Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog, Juni 2006:

Elektronische Musik aus Köln- 1 ORIGINALTON WEST LP 1982


One for the electro-heads. This is a record of two parts. Tracks such as 'Was Kann der Papst da Sagen' and 'Wenn Mr Reagan es Will' highlight the balanced relationship between technological advancement and group performance, whereas 'Filmmusik' and 'Tanz in den Himmel' gives way to the Kraftwerk esthetic of machine over man. This is just before DAT machines, MIDI and computers became the norm, and man was left at their mercy. This is a vital documentation of the last days of hands-on programming and a record that still stands tall today. Check 'Biela' and 'Schlammgang', most especially, if you don't believe me. EMAK, the abbreviation of "Elektronische Musik aus Köln", was Kurt Mill's and Matthias Becker's studio-based project from Cologne, on the Originalton West label. The LPs (EMAK 1-3) are sadly long out of print, although some of the EMI pressings are still floating around. In 1994 Originalton did release the Best Of EMAK Vol.1-3 on a CD, so check the label link, and try and track down a copy. Good stuff. (download)

Joachim Witt - Tri Tra Trullala

Dreizehnter Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog, Juni 2006:

Joachim Witt- Tri Tra Trullala (Herbergsvater) WEA 7" 1982


I said I'd post some very cheap vinyl from the NDW underground for a change. There's several decent 7"s and LPs I could choose from that I've picked up for no more than 1 EUR in the past, most of which is major label, so I won't dwell on this too much. Tri Tra Trullala was one of several curiosities I saw posted last year on Matt Woebot's Underground NDW 1980-1983 list of findings. Not sure what to say about Joachim Witt. He released some rather special and some rather not so special music during his lifetime (Der Goldene Reiter still a cult NDW hit), and, of course, very popular for it. So I was pleasantly surprised when I stuck this on. I could be miles out, but is this song about the merits of an industrial solvent called Trichloroethylene that degreases your metals (I am, indeed, miles out on that one, see comments)? If so, it reminds me a little of an equally brilliant British post-punk single by Tea Set, which featured a hand-clapped chorus demanding that the Kodak Tri-X Pan was the very best for producing your panchromatic film black and whites. My love of old school punk 45s leaks into New Wave slightly; you really want this on a 12". And some may think the b-side is a bit run of the mill for this page, and they'd be right, but the chorus is so catchy it'd be a shame to leave it off. This one was apparently engineered at Inner Space by Rene Tinner, Conny Plank's right hand man. New Wave classic!

01. Tri Tra Trullala
02. Geh' Mal Vor

Anonymous said...

First things first: A big thanks for all this stuff.

Secondly you are miles off on the topic of this song. the text doesn't really make any sense. (the singing in this song acts more like an additional instrument in my opinion). the text parts are:

hey kids, drop it, are you completly crazy? [obsessed could be another translation]
i am your hostel-warden and tell you: hey, hey
tri tra trullala.
[this is like a german kids nursery rhyme]

(in German: hey, lasst das sein, kinder, ihr seid wohl ganz versessen?
ich bin euer herbergs-vater und sage: hey, hey
tri tra trullala)

you are right though about his music. it is pretty strange sometimes, especially his current stuff. but his song "Der Goldene Reiter" is still a cult NDW-anthem (for the more commercially oriented - but I also like it. though this number is better) and he is still around and on German television sometimes.

well thanks for the post. (download)

Deutsche Schäferhunde

Zwölfter Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog, Juni 2006:

Deutsche Schäferhunde- s/t PLACEBO 7" 1982


More synth-oriented stuff you ask? I'll be drawing my attention to German post-punk in a few posts time, but for now here's Deutsche Schäferhunde (German Shepherd Dogs). These guys were a four piece from Eggstätt, near Munich. On the back sleeve, in true minimal DIY style, there is an unspecified telephone number beneath the christian names, and only the christian names, of the players involved. The same goes for those who are thanked. The group were Detlef (vocals), Manfred (guitar, synthesizer), Michael (bass, synthesizer), and Tommi (Eckhardt, perhaps? synthesizer, drums), and it's a shame they never released anything else beyond this limited edition single (the original was supposedly 500 copies only). This was a 1982 release, and put out by a label called Placebo, perhaps the American punk/electronic noise label of the same name, I don't know. On some versions there was a fourth title called Abschied, but not with this one. Still, there's some fierce production across these three tracks, making those synths and drum machines hit hard. Quite a cult bit of vinyl these days, so much so that the next post will be a 7" you'll be able to pick up anywhere for less than 1 EUR...

01. Rosa Brille
02. Gasmasken
03. Mein Herz (download)

08/15- 1000 gelbe Tennisbälle

Elfter Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog, Juni 2006:

08/15- Tausend Gelbe Tennisbälle KONNEKSCHEN 7" 1980?


Thanks to Fred from Sweden for sending me this on CD. I don't fancy coughing up for an original just yet, not at the prices being asked. As for its exact release date, nobody is too sure. I've seen it listed anywhere from 1979 to 1981, and the same goes for the Lorelei 7" by Die Lemminge. What can be said is that this is the work of Andreas Thein, before he joined Propaganda and reworked TG's Discipline, got snapped up by Paul Morley for ZTT and had Dr. Mabuse climbing the UK Top 30 back in 1984. Yes, this is earlier and much stranger stuff, aided by none other than Kurt Dahlke (Pyrolator, Der Plan, Ata Tak etc.) on mixing duties. Thein would soon befriend another Düsseldorf New Wave scenester called Ralf Dörper, found playing in S.Y.P.H. and Die Krupps at the time, to form Propaganda as early as 1982.


Both cover sleeves to Dörper's solo releases steal imagery from David Lynch's Eraserhead (1978) movie. Particularly striking is the cover to Lorelei, a single he released by the name Die Lemminge on Pure Freude, around the same time as Thein's Tausend Gelbe Tennisbälle. If anyone has a copy of Lorelei to sell, do get in touch (see profile), I'd like to hear from you. Tennisbälle was released on Konnekschen Records, the label run by Robert Nitz, a committed punk rocker from the Hamburg scene. The electronic drum sequence, especially on the A-side, imitates the hit of the racket and the rhythm of play during a tennis match, with the occasional match point sample faded in. The tennis game acted as metaphor for physicality, control, structure and belief, characteristics of post-punk and New Wave that became an attitude and stance German artists would tend to exemplify the most. Halbe Sache, on the other side, is a brief exercise in poly-rhythms, minus the vocoder. Wearing its Kraftwerk influence firmly on its sleeve, this is the EBM style before the term, and far more playful than the stricter rhythms Nitzer Ebb would later pioneer. And Dörper's Die Lemminge single? Well, someone out there must have it...

1000 gelbe Tennisbälle
Halbe Sache (download)

Gorilla Aktiv - Nur für Erwachsene

Zehnter Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog, Juni 2006, diesmal wieder nur verlinkt und zwar aus dem FM Shades-Blog:

Gorilla Aktiv - Nur Fur Erwachsene [7'', 1982]


This one goes out to a awsome new music blog "Mein Walkmen Ist Kaputt" focused on Neue Deutsche Welle aka Underground German New Wave. If you dig No Wave you better check this stuff out, because the germans love their synths mixed with Punk which the american's were always shy of other than groups like the Screamers and Ike Yard.

This is a rare single by this bizarre german group from the early 80's. I actually don't know much about them but if you like early Synth Punk/Neue Deutsche Welle you'll love this. They were from Munich and there is a new Lp that just came out of some of their rarities available from WAS SOLL DAS? SCHALLPLATTEN.

rich said...

Cheers man, got you linked on the site. This is a superb find! I believe this is the 2003 re-issue of Gorilla Aktiv's self-released cassettes. They were a Munich group who made a C-10 (!) tape called 'Va bene' and a C-20 tape, which was apparently only released in Denmark (big minimal NDW cassette scene over there at the time too), called '12/82'. This was all 1982-83. From what I can make out, they were a trio: Nick Deinhardt, Thomas Eckart & Ian Moorse (i think). Superb work! (download)

A5 - Kalte Erotik / Längst vorbei

Neunter Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog, Juni 2006, obwohl das hier war nur verlinkt aus dem 7 Inch Punk-Blog:

A5 - Kalte Erotik / Längst vorbei (no fun records NF 108) '81

the A and B sides should of been switched, the b-side kills the a-side on this one. to bad everything i read on this band is written in german, so i apologize for the lack of 'post' on this one. would like to add…im not sure what you would classify this one as, you be the judge.


Tracklisting
kalte erotik
längst vorbei (download)

Nyah Fearties

Le bruit de Nyah Fearties comme un mélange du Pogues et de l'Einstürzende Neubauten. C'était la bande secrète de favori du personnel de SPEX il y a environ 20 ans. L'incroyable sain de Nyah Fearties. Ils ont leur propre site Web.

"A Tasty Heidfu’": "Red Roller" / "Glen Ashdale Falls" / "Theme Fae The Barn" / "Lugton Calling" / "Rantin’ Robbie" // "When The Wind Blows Cold" / "Bludgeon Man" / "Apathy" / "Hallelujah!" (L.Y.T. Records DOP.LP 001, LP, 1986) (download)

Originally posted on 21.02.07

Kosmonautentraum - Der Deutsche

Achter Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog, Juni 2006:

Kosmonautentraum- Der Deutsche- Immer Laut Hören MONOGAM-VERTRIEB EP 1980


Like with most German punk, due to the language barrier, I don't think I will ever fully 'get' Kosmonautentraum. From what I can hear, they had a strong vocal delivery and political slant, but one to which the music was subordinate to, leaving foreign ears left in the lurch, so to speak. If your German is up to it, try the Livorno 1956 12" on ZickZack, from 1983, a superbly thrashed out and volatile EP, and one that's, just possibly, a strong case for vocalist Ziggy XY (aka Michael Jarick, one time member of Der Moderne Man) as Hanover's industrial answer to Mark Stewart and The Pop Group. A sweet homage to the band can be found here.

Going back through the Kosmonautentraum catalogue, and skipping all records in which they perform as the archetypal guitar-bass-drums-vocal four-piece, we end up right at the beginning, with the 'Der Deutsche- Immer Laut Hören' debut, Ziggy XY's self-financed solo EP. Ziggy was writing for several underground Berlin fanzines at the time, and, like Thomas Voburka's Exil-System work (see post below), the 'Der Deutsche' EP was released in accordance with the independent Monogam label. Monogam was partly run by Michael Vogt and Elizabeth Recker (who secretly made the Rainy Day Woman 7"), who both worked in Burkhard Seiler's Zensor shop in Berlin. Zensor was a label and a record store, much like Rough Trade in London, co-owned by Frieder Butzmann. A quick question for my German friends: where was Zensor exactly located in Berlin?

Recorded in Ziggy's living room, this 7" apparently didn't go down too well. Even Alfred Hilsberg practicularly called Ziggy an idiot in October's Sounds (the German version of the mag), 1980. This is unlike all other Kosomonautentraum work. Vinyl On Demand re-issued it as part of the 'Unerhörtes Ungehörtes' early works collection last year. Starting very quietly, it builds into a curious examination of the more subtler qualities of noise and electronics, with a threatening air of chaos about it. Bloody experimental.

A. Kosmonautenträume
B. Nr 1 and Nr 2 Alltag

martinf said...

the zensor shop was located in Berlin, Belziger Straße, in the back of the "Blue Moon"-shop which was dealing with clothes for teds and rockers. more information about the zensor is available here:

i've been told the low volume at the start of the kosmonautentraum-ep was because the home-made tape wasn't mastered at a professional studio but sent directly to the pressing plant (i think it was Pallas in Diepholz) and it had such a low volume that at the beginning of the mastering process they couldn't here anything so they turned the volume up during the mastering process. when ziggy received the test pressings he probably liked it and didn't ask for correcting the mistake. also the ep has no correct labels because the printer made labels for 12inch records not for 7inch records but again ziggy didn't complain but just sticked the labels on the inner sleeve

i don't know much about ziggys writings for berlin fanzines, i only know his fanzine HEUTE which he published together with EKT (guitar player for Moderne Man and drummer for Kosmonautentraum) and some of his poems. the lyrics on the ep roughly translate as:

the german basically is lazy, not willing to work, fat, greedy, doesn't likes to be disturbed, wants to own a home of his own, doen't wants to be noticed, is a conformist, is normal, is a low-brow, is stupid, is a coward

wants to have the Kaiser back and talk german, makes holidays in mallorca, must have a tan, reads only a certain newspaper, hates children, loves cars, doesn't read books, polutes rivers and lakes, only eats icebein and sauerkraut

oh the german (oh the german)
the german (the german)
the german (the german)
the german (the german)
the the ger- (the ger-man) (download)

Jugend 80

Update: Besprechung des Films in den Kommentaren (allerdings in englischer Sprache).


Hier ein kurzer Hinweise auf den Film JUGEND 80 - Punk und New Wave in Hannover, der am 06.12.2008 um 20:30 Uhr im Kino im Sprengel läuft:

Musik: Der moderne Mann, Hansaplast, Abwärts, Slime, Stromsperre, Boskops, Blitzkrieg, Die Ärzte, Dead Trousers, Der Wahre Heino, Klischee, Abstürzende Brieftauben u.a.

Grob geschnitten und montiert wie ein Punk-Video aus den frühen 80er Jahren kommt Addi Fahrenhorsts Dokumentation daher. Fahrenhorst interviewt Punks der ersten Stunde, Jens Franke, Wixxa, Micha von Eye und andere. So nebenbei, am Küchentisch. Oder im Hobbyraum, der wie ein Jugendzimmer mit Punk-Fanzines statt Bravo-Postern tapeziert ist.

Wie das alles war, mit dem Punk, der Politik, dem Wave und der Musikindustrie. Bilder aus der Werbung, selbstgedrehte Super-8-Clips und die Stimme von Michael Gorbatschow lassen den Zeitkontext wieder aufscheinen. Überhaupt das alte Material: Das knarzt, knackt und rauscht, der Ton läuft nicht synchron und klingt wie aus einer Blechdose eingespielt. Bei den Videos fehlt die Farbe und wenn sie da ist, wirkt sie überdreht, psychedelisch. Gut erhalten sind eigentlich nur die Super-8-Filme. Sie zeigen Putti und Sprengel, Demos, Hinterhöfe, Kifferküchen, Übungsräume und die Selbstinzenierungen der Punks.

Natürlich dürfen auch die Chaostage nicht fehlen. Sie werden kurz und knapp kommentiert von Ute Wieners, zeigen die frühen Auseinandersetzungen mit den Nazi-Glatzen am Bahnhof und die Scharmützel mit der Polizei in der Schaufelder Straße. Doch der größte Teil des Films ist Musik, Konzertmitschnitte von hannoverschen Bands wie Boskops, Klischee, Hansaplast und den Abstürzenden Brieftauben.

Vorfilm: Werkstatt Odem
von Norbert Meissner, D 2008, 15 min.

Performances und Kunstaktionen aus der legendären Avantgarde-Galerie ODEM in der hannoverschen Nordstadt.

Und hier eine Kritik aus dem Sehnsucht nach Dreck-Blog.

Still got the Plagiats-Blues

Das Landgericht München hat heute entschieden, dass die Virgin Schallplatten GmbH dem Gitarristen Jürgen Winter Auskunft über die Verkäufe des Welthit "Still Got The Blues" von Gary Moore erteilen muss, damit dieser seinen Schadenersatzanspruch der Höhe nach berechnen kann. Denn laut Gericht hat Moore seinen Song teilweise von der Komposition "Nordrach" von Winter abgekupfert. Das Bizarre daran ist, dass "Still Got The Blues" 1990 entstand, "Nordrach" jedoch bereits 1974, aber erst 1999 auf CD veröffentlicht wurde in einer Aufnahme, die 1974 beim Südwestfunk entstand. Laut Gutachten sind die übereinstimmenden Passagen aber zu ähnlich um von einem bloßen Zufall auzugehen, und Virgin konnte offenbar nicht nachweisen, dass Moore zu der Zeit nicht mit irgendeiner Band durch deutschland getourt ist und deshalb den Song nicht im Radio hören konnte. Aber urteilt selbst:
Aktuelle ntv-Meldung
Webseite von Jud's Gallery mit Prozeßinformationen
Jud's Gallery @ Krishna's Golden Dope Shop
Still Got the Blues [Single Version]
Copyright and Music: A History Told in MP3's

Rough translation: The German guitar player Juergen Winter sued the Scotsman Gary Moore for ripping of his 12-minutes epic masterpiece "Nordrach" from 1974 and creating the monster hit "Still Got the Blues" 16 years later. And he won! To find out more about it check the links above and use Babelfish ;-)

Sänger aus Ruanda wegen Völkermordes verurteilt

Einer der bekanntesten Sänger Ruanda, Simon Bikindi, ist von UN-Tribunal ICTR in Tansania zu 15 Jahren Haft verurteilt worden für Anstiftung zur Gewalt während der Völkermordes 1994 in Ruanda. Im Urteil wird festgestellt, dass Bikindi von einem LKW mit Lautsprecheranlage herab eine Rede hielt, in der er die Hutus aufrief, Tutsis umzubringen. Das Gericht blieb dabei unter dem Antrag der Staatsanwaltschaft, die lebenslängliche Haft gefordert hatte, denn mehrere Lieder von Bikindi, die damals oft im Radio gespielt wurden, sollen zum Hass auf die Tutsis angestiftet haben. Das Gericht berücksichtigte jedoch, dass die Lieder vor dem Völkermord geschrieben wurden und es keine Belege dafür gäbe, dass Bikinidi sie auch 1994 öffentlich gesungen habe.
Ob der "Michael Jackson von Ruanda" gegen das Urteil in Berufung geht konnten seine Anwälte noch nicht sagen.
BBC-Meldung
NDR Weltspiegel

Träneninvasion (new link)

Siebter Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog, Juni 2006:

Träneninvasion- Sentimental/ Herzmuskel WELTREKORD 04 7" 1980


This is Holger Hiller at his most charmingly odd. Two brief minimal tracks for Peter Hein's Weltrekord label (WER04) way back in 1980, before that name was sold to EMI and before Hein set up the bizarre Sneaky Pete Records, where each number for each record was apparently a mate's telephone number or car number plate. 'Sentimental' is written by Hiller and the ex-DAF/ Fehlfarben member Michael Kemner. Incidentally, Fehlfarben's 'Grosse Liebe' maxi-single was the first release for Weltrekord, and is also well worth tracking down. Holger Hiller is most famously known for being the singer with Palais Schaumburg (named after a state government building in Bonn), whose turtlenecks and wonky foot-work was beautifully captured by David Cunningham in this 1982 video. The b-side 'Herzmuskel' is a reworking of the song that can originally be found on Hiller's Ata Tak/ Warning Records single, released earlier in 1980. There is also the Fähnlein Fieselschweif record that Hiller produced, round about the same period, for Luna Park. And what about this video from Hiller's pioneering sample-based 1984 period?

01. Träneninvasion- Sentimental
02. Träneninvasion- Herzmuskel (new download)

Scala 3 "Scala" (re-upped)

Über diese Platte habe ich keine Rezension gefunden, in Sounds 8/82 taucht sie nur in der Rubrik "Neu im Regal" auf. In der nächsten Soundsausgabe gibt es dann einen großen Rundumschlag von Diedrich Diederichsen:
"Was hat es nun wirklich auf sich mit dieser vielgescholtenen Welle (die ein gewisser Alfred Hilsberg in SOUNDS 10/79 erfunden hat). Alles, was sich seriös dünkt - Musiker, Kritiker, Plattenproduzent - distanziert sich in verdächtiger Eile (...) und Heftigkeit; das durchschnittliche, kritische Volk freut sich, nicht hinhören zu müssen und die Kids hören ungestört ihren Hubert Kah, während die Großen darüber jammern, daß er bei Heck auftritt. Taktische Gründe treiben mich fast dazu, mich mit den Schlager-Wellen-Musikern zu solidarisieren, schließlich sind es blöde Rockists, die sie am heftigsten angreifen, andrerseits sind sie das typische Beispiel dafür, daß es immer schief geht, wenn der Deutsche sich in Leichtigkeit versucht (Skiunfall!). Von den frech proklamierten Roots (50er, Froboess, Peter Alexander, Adenauer, Kalter Krieg, kennen sie nur aus der Mittsiebziger sog. "Nostalgie"-Welle, von den 30ern/40ern wissen sie überhaupt nichts) haben die Hubert Kahs dieser Welt sowieso keine Ahnung, die Trios und Falcos dagegen haben gemerkt, daß die Kritiker nach "Substanz" schreien (mit "Substanz" meinen sie im allgemeinen Unbeweglichkeit und Verknöcherung, also ihren eigenen Geisteszustand) und beeilen sich nun, ihren nöhligen, müden Sprachspiel-Hippie-Witz (Lindenberg-Revival) als Gesellschaftskritik zu verkaufen (auch hier: vgl. Lindenberg). Bezeichnenderweise ist Trio dann auch die einzige Gruppe, die der Liberale Schöler in der "Zeit" und der Skinhead-Sympi Gary Bushell im englischen "Sounds" gelten lassen.
Es bleibt festzuhalten, daß 1) Markus No. 1-Hit "Ich will Spaß" trotz erheblicher Schwächen die beste deutsche Produktion ist, die seit Drafi Deutschers "Marmor, Stein und Eisen bricht", im November 65, die deutschen Charts anführte (sein geistvoll-perverses Liebeslied an ein Pony, "Prinz Eugen von der Lahn", ist wesentlich besser und klingt wie ein schräger Schwulen-Spaß); daß 2) die Fülle von Produktionen in der BRD mehr Schrott, aber auch mehr Qualität hervorbrachte. Schrott überwiegt, aber nie gab es so viele gute deutsche Gruppen; daß 3) der Schlager die Chance gewesen wäre, das kulturelle Establishment von hinten anzugreifen. Diese Chance ist vertan und egal, ob doof-kritisch (Spider Murphy), oder doof-affirmativ (Hubert Kah), haben sich diese Produkte bruchlos in die Frusthitparaden eingereiht, aber sie haben auch offene Ohren für Leute wie Dorau und den Plan geschaffen, die wirklich etwas von BRD-Kultur verstehen; daß 4) mehr Schrott als bei den sog. Schlagern immer noch bei den ernsthaften Rock-Musikern produziert wird.
Hier sind ein paar Beispiele für dies und jenes. Deutsches, das in den Regalen mit den Rezensionsexemplaren zu verstauben drohte, und dessen ich mich hier in einer Überstunde erbarme. (...)
Ich mache diese Art Reviews hier zum letzten Mal. Ihr habt eure fünfzehn Minuten gehabt, werdet jetzt wieder Handwerker und verschont unsere Ohren! Es sind im selben Zeitraum noch einmal 50 neue deutsche LPs erschienen, die ich hier ignoriere. Und im Herbst erscheinen 180 neue." Scala 3 waren es wohl nicht wert, gesondert verrissen zu werden, dabei ist diese Platte nicht schlimmer als "Gefühl und Härte", hat aber einen deutlich höheren Wave-Einschlag und mehr Keyboards. Sogar eine Dub-Version gibt es, und die ist gar nicht so schlecht. Meine Lieblingstext-Zeile stammt übrigens aus "(Top) Tibet": "auf dem Dach der Welt / wo kein Taxi hält / kommt der Leguan / mit dem Opium an". Die haben sicher während der Aufnahmen gut was weggekifft. Die Rosy-Singers wurden sogar für den Chorgesang engagiert, wenn das mal kein Steuerabschreibungsprodukt war ("Scheiße, wir machen zuviel Umsatz mit Trio, Hubert Kah, Joachim Witt, Ideal usw., lass uns ein paar 2-Liga-Gruppen ins Studio stecken und die Platten danach gleich ohne Werbung in die Ramschkisten stellen, dann haben wir wenigstens ein paar mehr Kosten, die wir dem Finanzamt gegenüber aufrechnen können.")

Scala 3 "Scala"
"Peppermint Ballett" / "Irrsinn und Glück" / "Tibet" / "Hey Narziss" // "Veto" / "Zu spät" / "Stilles Kommando" / "Das Gift" // "Savanni" / "Top Tibet" // "Kein Ende" / "Irrsinn in Dub"
Fred Thurley - Gesang, Keyboards, Gitarre, Bass + Dubs / Hans Schumann - Schlagzeug / Robin Terry - Bass / Aufgenommen im Studio 54, Berlin / Produziert von Colin Pearson (p) 1982
Telefunken 6.28602 DT, 1 LP + 1 Maxi-Single (download)

Summary: The second album from Scala 3 was released in 1982 and did again nothing in the charts. Also I guess the band didn't play to much concerts. A hell lot of records were released during that period from groups nobody heard of before and after. And a good percentage of these records were just produced for tax reduction reasons which means bands were send to studios to produce records that were not promoted but just paid for so the record companies didn't have to pay too much tax for their incredible record sales of Trio, Hubert Kah, Joachim Witt, Ideal etc. Also I guess Scala 3 smoked a lot during the production otherwise they wouldn't have come up with lyrics like "on top of the world / where no cap stops / comes the iguana / with the opium".

Originally posted on 10.08.06

Scala 3 "Gefühl und Härte" (re-upped)

In einem Sammelverriss über 13 ndW-Platten schreibt Ewald Braunsteiner in Sounds 11/81 über diese Platte: "Scala 3 stylen sich wie eine Punk-Band, spielen aber doch nur Hard-Rock. Ein Betrugs-Minuspunkt. Ein Hard-Rock-zum-Billionsten-Male-Minuspunkt. Texte: "Ausgeknockt in süßer Flut/Hirnberaubt und frohgemut." Sechs Frederike Kempner-Punkte."
"Schizo-Kids" und "Quellen der Wut" sind auch auf der ersten Single dieses Trios, vermutlich in etwas raueren Versionen, was aber Peter Bömmels in Spex 4/80 nicht von einem Verriss abhält: "Diese Schizophrenie tut offenbar nicht weh. Bei dieser unheimliche netten Musik spür ich keinen Hauch von "Abfallhalden, Tränenbädern oder Fehlmutaten" ...! Bei dieser wohl- bzw. hohlklingenden Space-Gitarrenmusik fällt mir nur ein: Oh süßer Horror! Bitte klebe lange. Auch auf der Rückseite hör ich keine Wut sprudeln. Von der Musik her würde ich tippen: Punilux-Mutation plus Stranglers-Orgel-Effekten. Wie es Scala 3 selbst singen: ..."mediengesteuerte Langeweile. uuuuuh ... uh!!! Die Gruppe scheint ein Vertreter dieser berüchtigten ‚Berlin Wave' zu sein."
Als Hard-Rock würde ich diese Musik nicht bezeichnen, obwohl die Musiker dort sicher ihre Wurzeln haben, doch der Vergleich zu Punishment Of Luxery scheint mir nicht allzu weit hergeholt zu sein, deren Zickigkeit ist hier wiederzufinden. Andererseits geht diese Musik bei einen Ohr rein und beim anderen wieder raus. Die ‚Berlin Wave' war übrigens das Ergebnis massiver Förderung von Rockgruppen durch den Berliner Senat Anfang der 80er Jahre, u.a. mit den sogenannten Senatsrock-Wettbewerben. Erfolgreichster Vertreter war die Schülerband UKW, die ihr Machwerk "Matrosen" sogar in die deutschen Charts brachte.

Scala 3 "Gefühl und Härte"
"Metropolitana" / "Schizo-Kids" / "Ghetto Intern" / "Travestie" / "ZX" // "Only You / Freundschaft" / "Ich glaub', ich träume" / "Sog der Resignation" / "Quellen der Wut" / "Vergessen"
Hans Paix - Beat und Stimme / Pierre Lengauer - Bass und Stimme / Fred Thurley - Piano, Gitarre, Frontstimme / Aufgenommen im IC Studio, Februar 1981 / Gemischt von SCALA 3, Profenius, Klaus Schulze / Produzent: Klaus Schulze
Eine IC Produktion, Telefunken 6.24833 AS (p) 1981, Maxi-Single (download)

Summary: Scala 3 came from West-Berlin and played some kind of rock music with new wave elements. If you want to make them happy compare them to Punishment Of Luxery, but they are far away from having their quality.

Originally posted on 08.08.06

Miriam Makeba

4.März 1932 bis 9. November 2008
Rest in Peace

Yma Sumac

13. September 1922 bis 1. November 2008
Rest in Peace

If you don't like lounge music then listen to her last album "Miracles" from 1972 where she and Les Baxter try to mix her extraordiary vocal abilities (no words, just sounds) with some kind of hard rock.

Grosse Freiheit und mehr

Der sechste Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog vom Mai 2006 ist eine Zusammenstellung von Postings, die nur Ausschnitte von einzelnen Platten enthielten: Grosse Freiheit- Die Moschusfunktion 12" ZICKZACK 1982 First up then is going to be Große Freiheit. The 'Moschusfunktion' 12" is a wonderfully quirky slab of German New Wave cabaret on vinyl. To give it some background, it was released in 1982 on Alfred Hilsberg's Zickzack (Zigzag) label based in Hamburg (ZZ115), second only to Ata Tak (Warning), no doubt, as the most influential German independent label running between 1979-82 (it spawned the likes of Abwärts, Einstürzende Neubauten, Andreas Dorau, Die Krupps, Wirtschaftswunder, Palais Schaumburg, Die Tödliche Doris & Xmal Deutschland!). Alfred Hilsberg is also the journalist that coined the name of the movement in a three-part series of articles titled 'Neue Deutsche Welle - Aus grauer Städte Mauern' ('from grey city walls (?)') in the October-December editions of Sounds, 1979. However, it has been brought to my attention that Burkhard "Der Zensor" Seiler may have got there first, with his advert for the first DAF record, on Ata Tak back in August, 1979. Thanks to Martinf, for pointing this out (for further discussion on this please visit his Brotbeutel blog). Punk-disco.com confusingly has Große Freiheit down as a Johann Bley and Hans-Jürgen Piel (Saal 2, Die Zimmermänner) project, even though their names are nowhere to be found on the sleeve. This is actually a Martin Grunwaldt creation, for which he calls an 'opus in vier akten & präsentiert von der gruppe'! The lead-off track 'Wenn ich vergnügt bin, muß ich singen' ('If I am diverted, I must sing' (I think)) was originally penned by Peter Igelhoff & Hans Fritz Beckmann for what must have been the most popular European vocal harmony group of the late 1920s, early '30s, The Comedian Harmonists. They were a German barbershop quartet whose recordings particularly amused the American music journalist Lester Bangs and record executive Joe Boyd, who apparently oversaw the first officially licensed compilation of the group for the US in 1999 through Hannibal. By the mid '30s, the Nazis thought very little of their crazy tuetonic renditions of American Jewish broadway tunes, and so, their career soon reached das ende. On this, rather different, lost NDW 12", Martin Grunwaldt offers up a demented turbo-synth interpretation that rids the tune of any of its original New Yawk influence. Oddly enough, listen out for the sitar in 'Expressomaschine', originally a Franz Josef Degenhardt song. I may well put up the other two tracks in the future. I'd certainly like to hear from anyone that has the highly obscure Martin Grunwaldt 'Rückblende' 10" released by Klang Der Fest (KDF3) on which he plays and sings Franz Josef Degenhardt songs. 01. Wenn Ich Vergnügt Bin 04. Expressomaschine + (…) Phonophobia were a studio-based trio from Bremen, led by visual artist Harald Falkenhagen. They recorded between 1979-83, never performed live, and pressed up 1200 copies of an ultra-minimal DIY 7" in 1980, before disappearing back into der Hinterlands. (…) the highlight of the original 7", 'Feed Me'. (…) + Exil-System special (…) Here's a taster of the Inspector-Clouseau-in-Berlin sound of the 'Vorwarts' 7". As for the rest, think a German Lou Reed and Jonathan Ritchman with only a beatbox and a couple of instruments found on a scrap heap. Killer. + P1/E - 49 Second Romance 7" Die klassische 49 Second Romance Version der Original 7" P1/E vs. Weltklang - 49 Second Dance Ein Remix von Thomas Voburka aus dem Jahr 2004. Der Track wurde auf der Exil System LP auf Vinyl On Demand bereits veröffentlicht P1/E vs. gruftreiter.org - 49 Shuffle Romance Ein weiterer Remix von Thomas Voburka. Eigentlich war der Track für die Second Offender LP vorgesehen, jedoch wurden dann nur die klassischen Tracks verwendet P1/E - 49 Second Romance (Michael Hirsch RMX) Ein weiterer unveröffentlichter Track. Michael Hirsch ließ es sich ebenfalls nicht nehmen im Jahr 2004 einen Remix zu produzieren. Ein zweiter Hirsch Remix wird demnächst auf dieser Seite veröffentlicht P1/E - 49 Second Romance (Hirsch Breaks) Ebenfalls 2004 aus den Mastern der Originalsingle produziert Tennis Boy Blues - NME No.1 Tennis Boy Blues war eine Nachfolgerband von P1/E. Neben Michael Schäumer waren Yuji Kimura (keys) und Monika Dietl (voc) in der Band. 8-Track Demo Tennis Boy Blues - Imagination Unveröffentlichter Studiotrack von Tennis Boy Blues. Trotz Vertrag mit dem Discolabel Uff-Zick Records, die auch für den Megahit "Goddess Of Love" verantwortlich waren, kam diese Single nie auf den Markt. Es gibt noch eine 7 Minuten lange 12" Version die leider verlorengegangen ist Tennis Boy Blues - What Is The Bane Of Your Life 8 Track Demo von 1984. Das Original stammt von Philipp & His Foetus Vibration. Jim Thirlwell mochte die Adaption seines Songs sehr Tennis Boy Blues - Gotta See Jane Ein Cover des Klassikers von R. Dean Taylor Drop One - Work Hard Acid House Track von 1989. Erschienen auf dem Big Sex Label aus dem dann Tresor Records wurde. Die Vocals sind von Olaf Jeglitza der später unter dem Namen "MC Sar & The Real McCoy" mehrere Chart Hits landete. (download)

Exil-System special

Fünfter Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog, Mai 2006:


Exil-System special

The place to go in West Berlin, circa 1979-81, is said to have been the underground venue SO 36 in Kreuzberg, documented by Manfred Jelinski on the recent Berlin Super 80 DVD. This was a hot spot for anarchist activity that filmmakers, musicians, and art students alike no doubt made their own. Frieder Butzmann, Die Tödliche Doris, and Einstürzende Neubauten, to name but a few, were some of the big names on the scene, as the strength of the cassette culture and underground labels sprung up like weeds through concrete. Legend has it that Thomas Voburka had a job in the same Berlin restaurant that Michael Schäumer (P1/E) worked in. Inspired by West Berlin's Geniale Dilletanten movement (also the name of the '81 festival and the manifesto published by Wolfgang Müller (Die Tödliche Doris) in 1982 (link)), Voburka decided to go for broke and release a record. Thus, Exil-System was born and the Mono/ 45 Upm 7", fronted by Vorburka and Michael Schwabe, was its debut in 1979. 500 copies were released only. Flash forward to 2003 and record collector Frank Maier had an idea. He would set up a label, call it Vinyl On Demand, and get this material back in print! Well, almost. The four Exil-System releases, all featuring Thomas Voburka, the mastermind behind the label, were grouped together in 2004 for The Exil-Sessions 1979-2004 LP. The only problem was, it was limited to 500 copies again. And so now the re-issue has become just as collectable as the original 7"s, even more so considering some VOD's sold out before the release date. Until a kind soul offers up a suitable rip of the LP re-issue (tracklisting here), we are stuck with my own bootleg collection, which is complete, but rather patchy, using several resources to pull the project together. But worry not, for, either way, we have the four Exil-System singles (1979-80), from Mono/45Upm, P1/E, Weltklang, & Hits Berlin, in all their primitive synth glory. Apart from the group P1/E (featuring Voburka, Michael Schäumer and the early Neubauten member Alexander Hacke aka Borsig), this is predominantly the work of the duo Thomas Voburka and Michael Schwabe. Both starred in Erwin Kneihsl's underground 1982 film Gemischter Salat ('French Dressing'), and Voburka furthered his own career in acting. Here's a taster of the Inspector-Clouseau-in-Berlin sound of the 'Vorwarts' 7". As for the rest, think a German Lou Reed and Jonathan Ritchman with only a beatbox and a couple of instruments found on a scrap heap. Killer.

V/A - Exil Sytem 1979 -2004

This the best Vinyl On Demand release so far! It compiles all music (four releases) released on the Exil System label during 1979 and 1980. Besides that it also features a remix from 2004.

Mono 45 Upm is present with its two great and weird NDW tracks from 1979. Next to that Weltklang and Hits Berlin are featured with their minimal/NDW songs. But it is ‘49 second romance’ by P1/E that is the ear catcher of this record. This catchy minimal wave / elektro track could well become a hit again.

Also featured on the lp is the lesser, but still enjoyable, ‘Licht und Schatten disco mix’ version of this song. Too bad there is another remix of this small masterpiece on the lp, a 2004 dance rework. This track spoils the nostalgic mood of the album. But, besides that this is a great historical record for the true 80’s addict.

tracklist:
A1 Mono 45/Upm Romance Adieu, Bienvenu Realité
A2 Mono 45/Upm Fast Lust In Tuned Cars
A3 P1/E Dependence
A4 P1/E 49 Second Romance
A5 Weltklang VEB Heimat
A6 Weltklang Hoffnung / Sehnsucht ??
B1 P1/E vs. Weltklang 49 Second Dance
B2 P1/E 49 Second Romance (Licht Und Schatten Disco Mix)
B3 Thomas Voburka Romantik Adieu (Kalt Wie Eis O.S.T.)
B4 Hits Berlin Vorwärts (Monogam 7" Mix)
B5 Hits Berlin Vorwärts (Exil-System Mix)
B6 Hits Berlin Rückwärts (download) (alternative download without weird letters)

Phonophobia

Vierter Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog, Mai 2006:


Phonophobia- 1979-1983 VERY GOOD RECORDS LP

The story of this record is short and sweet. Phonophobia were a studio-based trio from Bremen, led by visual artist Harald Falkenhagen. They recorded between 1979-83, never performed live, and pressed up 1200 copies of an ultra-minimal DIY 7" in 1980, before disappearing back into der Hinterlands. In 1999, 20 years after their initial foray into the avant-garde, Very Good Records (check Simon Harris' homage to the label) were kind enough to rescue Phonophobia from the scrap heap of DIY-music history, and re-master their lost work with the 1979-1983 document. This is the Dortmund label that did the same for Conrad Schnitzler and Seesselberg. Phonophobia's sound fits somewhere between these two, taking Seesselberg's minimalism and the dark electronics of Schnitzler's oeuvre towards a more refined sensibility. This acted as a small precursor, then, to Konrad Becker's interests in sound design later on in 1980, and further cemented the paving of the path that eventually led to the IDM approach of the 1990s. All of the 1979-1983 LP can be sampled via the website, including, the highlight of the original 7", 'Feed Me'. Falkenhagen's list of phobias was later taken to the extreme here.

By request, I'm posting more zip files on the site, so folks can get the whole record. Included is a Japanese interview with Harald, who has been kind enough to let me share his music:

Phonophobia- 1979-1983 VERY GOOD RECORDS LP

01 Montenegro 4:20
02 imp 1 0:04
03 Polyopie 1:30
04 imp 2 0:14
05 Hoerst Du Mich? 2:20
06 imp 3 0:04
07 Rein Raus 3:13
08 imp 4 0:05
09 Feed Me 6:22
10 Das Ende einer Schallplatte endless (on LP)

11 Antistress-Trainingsschule 3:13
12 Schweine im Weltall 1:36
13 imp 5 0:04
14 Whistler 1:53
15 imp 6 0:04
16 KG 1:04
17 Irrenhaus 2:35
18 imp 7 0:04
19 Luzy 0:37
20 lemmorT 0:32
21 imp 8 0:10
22 Irrenhaus (slight Return) 1:18
23 Das Ende dieser Schallplatte endless (on LP) (download)

Ink Records special

Dritter Teil der Plünderung des Archivs von Mein Walkman Ist Kaputt-Blog, Mai 2006:


Ink Records special

Out of all the small NDW independent labels, the most obscenely hip was probably Mike Schmidt's Ink Records. Schmidt's group Croox was the first release on the label in 1980, with the highly sort after 'A' LP (Ink01). This is an NDW classic and, sadly, now rare as hen's teeth. Unfortunately all I have is a bad cassette rip. :(

The first 7" on Ink was this incredible piece of German underground goofiness by Don Bartnick (Ink04). 'Gefährliche Karriere' is the highlight for me, if only for its English 'Dangerous Career' translation. Fittingly, Bartnick never released another record, although his earlier contribution to the ridiculous 1980 NDW Christmas record, Denk Daran, on the Überblick label, can be found here.


What gets my vote for the most bizarre group on Ink is Reifenstahl. Gerd Gaida and Matthias Rapp pose as a duo on the cover (a typical NDW approach), and play all instruments on the record, though additional members of Croox may be involved on some tracks. After all, like jazz players, it was not uncommon for members to drift in and out of various groups during the highly versatile post-punk era, especially in the experimental Düsseldorf scene, circa 1980. Reifenstahl's Die Wunderwaffe LP was the sixth release on Ink Records, 1981. Their Residents inspired chaos can be heard on these three choice cuts:

Reifenstahl- Die Wunderwaffe
Reifenstahl- Der Wustenfuchs
Reifenstahl- Space Invaders

Some of the items from Ink's brief back catalogue can be found as part of a WFMU playlist put together by Markus from Hamburg, Germany. Nearly all of the Ink tracks aired are from the 1982 Partysnäks LP (Ink010), which apparently acted as a soundtrack to an abandoned film project titled Die Tanzbeinsammler. The Google translation for this one is particularly great: 'The Dance Leg Collecting Tanks'. Wtf? This is where I call on any German speakers (martinf?) to help translate some of the inner sleeve!


From what I can make out Don Bartnick played a car dealer in the film. And I'd imagine that each track lends itself to the film narrative in some curiously angular way. Here are my two favourites from the record, hope you enjoy:

Ela Eis- My Clown
Kunst=Stoff - Schluckauf

martinf said...

You asked for it, so don’t blame me for any brain damage after reading the following words:
Party Snäks, music from the movie „the dancing leg(s) collector”
Summary of content:
Location is Rio in South America.
Don Bartnik, a salesman for used blue cars, is in financial troubles. He dreams of a career as an entertainer. In his dreams someone suggests a stage act with fried chickens. So Bartnik starts to practise a mechanical dance with 2 chickens from the Netherlands called Skänky and Trap.
Don Bartnik is in love with the nightclub singer Gay. She once presented him the old suitcase in which they met. Now this suitcase is stage and home for Skänky and Trap. One day Gay has a parachuting accident and lands on the roof right above Bartniks window where she secretly watches his training with the chickens. She is amused and confused about Bartniks misuse of the suitcase.
The next day, while Gay talks to herself, she is overheard by 3 regulars of the “Pilsstübchen”: Mustafa, an oil sheik, Jochen Zepp, a wrecked film producer, and Graf Grenzgang, an agent with higher orders. Mustafa sees his chance to escape total boredom and offers Bartnik a very bad deal. Bartnik declines with a nod, but Skänky and Trap get angry because they want to get out of the suitcase, so they try to get on good terms with Mustafa. But Mustafa is depressed by Bartniks decline and commits suicide.
The mean and corrupt Jochen Zepp hopes to have a worldwide comeback with the help of Skänky and Trap. He plans a monumental movie with 50.000 chickens dancing on the “Place de la Concorde” after taking part in a regatta on the river Seine with other heavily masked animals. So he tries to get Gays affection with three-biguous offers.
The politically confused Grenzgang detects a secret code within the dancing routines by Skänky and Trap and tries to recruit Bartnik for the secret service. But Bartnik thinks Grenzgang is just an undecided car buyer.
In the evening there is a big party at the “Pilsstübchen”. But some kidpunks from Hamburg who travelled with the HSV to a soccer game abroad don’t like the music and wreck the place. During the muddle Zepp and Grenzgang both try to get Bartnik drunk. When Gay smells the money involved she tries to get Bartniks affection with unmistakable singing.
Bartnik has only eyes for Gay and Zepp is so frustrated that he thinks about offering the main character of the movie to a blind canary. Grenzgang tries to convince Gay to have sex with Bartnik so he can fetch Skänky and Trap. But Gay declines so Grenzgang swaps the cherry in her cocktail with a toadstool. Gay drops out and nibbles on a piece of Reifenstahl.
Bartnik, who thinks he is making the best deal ever, acts shockingly, annoys all the other guests and wrecks the place even more. When he is drunk like his cars are blue he finally is brave enough to have sex with Gay.
At this point the shooting of the movie breaks down. Jo Fuchsberger, acting as Grenzgang, refuses to work any further until he is allowed to act as Bartnik. When his demand is refused he leaves. The next day the crew discovers the location wrecked with kakao powder and all finished scenes ruined with dumpling sauce from South Tirol. This is the end of the movie. Fuchsberger is dropped by the producers and has to earn his money with third class tv game shows.
Sounds like a great plot for The Da Vinci Code 2 :-)) (download)