Einstürzende Neubauten
Encyclopedia
Einstürzende Neubauten (ˈaɪnˌʃtʏɐtsəndə ˈnɔʏˌbaʊtən, Collapsing New Buildings) is a German
post-industrial band, originally from West Berlin
, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld
(lead vocals, guitar, keyboard), Alexander Hacke
(bass
, guitar, vocals), N.U. Unruh
(custom-made instruments, percussion
, vocals), Jochen Arbeit
(guitar and vocals), and Rudolf Moser (custom-built instruments, percussion, and vocals).
One of their "trademarks" is the use of custom-built instruments, predominantly made out of scrap metal and building tools, and noises, in addition to standard musical instruments.
. This first line-up featured Beate Bartel and Gudrun Gut
, Blixa Bargeld
, and N.U. Unruh
. The two female members, Bartel and Gut, left the band after a short period of performing and founded Mania D
. Alexander Hacke
(alias Alexander von Borsig), a sound technician and multi-instrumentalist who was fifteen years old at that time, joined the band and became a long-time member.
In 1981 the percussionist F.M. Einheit (from the Hamburg
band Abwärts
) joined Einstürzende Neubauten and they released their first LP Kollaps
(English: "Collapse"), a mixture of rough punk rock
tunes and industrial noises. The industrial noises were obtained from self-made music machines, electronics, and found object
s such as metal plates. The live performances with FM Einheit in the 1980s, which became legendary, included lots of metal banging and destruction on stage.
During their first German
tour, Mark Chung
(previously the bass player with Abwärts
) joined the group of musicians. This line-up lasted for nearly 15 years.
In 1983, Einstürzende Neubauten recorded their second album
Zeichnungen des Patienten O. T.
(English: "Drawings of Patient O.T."). The title came from a 1974 book by Leo Navratil
, describing the drawings of Oswald Tschirtner
.
Also in 1983, Bargeld joined the band The Birthday Party
(featuring Nick Cave
and Mick Harvey
) as a guitarist. This group was disbanded shortly after, but Bargeld became a long-time member of one of the bands that sprang from The Birthday Party
– Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
(again featuring Nick Cave
and Mick Harvey
). Bargeld remained a full-time member of both bands, Einstürzende Neubauten and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, until 2003, when he quit the Bad Seeds in order to focus on Einstürzende Neubauten.
1984 also saw the first release of a best-of and rarities compilation, Strategies Against Architecture 80-83
.
("Half Man") in 1985, may be seen as a developmental breakthrough. Musical structure became more evident, and Bargeld's lyrics and, especially, his singing changed. He moved from shouted words and phrases toward organized, poetic melodies.
The band played a show in Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
, to kick off their third North American tour. The performance was sponsored by the German Goethe Institute
as part of the German contribution to Expo 86
. Also scheduled to appear were Test Dept
and Skinny Puppy
, though not everyone was able to play.
On the tour, the group's experimental and improvised live performance style occasionally caused difficulties with venue management and law enforcement. A performance at The Palladium in Manhattan
ended 30 minutes into the set after an improvised pyrotechnics
display. The band ignited a small amount of paint thinner in metal pans, and panicked management stopped the performance and cleared the venue.
The one-hour film Halber Mensch
(1986) by Sōgo Ishii
documents Einstürzende Neubauten's visit to Japan
in 1985. The next two albums, Fünf auf der nach oben offenen Richterskala
("Five on the open-ended Richterscale") in 1987 and Haus der Lüge
("House of the Lie") in 1989, were great successes in the United States
and Japan.
play Die Hamletmaschine ("The Hamlet Machine") for East German radio Rundfunk der DDR. The band image of Einstürzende Neubauten changed: Blixa Bargeld, formerly wearing punk/industrial style clothes, appeared at the live concerts in a suit.
1991 also saw the release of the double album, a best-of and rarities album, Strategies Against Architecture II
. This collection included a musical setting of Heiner Müller
's piece "Bildbeschreibung" ("Explosion of a Memory" or "Description of a Picture" in English).
In Vienna
, May 1992, Einstürzende Neubauten performed at The Academy of Fine Arts
' 300th anniversary in a show by Erich Wonder, Das Auge des Taifun ("The eye of the typhoon").
The next album Tabula Rasa (1993) was an important turning point in the band's history, their music becoming softer and containing more electronic sounds.
In 1993, they were booked to support U2
during their European leg of the Zoo TV Tour
, but were thrown off the stage and off the tour when a band member threw an iron bar into the booing crowd.
Mark Chung
left the band in 1994 after the recording of Faustmusik for Werner Schwab
's play, and made a career in the music industry. F.M. Einheit, who contributed much to the music and sound of the band, left the band a short time later in 1995, during the recording of the Ende Neu album, at least partially because of a conflict with Bargeld. The last Einstürzende Neubauten track Einheit worked on was "Was ist ist". Roland Wolf
replaced them on bass guitar and keyboards only a short time before dying in a car accident in 1995.
("Ending New") in 1996. The album title is an example of word-play on the band's own name (i.e. "Einstürzende Neubauten"). The song "Stella Maris" – a duet between Bargeld and Hacke's then-wife, singer Meret Becker
– became quite famous; a world tour followed the release. During this time, Jochen Arbeit
and Rudi Moser
(both members of Die Haut
) joined the band: Arbeit on guitar, and Moser on drums, with Hacke switching to bass guitar. This line-up, accompanied by Ash Wednesday
on keyboards for live concerts, has held ever since.
In 1997, the album Ende Neu Remixes was released, which featured remixes of the songs from Ende Neu by artists such as Barry Adamson
, Pan Sonic
and Darkus (alias Mark Rutherford
); Darkus' remix tracks, with others not included on Ende Neu Remixes, were made available separately in the same year on The NNNAAAMMM Remixes By Darkus release.
From March 27 to May 23, 2000, Einstürzende Neubauten celebrated their 20th birthday with a "20th anniversary tour", playing in the Columbiahalle, Berlin
on their exact birthday, April 1, and released the album Silence Is Sexy
, followed by a world tour. 2001 also saw the release of another double best-of and rarities album, Strategies Against Architecture III
.
Since 2001, Einstürzende Neubauten albums and web projects have been partially produced and supported by Bargeld's wife Erin Zhu, who also serves as webmaster of the official Einstürzende Neubauten website.
, relying instead upon fan ("supporter") participation in an experiment of a type of Street Performer Protocol
combined with an internet
community and touches of the patronage
system. An exclusive Supporter Album No. 1
, and the Airplane Miniatures
EP following, were made available in 2003.
Bargeld left Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
in 2003. In order to go on tour, the band reneged on the idea of creating a supporter-only album, and cooperated with Mute Records
to go on tour and release Perpetuum Mobile
in 2004. Air sounds, such as blowing the plastic pipes with an air compressor, were greatly explored and used for this album: the working title of the album was, for a long while, Luftveränderung ("Change of air").
A half an hour long documentary about the supporters project entitled 'Traumfestival' was made by Ste van Holm
and Dihcar. The film is now available on YouTube.
The live shows of the Perpetuum Mobile Tour were recorded by the band's sound engineers, then burned on CDRs with individual pictures of each show taken by Danielle de Picciotto
and sold directly after the concerts to the visitors; numerous "official" live albums were created during this tour as a result.
In November 2004, the band went on a mini-tour, which included a supporters-only performance at Berlin's Palast der Republik
. The performance was filmed and coordinated by Danielle de Picciotto
and Ian Williamson and was released on the exclusive supporter's DVD at the end of Phase II.
The second Musterhaus CD Unglaublicher Laerm ("Incredible noise") was finished on August 15, and shipped out (as well as posted for download) shortly after.
Phase II of the Neubauten Supporter's project finished in August 2005, and the official site was taken down on September 20. The supporter album Grundstück
("Floor-piece") and DVD (containing footage from the November 2004 Grundstück performance in Berlin) was shipped in early October 2005.
Musterhaus #3 Solo Bassfeder ("Solo bass-spring"), released December 8, is a collection of bass spring compositions by the individual members of Einstürzende Neubauten.
, finally finished in August 2007.
Danielle de Picciotto
, Alexander Hacke's wife and long time companion released the DVD documentary "Einstürzende Neubauten - On tour with neubauten.org" which describes the supporter project in detail, having interviewed international supporters during the Perpetuum Mobile tour in 2004.
Musterhaus #5 Kassetten
("Cassettes"), finished May 15 with release scheduled for May 31. At the same time, Alles was irgendwie nützt
("Everything of any use"), an album that had been in the work since Phase 2, were completed. The album consists of rare live tracks, handpicked by 6 supporters of Phase 2 and mixed by Boris Wilsdorf. This was quickly followed by Musterhaus #6 Klaviermusik
("Piano music"), released on August 31.
In October, Neubauten released a public DVD, the recording made at Palast der Republik.
Musterhaus #7 Stimmen Reste
("Voice Remainders") was released on December 2, consisting of vocal experiments, vocal recordings, and manipulations of voice recordings, enriched with leftover instrumental tracks made with polystyrene, electronic pulses, hammond organ, bass guitar, and metal percussion.
tour" in April 2007, playing in Hannover on April 22 beforehand. Musterhaus #8 Weingeister
("Wine spirits") was released on April 6, forming the final instalment of the Musterhaus series.
A new commercial album was made available later in the year, the first release since 2004's Perpetuum Mobile. The new album, Alles wieder offen
("All open again"), was released on October 19, 2007 without the backing of a label, a move the band had intended to make with Perpetuum Mobile. Fans who were part of the paid EN community at neubauten.org received access to an album with the same tracks plus a number of extra songs, and an optional DVD about the making of the album. The band also filmed a video for "Nagorny Karabach". They spent the first half of 2008 touring for the album, playing 32 dates in 19 European countries.
Einstürzende Neubauten celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2010 with a tour through Europe. An American leg was also planned, however on November 29, 2010 the band announced the cancellation of all their U.S. dates due to visa scheduling problems.
Silence Is Sexy
was reissued on July 1, 2011.
as "Collapsing New Buildings". Neubauten ("new buildings" in English) is a general term referring to buildings constructed in Germany after 1945. These are often regarded as cheaper, flimsier, and less aesthetically attractive than Altbauten, or pre-1945, especially pre-modernist
buildings. Due to the extensive destruction throughout Germany during the Second World War, and the extensive rebuilding thereafter, Neubauten constitute a very familiar element of German cities.
The band's name attracted unexpected attention when on 21 May 1980, not two months after the band's forming, the roof of the Berlin Congress Hall
famously collapsed, killing one person and injuring many. The resulting media attention surrounding the collapse of the German-American icon gave the meaning of their name a new dimension.
origin.
EPs
Singles
Collections
Live albums
Neubauten.org Supporters Project
Musterhaus Series
Soundtracks and Plays
Appeared on:
Videos
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
post-industrial band, originally from West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld
Blixa Bargeld
Blixa Bargeld is a composer, author, actor, singer, musician, performer and lecturer in a number of artistic fields...
(lead vocals, guitar, keyboard), Alexander Hacke
Alexander Hacke
Alexander Hacke is a guitarist, bass guitarist, singer, experimental / industrial / electronic musician from Germany....
(bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, guitar, vocals), N.U. Unruh
N.U. Unruh
N. U. Unruh is a German musician, experimental percussionist and instruments inventor, probably best known for his work with German music group Einstürzende Neubauten.-Biography:...
(custom-made instruments, percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, vocals), Jochen Arbeit
Jochen Arbeit
Jochen Arbeit is a German guitarist. He is a member of the band Einstürzende Neubauten and was a long-time-member of Die Haut , which also included Einstürzende Neubauten percussionist Rudi Moser and Thomas Wydler, drummer of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.Since 2008 he is also working with Gerd...
(guitar and vocals), and Rudolf Moser (custom-built instruments, percussion, and vocals).
One of their "trademarks" is the use of custom-built instruments, predominantly made out of scrap metal and building tools, and noises, in addition to standard musical instruments.
Early years
On April 1, 1980, Einstürzende Neubauten made their first appearance in the Moon Club in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. This first line-up featured Beate Bartel and Gudrun Gut
Gudrun Gut
Gudrun Gut is an electronic musical artist from Germany.She grew up on the Lüneburger Heide and moved to Berlin in 1975, where she studied visual arts at the Hochschule der Künste from 1978 to 1984. She was an early member of experimental act Einstürzende Neubauten and a founding member of Mania...
, Blixa Bargeld
Blixa Bargeld
Blixa Bargeld is a composer, author, actor, singer, musician, performer and lecturer in a number of artistic fields...
, and N.U. Unruh
N.U. Unruh
N. U. Unruh is a German musician, experimental percussionist and instruments inventor, probably best known for his work with German music group Einstürzende Neubauten.-Biography:...
. The two female members, Bartel and Gut, left the band after a short period of performing and founded Mania D
Mania D
Mania D was a Berliner New Wave-underground band at the end of the seventies, beginning of the eighties. They had been part of the Geniale Dilettanten movement, a merger of the New Wave and post-punk scene. Bandmembers were the predecessors of the all girls band Malaria! , of Liaisons...
. Alexander Hacke
Alexander Hacke
Alexander Hacke is a guitarist, bass guitarist, singer, experimental / industrial / electronic musician from Germany....
(alias Alexander von Borsig), a sound technician and multi-instrumentalist who was fifteen years old at that time, joined the band and became a long-time member.
In 1981 the percussionist F.M. Einheit (from the Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
band Abwärts
Abwärts
Abwärts is a West German post-punk group from Hamburg. Members Mark Chung and FM Einheit would leave the group in the early 1980s to join the Berlin-based band Einstürzende Neubauten....
) joined Einstürzende Neubauten and they released their first LP Kollaps
Kollaps
Kollaps was the first official LP by Einstürzende Neubauten, released in 1981 on ZickZack as #ZZ 65. The album was reissued in 2002 with Stahldubversions, originally released in 1982.Blixa Bargeld, N.U. Unruh, and F.M. Einheit appear on the album....
(English: "Collapse"), a mixture of rough punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
tunes and industrial noises. The industrial noises were obtained from self-made music machines, electronics, and found object
Found object
A found object, in an artistic sense, indicates the use of an object which has not been designed for an artistic purpose, but which exists for another purpose already. Found objects may exist either as utilitarian, manufactured items, or things which occur in nature...
s such as metal plates. The live performances with FM Einheit in the 1980s, which became legendary, included lots of metal banging and destruction on stage.
During their first German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
tour, Mark Chung
Mark Chung (musician)
Mark Chung is a German musician and music publisher, probably best known for his work as the bassist of the German band Einstürzende Neubauten.-Bio:...
(previously the bass player with Abwärts
Abwärts
Abwärts is a West German post-punk group from Hamburg. Members Mark Chung and FM Einheit would leave the group in the early 1980s to join the Berlin-based band Einstürzende Neubauten....
) joined the group of musicians. This line-up lasted for nearly 15 years.
In 1983, Einstürzende Neubauten recorded their second album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Zeichnungen des Patienten O. T.
Zeichnungen des Patienten O. T.
Zeichnungen des Patienten O. T. is the second studio album by the Berlin-based musical group Einstürzende Neubauten. Some Bizzare Records released the album in 1983 . In the United States, PVC/Jem Records released the album in 1984 as Drawings of O. T. The title refers to artist Oswald Tschirtner...
(English: "Drawings of Patient O.T."). The title came from a 1974 book by Leo Navratil
Leo Navratil
Leo Navratil was an Austrian psychiatrist and author.He worked in the hospital in Gugging. He called the works, paintings, and texts of his patients "Zustandsgebundene Kunst" . To Navratil, patients make only in the acute stage of their mental illness artistically relevant works...
, describing the drawings of Oswald Tschirtner
Oswald Tschirtner
Oswald Tschirtner was a schizophrenic artist from Austria with the "pseudonym" of O.T.- Life :...
.
Also in 1983, Bargeld joined the band The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (band)
The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
(featuring Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
and Mick Harvey
Mick Harvey
Michael John Harvey , is an Australian rock musician, composer, arranger and record producer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with the singer and songwriter Nick Cave...
) as a guitarist. This group was disbanded shortly after, but Bargeld became a long-time member of one of the bands that sprang from The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (band)
The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
– Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
(again featuring Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
and Mick Harvey
Mick Harvey
Michael John Harvey , is an Australian rock musician, composer, arranger and record producer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with the singer and songwriter Nick Cave...
). Bargeld remained a full-time member of both bands, Einstürzende Neubauten and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, until 2003, when he quit the Bad Seeds in order to focus on Einstürzende Neubauten.
1984 also saw the first release of a best-of and rarities compilation, Strategies Against Architecture 80-83
Strategies Against Architecture 80-83
Strategies Against Architecture '80–'83 is a compilation album of live tracks and B-sides by the German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten recorded from 1980 to 1983 and released in 1984...
.
1985–1989
The band's next album, Halber MenschHalber Mensch
Halber Mensch is the third studio album by Einstürzende Neubauten. Some Bizzare Records released the album in 1985...
("Half Man") in 1985, may be seen as a developmental breakthrough. Musical structure became more evident, and Bargeld's lyrics and, especially, his singing changed. He moved from shouted words and phrases toward organized, poetic melodies.
The band played a show in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, to kick off their third North American tour. The performance was sponsored by the German Goethe Institute
Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut is a non-profit German cultural institution operational worldwide, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and relations. The Goethe-Institut also fosters knowledge about Germany by providing information on German...
as part of the German contribution to Expo 86
Expo 86
The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo '86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from Friday, May 2 until Monday, October 13, 1986...
. Also scheduled to appear were Test Dept
Test Dept
Test Dept were an industrial music group from London, one of the most important and influential early industrial music acts. Their approach was marked by a strong commitment to radical socialist politics.-History:...
and Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial musical group, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The group is widely considered to be the founders of the electro-industrial genre....
, though not everyone was able to play.
On the tour, the group's experimental and improvised live performance style occasionally caused difficulties with venue management and law enforcement. A performance at The Palladium in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
ended 30 minutes into the set after an improvised pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics is the science of using materials capable of undergoing self-contained and self-sustained exothermic chemical reactions for the production of heat, light, gas, smoke and/or sound...
display. The band ignited a small amount of paint thinner in metal pans, and panicked management stopped the performance and cleared the venue.
The one-hour film Halber Mensch
Halber Mensch (film)
"Halber Mensch" is a 1986 film by Japanese director Sogo Ishii with German band Einstürzende Neubauten. It was originally released on VHS, and re-released on DVD in 2005. The film's title comes from the album of the same name....
(1986) by Sōgo Ishii
Sogo Ishii
', formerly is a Japanese filmmaker known for his striking visuals and sometimes outlandish subject matter.Ishii was born in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and is a graduate of Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka High School and Nihon University College of Art....
documents Einstürzende Neubauten's visit to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1985. The next two albums, Fünf auf der nach oben offenen Richterskala
Fünf Auf der Nach Oben Offenen Richterskala
Fünf auf der nach oben offenen Richterskala is the fourth full length studio album from the German experimental rock band Einstürzende Neubauten and was released in 1987.-Track listing:# Zerstörte Zelle - 8:02...
("Five on the open-ended Richterscale") in 1987 and Haus der Lüge
Haus der Lüge
Haus der Lüge is the fifth full length studio release from the German band Einstürzende Neubauten, released in 1989.-Track listing:# Prolog - 1:50 # Feurio! - 6:02 # Ein Stuhl In Der Hölle - 2:09# Haus Der Lüge - 4:00...
("House of the Lie") in 1989, were great successes in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Japan.
1990–1995
In 1990, the band tried something completely new, recording the soundtrack for East German playwright Heiner Müller'sHeiner Müller
Heiner Müller was a German dramatist, poet, writer, essayist and theatre director. Described as "the theatre's greatest living poet" since Samuel Beckett, Müller is arguably the most important German dramatist of the 20th century after Bertolt Brecht...
play Die Hamletmaschine ("The Hamlet Machine") for East German radio Rundfunk der DDR. The band image of Einstürzende Neubauten changed: Blixa Bargeld, formerly wearing punk/industrial style clothes, appeared at the live concerts in a suit.
1991 also saw the release of the double album, a best-of and rarities album, Strategies Against Architecture II
Strategies Against Architecture II
Strategies Against Architecture II is a retrospective double album by experimental artists Einstürzende Neubauten which was released in 1991.-Disc one:# "Abfackeln" – 3:30# "Partynummer " – 1:35# "Z.N.S." – 5:39...
. This collection included a musical setting of Heiner Müller
Heiner Müller
Heiner Müller was a German dramatist, poet, writer, essayist and theatre director. Described as "the theatre's greatest living poet" since Samuel Beckett, Müller is arguably the most important German dramatist of the 20th century after Bertolt Brecht...
's piece "Bildbeschreibung" ("Explosion of a Memory" or "Description of a Picture" in English).
In Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, May 1992, Einstürzende Neubauten performed at The Academy of Fine Arts
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna is an institution of higher education in Vienna, Austria.- History :The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy by the court-painter Peter Strudl, who became the Praefectus Academiae Nostrae. In 1701 he was ennobled as Baron of the Empire...
' 300th anniversary in a show by Erich Wonder, Das Auge des Taifun ("The eye of the typhoon").
The next album Tabula Rasa (1993) was an important turning point in the band's history, their music becoming softer and containing more electronic sounds.
In 1993, they were booked to support U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
during their European leg of the Zoo TV Tour
Zoo TV Tour
The Zoo TV Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Staged in support of their 1991 album Achtung Baby, the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 1992 through 1993...
, but were thrown off the stage and off the tour when a band member threw an iron bar into the booing crowd.
Mark Chung
Mark Chung (musician)
Mark Chung is a German musician and music publisher, probably best known for his work as the bassist of the German band Einstürzende Neubauten.-Bio:...
left the band in 1994 after the recording of Faustmusik for Werner Schwab
Werner Schwab
Werner Schwab was an Austrian playwright and visual artist.From 1978 to 1982 he studied sculpture at the Akademie der bildenden Künste in Vienna. During the 1980s he worked as a sculptor and woodcutter....
's play, and made a career in the music industry. F.M. Einheit, who contributed much to the music and sound of the band, left the band a short time later in 1995, during the recording of the Ende Neu album, at least partially because of a conflict with Bargeld. The last Einstürzende Neubauten track Einheit worked on was "Was ist ist". Roland Wolf
Roland Wolf (musician)
Roland Wolf was a German musician who played keyboards with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds from 1986 to 1989...
replaced them on bass guitar and keyboards only a short time before dying in a car accident in 1995.
1996–1999
A short time later, the band released the album Ende NeuEnde Neu
Ende Neu is an album released by Einstürzende Neubauten in 1996. In English, Ende Neu translates to the equivalent of “ending new”. The title is a wordplay involving the band's name: Einstürzende Neubauten.- Track listing :...
("Ending New") in 1996. The album title is an example of word-play on the band's own name (i.e. "Einstürzende Neubauten"). The song "Stella Maris" – a duet between Bargeld and Hacke's then-wife, singer Meret Becker
Meret Becker
- Life and career :Becker was born in Bremen, the daughter of the actors Monika Hansen and Rolf Becker. She is the sister of Ben Becker, stepdaughter of Otto Sander and granddaughter of Claire Schlichting....
– became quite famous; a world tour followed the release. During this time, Jochen Arbeit
Jochen Arbeit
Jochen Arbeit is a German guitarist. He is a member of the band Einstürzende Neubauten and was a long-time-member of Die Haut , which also included Einstürzende Neubauten percussionist Rudi Moser and Thomas Wydler, drummer of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.Since 2008 he is also working with Gerd...
and Rudi Moser
Rudi Moser
Rudi Moser is the drummer for Einstürzende Neubauten as well as the latest incarnation of Die Haut, which also includes EN guitarist Jochen Arbeit....
(both members of Die Haut
Die haut
Die Haut were an experimental German post-punk post-rock band, who enjoyed some local success in the Berlin of the 1980s and 1990s, with one record where Nick Cave was involved in the mixdown, Burnin' The Ice...
) joined the band: Arbeit on guitar, and Moser on drums, with Hacke switching to bass guitar. This line-up, accompanied by Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday (musician)
Ash Wednesday is an Australian musician, who played in JAB, the Models and Einstürzende Neubauten.-Biography:Wednesday formed an Australian punk rock band in Adelaide in January 1976...
on keyboards for live concerts, has held ever since.
In 1997, the album Ende Neu Remixes was released, which featured remixes of the songs from Ende Neu by artists such as Barry Adamson
Barry Adamson
Barry Adamson is a British rock musician who has worked with rock bands such as Magazine, Visage, The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the electronic musicians Pan sonic and Depeche Mode. Adamson created the seven-minute opus "Useless " remix for the latter band in 1997...
, Pan Sonic
Pan sonic
Pan Sonic was a Finnish experimental electronic music duo consisting of Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen.-Music:...
and Darkus (alias Mark Rutherford
Mark Rutherford (composer)
Mark Joseph Rutherford is a classically trained British musician, composer and producer. He has worked with, and for, some of the world’s most prominent producers, directors, artists and writers including Peter Gabriel, Steve Levine, William Orbit, Goldie, Mike Oldfield, Simon Beaufoy, John...
); Darkus' remix tracks, with others not included on Ende Neu Remixes, were made available separately in the same year on The NNNAAAMMM Remixes By Darkus release.
2000–2001
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on their exact birthday, April 1, and released the album Silence Is Sexy
Silence Is Sexy
Silence Is Sexy is the eighth full length studio album from the German experimental band Einstürzende Neubauten and was released in 2000. It is often considered one of the band's major works.- Track listing :# “Sabrina” # “Silence Is sexy”...
, followed by a world tour. 2001 also saw the release of another double best-of and rarities album, Strategies Against Architecture III
Strategies Against Architecture III
Strategies Against Architecture III is an album by Einstürzende Neubauten and was released in 2001....
.
Since 2001, Einstürzende Neubauten albums and web projects have been partially produced and supported by Bargeld's wife Erin Zhu, who also serves as webmaster of the official Einstürzende Neubauten website.
2002–2004
In 2002, Einstürzende Neubauten began work on a new album without the backing of a record labelRecord label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, relying instead upon fan ("supporter") participation in an experiment of a type of Street Performer Protocol
Street Performer Protocol
The threshold pledge or fund and release system is a way of making a fundraising pledge as a group of individuals, often involving charitable goals or financing the provision of a public good. An amount of money is set as the goal or threshold to reach for the specified purpose and interested...
combined with an internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
community and touches of the patronage
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
system. An exclusive Supporter Album No. 1
Supporter Album No. 1
Supporter Album No. 1 is the first supporters' album by Einstürzende Neubauten. This set a precedent for the band, as it was one of the first albums it released without the backing of a record label, relying instead upon fan participation...
, and the Airplane Miniatures
Airplane Miniatures
Airplane Miniatures is a supporter's EP by Einstürzende Neubauten, released to subscribers of the Phase I Supporter Project just after the Supporter Album No...
EP following, were made available in 2003.
Bargeld left Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
in 2003. In order to go on tour, the band reneged on the idea of creating a supporter-only album, and cooperated with Mute Records
Mute Records
Mute is an independent record label based in the UK. It was founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller and featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure and Fad Gadget.-Beginnings:...
to go on tour and release Perpetuum Mobile
Perpetuum Mobile (album)
Perpetuum Mobile is an album by Einstürzende Neubauten. It is an offshoot of their first supporters-only recording experiment. It was released with Mute Records, in part to facilitate a world tour.- Track listing :# “Ich gehe jetzt” – 3:31...
in 2004. Air sounds, such as blowing the plastic pipes with an air compressor, were greatly explored and used for this album: the working title of the album was, for a long while, Luftveränderung ("Change of air").
A half an hour long documentary about the supporters project entitled 'Traumfestival' was made by Ste van Holm
Ste van Holm
Ste van Holm is a Danish musician and video artist living in North Zealand, Denmark....
and Dihcar. The film is now available on YouTube.
The live shows of the Perpetuum Mobile Tour were recorded by the band's sound engineers, then burned on CDRs with individual pictures of each show taken by Danielle de Picciotto
Danielle de Picciotto
Danielle de Picciotto is an American born artist, musician and film maker. She was born in Washington, USA, but now lives and works in Berlin, Germany...
and sold directly after the concerts to the visitors; numerous "official" live albums were created during this tour as a result.
In November 2004, the band went on a mini-tour, which included a supporters-only performance at Berlin's Palast der Republik
Palast der Republik
The Palace of the Republic in Berlin was the seat of the parliament of the German Democratic Republic, the People's Chamber, and also served various cultural purposes...
. The performance was filmed and coordinated by Danielle de Picciotto
Danielle de Picciotto
Danielle de Picciotto is an American born artist, musician and film maker. She was born in Washington, USA, but now lives and works in Berlin, Germany...
and Ian Williamson and was released on the exclusive supporter's DVD at the end of Phase II.
2005
The band also started a new project called Musterhaus in early 2005. The first CD Anarchitektur was sent out in May 2005, and was also available for download to Musterhaus subscribers. The Musterhaus project was a "line of releases intended to give the band an outlet for more experimental impulses and exploration." Musterhaus albums were released roughly every 3 months.The second Musterhaus CD Unglaublicher Laerm ("Incredible noise") was finished on August 15, and shipped out (as well as posted for download) shortly after.
Phase II of the Neubauten Supporter's project finished in August 2005, and the official site was taken down on September 20. The supporter album Grundstück
Grundstück
Grundstück is the second supporter's album by Einstürzende Neubauten, completed in the fall of 2005. It was shipped to supporters in October...
("Floor-piece") and DVD (containing footage from the November 2004 Grundstück performance in Berlin) was shipped in early October 2005.
Musterhaus #3 Solo Bassfeder ("Solo bass-spring"), released December 8, is a collection of bass spring compositions by the individual members of Einstürzende Neubauten.
2006
Phase III of the Supporter's project started on February 10. On February 25, the fourth part of the Musterhaus series, called Redux Orchestra versus Einstürzende Neubauten was completed. One of the new additions to Phase III started in March 2006 was a piece-by-piece album called JewelsJewels (Einstürzende Neubauten album)
Jewels is a supporter's album by Einstürzende Neubauten, completed in mid-2007. Instead of being released as a full album, it was released digitally one track at a time, available as website downloads only to subscribers of the Phase III Supporter Project, consisting of 15 "jewels"...
, finally finished in August 2007.
Danielle de Picciotto
Danielle de Picciotto
Danielle de Picciotto is an American born artist, musician and film maker. She was born in Washington, USA, but now lives and works in Berlin, Germany...
, Alexander Hacke's wife and long time companion released the DVD documentary "Einstürzende Neubauten - On tour with neubauten.org" which describes the supporter project in detail, having interviewed international supporters during the Perpetuum Mobile tour in 2004.
Musterhaus #5 Kassetten
Kassetten
Kassetten is the fifth release of Einstürzende Neubauten's Musterhaus project, a series of highly experimental CD releases that were only available via an annual subscription through their website or from shows during their 25th Anniversary Tour...
("Cassettes"), finished May 15 with release scheduled for May 31. At the same time, Alles was irgendwie nützt
Alles Was Irgendwie Nützt
Alles was irgendwie nützt is a 2006 double disc compilation release by the German experimental/industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten featuring a "Best Of" selection of live songs from various bootleg recordings , chosen and provided by fans in their Neubauten.org Supporters Project Alles was...
("Everything of any use"), an album that had been in the work since Phase 2, were completed. The album consists of rare live tracks, handpicked by 6 supporters of Phase 2 and mixed by Boris Wilsdorf. This was quickly followed by Musterhaus #6 Klaviermusik
Klaviermusik
Klaviermusik is the sixth release of Einstürzende Neubauten's Musterhaus project, a series of highly experimental CD releases that were only available via an annual subscription through their website or from shows during their 25th Anniversary Tour...
("Piano music"), released on August 31.
In October, Neubauten released a public DVD, the recording made at Palast der Republik.
Musterhaus #7 Stimmen Reste
Stimmen Reste
Stimmen Reste is the seventh release of Einstürzende Neubauten's Musterhaus project, a series of highly experimental CD releases that were only available via an annual subscription through their website or from shows during their 25th Anniversary Tour...
("Voice Remainders") was released on December 2, consisting of vocal experiments, vocal recordings, and manipulations of voice recordings, enriched with leftover instrumental tracks made with polystyrene, electronic pulses, hammond organ, bass guitar, and metal percussion.
2007–present
It was announced on the band's website that they would be undertaking a "small (mostly) UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tour" in April 2007, playing in Hannover on April 22 beforehand. Musterhaus #8 Weingeister
Weingeister
Weingeister is the eighth and final release of Einstürzende Neubauten's Musterhaus project, a series of highly experimental CD releases that were only available via an annual subscription through their website or from shows during their 25th Anniversary Tour...
("Wine spirits") was released on April 6, forming the final instalment of the Musterhaus series.
A new commercial album was made available later in the year, the first release since 2004's Perpetuum Mobile. The new album, Alles wieder offen
Alles wieder offen
Alles wieder offen is an album by the German avant-garde/experimental band Einstürzende Neubauten. It was released on October 19, 2007 in Europe and November 6 in America...
("All open again"), was released on October 19, 2007 without the backing of a label, a move the band had intended to make with Perpetuum Mobile. Fans who were part of the paid EN community at neubauten.org received access to an album with the same tracks plus a number of extra songs, and an optional DVD about the making of the album. The band also filmed a video for "Nagorny Karabach". They spent the first half of 2008 touring for the album, playing 32 dates in 19 European countries.
Silence Is Sexy
Silence Is Sexy
Silence Is Sexy is the eighth full length studio album from the German experimental band Einstürzende Neubauten and was released in 2000. It is often considered one of the band's major works.- Track listing :# “Sabrina” # “Silence Is sexy”...
was reissued on July 1, 2011.
Members
- Blixa BargeldBlixa BargeldBlixa Bargeld is a composer, author, actor, singer, musician, performer and lecturer in a number of artistic fields...
: lead vocals, guitar, keyboards. (real name: Christian Emmerich, original member) - Alexander HackeAlexander HackeAlexander Hacke is a guitarist, bass guitarist, singer, experimental / industrial / electronic musician from Germany....
: bass, guitar, vocals (also known as Alexander von Borsig, since 1980) - N.U. UnruhN.U. UnruhN. U. Unruh is a German musician, experimental percussionist and instruments inventor, probably best known for his work with German music group Einstürzende Neubauten.-Biography:...
: special built instruments, percussion, vocals (real name: Andrew Chudy, original member) - Jochen ArbeitJochen ArbeitJochen Arbeit is a German guitarist. He is a member of the band Einstürzende Neubauten and was a long-time-member of Die Haut , which also included Einstürzende Neubauten percussionist Rudi Moser and Thomas Wydler, drummer of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.Since 2008 he is also working with Gerd...
: guitar, vocals (since 1997) - Rudolf Moser: special built instruments, percussion, vocals (since 1997)
Other personnel
- Ash WednesdayAsh Wednesday (musician)Ash Wednesday is an Australian musician, who played in JAB, the Models and Einstürzende Neubauten.-Biography:Wednesday formed an Australian punk rock band in Adelaide in January 1976...
: keyboards, electronics (touring member since 1997) - Boris Wilsdorf - sound engineer
- Erin Zhu - executive producer, webmaster of neubauten.org and wife of Blixa Bargeld. Erin is a graduate of Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she was a Sloan Fellow. Erin Zhu and Blixa Bargeld are featured in Designing Media, a 2010 Bill MoggridgeBill MoggridgeWilliam Moggridge, an industrial and interaction designer, is co-founder of the Silicon Valley-based design firm IDEO and the current director of the Smithsonian Institution's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York. He designed what was the first laptop computer, the GRiD Compass...
book about 37 of the most influential people in the media industry. - Ari Benjamin MeyersAri Benjamin MeyersAri Benjamin Meyers is an American classical composer and conductor working in the experimental / electronic / new music scene in Germany...
- frequent collaborator, with Redux Orchestra and on piano - Danielle de PicciottoDanielle de PicciottoDanielle de Picciotto is an American born artist, musician and film maker. She was born in Washington, USA, but now lives and works in Berlin, Germany...
- documented the Perpetuum Mobile and Grundstück tours and Palast der Republik performance, coordinated Jewels documentation and released a documentary "Einstürzende Neubauten -On tour with neubauten.org"; also the wife of Alexander Hacke
Previous members
- Beate Bartel: bass (original member, only in the band for a short time in 1980)
- Gudrun GutGudrun GutGudrun Gut is an electronic musical artist from Germany.She grew up on the Lüneburger Heide and moved to Berlin in 1975, where she studied visual arts at the Hochschule der Künste from 1978 to 1984. She was an early member of experimental act Einstürzende Neubauten and a founding member of Mania...
: keyboards (original member, only in the band for a short time in 1980) - F.M. Einheit: percussion, vocals (real name: Frank Martin Strauß, 1981–1995)
- Mark ChungMark Chung (musician)Mark Chung is a German musician and music publisher, probably best known for his work as the bassist of the German band Einstürzende Neubauten.-Bio:...
: bass, vocals (1981–1994) - Roland WolfRoland Wolf (musician)Roland Wolf was a German musician who played keyboards with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds from 1986 to 1989...
: keyboards, bass (replaced Mark Chung in 1995, died in a traffic accident short time later)
Band name
The band name is usually translated into EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as "Collapsing New Buildings". Neubauten ("new buildings" in English) is a general term referring to buildings constructed in Germany after 1945. These are often regarded as cheaper, flimsier, and less aesthetically attractive than Altbauten, or pre-1945, especially pre-modernist
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
buildings. Due to the extensive destruction throughout Germany during the Second World War, and the extensive rebuilding thereafter, Neubauten constitute a very familiar element of German cities.
The band's name attracted unexpected attention when on 21 May 1980, not two months after the band's forming, the roof of the Berlin Congress Hall
Haus der Kulturen der Welt
The Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin is Germany's national centre for contemporary non-European art. It presents art exhibitions, theater and dance performances, concerts, author readings, films and academic conferences on non-European Visual Art and culture...
famously collapsed, killing one person and injuring many. The resulting media attention surrounding the collapse of the German-American icon gave the meaning of their name a new dimension.
Band logo
The Einstürzende Neubauten's logo can be described as a human symbol with two arms, two legs (one much shorter than another), thin body and big round head with a circle in its middle. It was not created by or for the band, but is a cave drawing of probably toltecToltec
The Toltec culture is an archaeological Mesoamerican culture that dominated a state centered in Tula, Hidalgo in the early post-classic period of Mesoamerican chronology...
origin.
Discography
Studio albums- StahlmusikStahlmusikStahlmusik is the debut album of the German Industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten. One of the earliest and rarest Neubauten albums, Stahlmusik was recorded live-to-tape in a pillar of the Stadtautobahn Bridge in West Berlin on June 1, 1980, and was released on cassette in October via Blixa...
(1980) - KollapsKollapsKollaps was the first official LP by Einstürzende Neubauten, released in 1981 on ZickZack as #ZZ 65. The album was reissued in 2002 with Stahldubversions, originally released in 1982.Blixa Bargeld, N.U. Unruh, and F.M. Einheit appear on the album....
(1981) - Zeichnungen des Patienten O. T.Zeichnungen des Patienten O. T.Zeichnungen des Patienten O. T. is the second studio album by the Berlin-based musical group Einstürzende Neubauten. Some Bizzare Records released the album in 1983 . In the United States, PVC/Jem Records released the album in 1984 as Drawings of O. T. The title refers to artist Oswald Tschirtner...
(1983) - Halber MenschHalber MenschHalber Mensch is the third studio album by Einstürzende Neubauten. Some Bizzare Records released the album in 1985...
(1985) - Fünf auf der nach oben offenen RichterskalaFünf Auf der Nach Oben Offenen RichterskalaFünf auf der nach oben offenen Richterskala is the fourth full length studio album from the German experimental rock band Einstürzende Neubauten and was released in 1987.-Track listing:# Zerstörte Zelle - 8:02...
(1987) - Haus der LügeHaus der LügeHaus der Lüge is the fifth full length studio release from the German band Einstürzende Neubauten, released in 1989.-Track listing:# Prolog - 1:50 # Feurio! - 6:02 # Ein Stuhl In Der Hölle - 2:09# Haus Der Lüge - 4:00...
(1989) - Tabula Rasa (1993)
- Ende NeuEnde NeuEnde Neu is an album released by Einstürzende Neubauten in 1996. In English, Ende Neu translates to the equivalent of “ending new”. The title is a wordplay involving the band's name: Einstürzende Neubauten.- Track listing :...
(1996) - Silence Is SexySilence Is SexySilence Is Sexy is the eighth full length studio album from the German experimental band Einstürzende Neubauten and was released in 2000. It is often considered one of the band's major works.- Track listing :# “Sabrina” # “Silence Is sexy”...
(2000) - Perpetuum MobilePerpetuum Mobile (album)Perpetuum Mobile is an album by Einstürzende Neubauten. It is an offshoot of their first supporters-only recording experiment. It was released with Mute Records, in part to facilitate a world tour.- Track listing :# “Ich gehe jetzt” – 3:31...
(2004) - Alles wieder offenAlles wieder offenAlles wieder offen is an album by the German avant-garde/experimental band Einstürzende Neubauten. It was released on October 19, 2007 in Europe and November 6 in America...
(2007)
EPs
- Thirsty Animal, (Einstürzende Neubauten & Lydia LunchLydia LunchLydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...
), 1982 - Interim (1993)
- MaledictionMalediction (EP)-Track listing:#"Blume " - 4:35#"Blume " - 4:31#"Blume " - 4:31#"Ubique Media Daemon" - 4:31#"3 Thoughts" - 4:40#"Ring My Bell" - 1:05-External links:* at discogs.com...
(1993) - Total Eclipse of the SunTotal Eclipse of the SunTotal Eclipse Of The Sun is a 1999 EP released by the German experimental/industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten. It was their first release recorded with their new line-up featuring Jochen Arbeit and Rudi Moser and without FM Einheit ; this has continued to be their line-up since.-Track...
(1999)
Singles
- "Für den Untergang" (1980)
- "Kalte Sterne" (1981)
- "Thirsty Animal" (1982) (with Lydia LunchLydia LunchLydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...
& Rowland S. HowardRowland S. HowardRowland Stuart Howard was an Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter, he played electric guitar in the post-punk group The Birthday Party. Howard died of liver cancer in December 2009, aged 50 years....
) - "Yü-Gung" (1985)
- "Das Schaben" (1985)
- "Feurio!" (1989) (3-inch disc)
- "Nag Nag Nag/Wüste" (1993) (3-inch disc available only with book Einstürzende Neubauten)
- "Stella Maris" (1996)
- "NNNAAAMMM - Remixes by Darkus" (1997)
- "Total Eclipse Of The Sun" (2000)
- "Perpetuum Mobile" (2004) (download-only release)
- "Weil Weil Weil" (2007) (download-only release)
Collections
- Stahldubversions (1982)
- Strategies Against Architecture 80-83Strategies Against Architecture 80-83Strategies Against Architecture '80–'83 is a compilation album of live tracks and B-sides by the German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten recorded from 1980 to 1983 and released in 1984...
(1984) - Tri-Set (1994)
- Ende Neu Remixes (1997)
- Strategies Against Architecture IIStrategies Against Architecture IIStrategies Against Architecture II is a retrospective double album by experimental artists Einstürzende Neubauten which was released in 1991.-Disc one:# "Abfackeln" – 3:30# "Partynummer " – 1:35# "Z.N.S." – 5:39...
(1991) - Strategies Against Architecture IIIStrategies Against Architecture IIIStrategies Against Architecture III is an album by Einstürzende Neubauten and was released in 2001....
(2001) - Kalte Sterne -early recordings- (2004)
- Strategies Against Architecture IVStrategies Against Architecture IVStrategies Against Architecture IV is a compilation album by Einstürzende Neubauten released on December 7, 2010.This album featured a retrospective overview of the band's work between 2002 and 2010...
(2010)
Live albums
- 1981/1982 Livematerial (1982)
- 2X42X4 (Einstürzende Neubauten album)2X4 is a collection of concert recordings by the German group Einstürzende Neubauten. ROIR released 2X4 in 1984 in cassette-only format . The live tracks were recorded in various European cities between 1980 and 1983. Kurt Loder wrote the liner notes...
(1984) (live album) - 09-15-2000, Brussels09-15-2000, Brussels-Personnel:* Blixa Bargeld – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards.* Alexander Hacke – bass, guitar, vocals.* N.U. Unruh – special built instruments, percussion, vocals.* Jochen Arbeit – guitar, vocals....
(2001) - Gemini (2003)
- Perpetuum Mobile Tour (2004)
- 04-01-2004, Amsterdam (2004)
- 10-29-2004, Reggio Emilia (2004)
- 25th Anniversary Tour (2005)
- 04-07-2005, Brussels (2005)
- 04-22-2007, Hannover (2007)
- Palast der Republik (2007)
Neubauten.org Supporters Project
- Supporter Album No. 1Supporter Album No. 1Supporter Album No. 1 is the first supporters' album by Einstürzende Neubauten. This set a precedent for the band, as it was one of the first albums it released without the backing of a record label, relying instead upon fan participation...
(2003) - Airplane MiniaturesAirplane MiniaturesAirplane Miniatures is a supporter's EP by Einstürzende Neubauten, released to subscribers of the Phase I Supporter Project just after the Supporter Album No...
(2003) - GrundstückGrundstückGrundstück is the second supporter's album by Einstürzende Neubauten, completed in the fall of 2005. It was shipped to supporters in October...
(2005) - Alles was irgendwie nütztAlles Was Irgendwie NütztAlles was irgendwie nützt is a 2006 double disc compilation release by the German experimental/industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten featuring a "Best Of" selection of live songs from various bootleg recordings , chosen and provided by fans in their Neubauten.org Supporters Project Alles was...
(2006) - JewelsJewels (Einstürzende Neubauten album)Jewels is a supporter's album by Einstürzende Neubauten, completed in mid-2007. Instead of being released as a full album, it was released digitally one track at a time, available as website downloads only to subscribers of the Phase III Supporter Project, consisting of 15 "jewels"...
(2006–2007)
Musterhaus Series
- Anarchitektur (2005)
- Unglaublicher Laerm (2005)
- Solo Bassfeder (2005)
- Redux Orchestra versus Einstürzende Neubauten (2006)
- KassettenKassettenKassetten is the fifth release of Einstürzende Neubauten's Musterhaus project, a series of highly experimental CD releases that were only available via an annual subscription through their website or from shows during their 25th Anniversary Tour...
(2006) - KlaviermusikKlaviermusikKlaviermusik is the sixth release of Einstürzende Neubauten's Musterhaus project, a series of highly experimental CD releases that were only available via an annual subscription through their website or from shows during their 25th Anniversary Tour...
(2006) - Stimmen ResteStimmen ResteStimmen Reste is the seventh release of Einstürzende Neubauten's Musterhaus project, a series of highly experimental CD releases that were only available via an annual subscription through their website or from shows during their 25th Anniversary Tour...
(2006) - WeingeisterWeingeisterWeingeister is the eighth and final release of Einstürzende Neubauten's Musterhaus project, a series of highly experimental CD releases that were only available via an annual subscription through their website or from shows during their 25th Anniversary Tour...
(2007)
Soundtracks and Plays
- Die Hamletmaschine (1991)
- Faustmusik (1996)
- Berlin BabylonBerlin BabylonBerlin Babylon is a 2001 documentary film directed by Hubertus Siegert with industrial music performed by Einstürzende Neubauten. The film's main focus is on the extensive rebuilding projects in Berlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It features internationally acclaimed architects including Rem...
(2001)
Appeared on:
- Hardware (movie) (1990)
- Heat (soundtrack)Heat (soundtrack)Heat is the soundtrack album to the 1995 film Heat. The score is compiled mostly with Elliot Goldenthal's orchestrations although there are a variety of other artists featured including U2/Brian Eno project Passengers, Lisa Gerrard, Moby and Terje Rypdal.-The score:The track "New Dawn Fades" is...
(1995) - The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996 film)The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996 film)The Island of Dr. Moreau is a 1996 science fiction horror film, the third major movie version of the H. G. Wells novel The Island of Doctor Moreau about a scientist who attempts to convert animals into people...
- Inglourious Basterds (soundtrack)Inglourious Basterds (soundtrack)Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds: Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's motion picture Inglourious Basterds. It was originally released on August 18, 2009. The soundtrack uses a variety of music genres, including spaghetti western soundtrack excerpts, R&B and...
(2009)
Videos
- Halber Mensch (film)Halber Mensch (film)"Halber Mensch" is a 1986 film by Japanese director Sogo Ishii with German band Einstürzende Neubauten. It was originally released on VHS, and re-released on DVD in 2005. The film's title comes from the album of the same name....
(1985) - Liebeslieder (1993)
- Stella Maris (1996)
- 20th anniversary concert (2000)
- Listen With Pain: 20 Years of Einstürzende Neubauten (2000)
- On Tour With Neubauten.org (2004)
- Grundstück DVD (2005)
- Palast der Republik DVD (2006)
- Elektrokohle (Von Wegen) (2009)
Further reading
- Jennifer Shryane (2011): Blixa Bargeld and Einstürzende Neubauten: German Experimental Music. Ashgate. http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9781409421566
- M. Bullynck and I. Goerlandt: "The SemioticsSemioticsSemiotics, also called semiotic studies or semiology, is the study of signs and sign processes , indication, designation, likeness, analogy, metaphor, symbolism, signification, and communication...
of Einstürzende Neubauten's 'X'". In: Philament 7 (2005), pp. 1–8. http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/publications/philament/issue7_pdf/BULLYNCK_enAC.pdf - A. Spencer: "Einstürzende Neubauten und Heiner Müller: 'Kopfarbeit' or The Theatre in Your Head". In: Amsterdamer Beiträge zur neueren Germanistik 48 (2000), pp. 203–222.
- Dax, Max and Defcon, Robert. Nur was nicht ist, ist möglich/No Beauty Without Danger.
- Maeck, Klaus (1989). Hör mit Schmerzen/Listen with Pain. EME, Bonn, Germany. ISBN 3880300283
- Maeck, Klaus (1997). Hör Mit Schmerzen/Listen With Pain: Einstürzende Neubauten, 1980-1996 (Paperback). Gestalten Verlag, Berlin, Germany. ISBN 3931126099.
- Bargeld, Blixa (1997). Headcleaner: Text Fur Einstürzende Neubauten/Text for Collapsing New Buildings (Paperback). Gestalten Verlag, Berlin, Germany. ISBN 3931126129.
- (1993). Einstürzende Neubauten (Paperback includes 3" CD). Stampa Alternativa/Materiali Sonori, Italy. ISBN 88-7226-101-5.
External links
- Einstürzende Neubauten — official website
- Blixa Bargeld — official website
- Alexander Hacke — official website
- F.M. Einheit — official website
- Ash Wednesday — official website
- Einstürzende Neubauten archives
- Stahlmusik — German fansite about Einstürzende Neubauten band members
- Einstürzende Neubauten discography on DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Einstürzende Neubauten — a discography webpage
- Potomak Label — official website
- Potomak Label official page on MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Collapsing Again by Travis JeppesenTravis JeppesenTravis Jeppesen , Florida is an American novelist, poet, and art critic.He grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina and moved to New York City at the age of 17. He received his B.A. from The New School, where he studied literature and philosophy...
- Doing the unspeakable — 25th anniversary interview with Alexander Hacke by Max Dax
- Alexander Hacke and Blixa Bargeld — 30th anniversary concert in Berlin, Germany