La Düsseldorf
Encyclopedia
La Düsseldorf was a German
band
, consisting of onetime Kraftwerk
drummer and Neu!
multi-instrumentalist Klaus Dinger
and occasional Neu! collaborators Thomas Dinger
and Hans Lampe. La Düsseldorf was formed after Neu! disbanded following the release of their Neu! '75
record. They released a string of successful albums (with sales totaling over a million) during the late '70s and early '80s and were considered highly influential by the likes of Brian Eno
and David Bowie
, with Bowie going so far as calling La Düsseldorf "the soundtrack of the eighties".
The following albums were released by Klaus Dinger
without the participation of any other band members. Due to legal disputes, the albums could not be released under the La Dusseldorf name, but were subtitled "La Dusseldorf 4" and "La Dusseldorf 5" respectively. These are considered to be La Dusseldorf albums by some people.
In 2006 Klaus Dinger sought to revive La Dusseldorf properly, but was again blocked by legal problems. He instead chose to release under the name "La-duesseldorf.de" (also the name of his most recent website). This project features, of the original band, only Klaus.
The booklets of "Neondian" and "Blue" also hint at the existance of videos for "America" (Neondian) and "Ich Liebe Dich" (single) although neither have been released.
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...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, consisting of onetime Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
drummer and Neu!
Neu!
Neu! was a German band formed by Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother after their split from Kraftwerk in the early 1970s...
multi-instrumentalist Klaus Dinger
Klaus Dinger
Klaus Dinger was a German musician and songwriter most famous for his contributions to the seminal krautrock outfit, Neu! He was also the guitarist and chief songwriter of new wave group La Düsseldorf and briefly the percussionist of Kraftwerk.-Pre-Neu! :Klaus Dinger was born in Scherfede,...
and occasional Neu! collaborators Thomas Dinger
Thomas Dinger
Thomas Dinger was a German drummer, singer and songwriter who was active in solo pursuits in addition to having been a member of Neu! andLa Düsseldorf, both with his brother Klaus Dinger.-with La Düsseldorf:...
and Hans Lampe. La Düsseldorf was formed after Neu! disbanded following the release of their Neu! '75
Neu! '75
- Personnel :Band members* Michael Rother – guitar, keyboards, vocals* Klaus Dinger – guitar , drums , vocals * Thomas Dinger – drums* Hans Lampe – drumsAdditional personnel...
record. They released a string of successful albums (with sales totaling over a million) during the late '70s and early '80s and were considered highly influential by the likes of Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
and David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, with Bowie going so far as calling La Düsseldorf "the soundtrack of the eighties".
Core members
- Klaus DingerKlaus DingerKlaus Dinger was a German musician and songwriter most famous for his contributions to the seminal krautrock outfit, Neu! He was also the guitarist and chief songwriter of new wave group La Düsseldorf and briefly the percussionist of Kraftwerk.-Pre-Neu! :Klaus Dinger was born in Scherfede,...
– vocals, guitars, keyboards - Thomas DingerThomas DingerThomas Dinger was a German drummer, singer and songwriter who was active in solo pursuits in addition to having been a member of Neu! andLa Düsseldorf, both with his brother Klaus Dinger.-with La Düsseldorf:...
– vocals, percussion - Hans Lampe – percussion, electronics
Other members
- Harald Konietzko (1978) – bass
- Andreas Schell (1978) – piano
- Nikolaus Van Rhein (1976–1981) – keyboards (this is a pseudonym of Klaus Dinger.)
Albums
- 1976 – La DüsseldorfLa Düsseldorf (album)La Düsseldorf is the first album of the band La Düsseldorf.-History:Striking up a stylistic compromise with Michael Rother, the other half of Neu!, Dinger had recruited his brother Thomas and friend Hans Lampe to play on side two of Neu! '75, taking the band in a more rocking direction than the...
(Teldec RecordsTeldecThe Teldec is a German record label in Hamburg, Germany. Today the label is a property of Warner Music Group.-History:...
) - 1978 – VivaViva (La Düsseldorf album)Viva is the second and most successful album of Klaus Dinger's band La Düsseldorf. It has both "Rheinita", which was their most successful single, and "Cha Cha 2000", which has become their most famous song....
(Teldec Records) - 1981 – IndividuellosIndividuellosIndividuellos is the third album by the German band La Düsseldorf. It was shortly before the time Individuellos was released thatLa Düsseldorf's piano player Andreas Schell committed suicide. This is marked by a cross next to his credit...
(Teldec Records)
The following albums were released by Klaus Dinger
Klaus Dinger
Klaus Dinger was a German musician and songwriter most famous for his contributions to the seminal krautrock outfit, Neu! He was also the guitarist and chief songwriter of new wave group La Düsseldorf and briefly the percussionist of Kraftwerk.-Pre-Neu! :Klaus Dinger was born in Scherfede,...
without the participation of any other band members. Due to legal disputes, the albums could not be released under the La Dusseldorf name, but were subtitled "La Dusseldorf 4" and "La Dusseldorf 5" respectively. These are considered to be La Dusseldorf albums by some people.
- 1985 – Neondian (Teldec RecordsTeldecThe Teldec is a German record label in Hamburg, Germany. Today the label is a property of Warner Music Group.-History:...
, released under the name "Klaus Dinger and Rheinita Bella Dusseldorf") - 1999 – Blue (Captain Trip Records, recorded between 1985 and 1987, released under the name "La! Neu?La! Neu?La! dusseldorf were a German band founded by Klaus Dinger. After around 1985, Dinger had difficulty getting records released and distributed in Germany, but the Japanese record label Captain Trip Records signed him in 1994, setting up the Dingerland sub-label for Dinger's projects. la! Neu? is a...
")
In 2006 Klaus Dinger sought to revive La Dusseldorf properly, but was again blocked by legal problems. He instead chose to release under the name "La-duesseldorf.de" (also the name of his most recent website). This project features, of the original band, only Klaus.
- 2006 – Mon Amour (Warner MusicWarner Music GroupWarner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
, a re-release of Neondian with extra tracks that was only briefly in print) - To be released – Japandorf.com (half-finished due to Dinger's death in 2008)
- To be released – Viva Remixes (half-finished due to Dinger's death in 2008)
Singles
- 1976 – Silver Cloud/La Düsseldorf (Teldec Records)
- 1978 – Rheinita/Viva (Teldec Records)
- 1980 – Dampfriemen/Individuellos (Teldec Records)
- 1983 – Ich liebe Dich, Teil 1/Ich liebe Dich, Teil 2 (Teldec Records)
Maxi-Singles
- 1978 – Rheinita/Viva (Teldec RecordsTeldecThe Teldec is a German record label in Hamburg, Germany. Today the label is a property of Warner Music Group.-History:...
) - 1980 – Dampfriemen/Individuellos (Teldec Records)
- 1983 – Ich liebe Dich/Koksknödel (Teldec Records)
Video
- 2004 – Rheinita 1979 (a live performance of Rheinita that can be viewed for free on Klaus Dinger's website
The booklets of "Neondian" and "Blue" also hint at the existance of videos for "America" (Neondian) and "Ich Liebe Dich" (single) although neither have been released.
External links
- La Düsseldorf site
- DingerLand "Official" Klaus Dinger site
- Klaus Dinger records
- A Taste of Krautrock by Patrick O'Hearn, Perfect Sound ForeverPerfect Sound Forever (magazine)Perfect Sound Forever is one of the longest-running online-only music magazines . Along with Michael Goldberg's Addicted to Noise Perfect Sound Forever (est. 1995) is one of the longest-running online-only music magazines . Along with Michael Goldberg's Addicted to Noise Perfect Sound Forever...
, November 1997 - Article at Prog Archives
- Myspace site
See also
- Amon Düül IIAmon Düül II-Studio Albums:-Live Albums:-Compilations:-Singles:-External links:*...
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- La! Neu?La! Neu?La! dusseldorf were a German band founded by Klaus Dinger. After around 1985, Dinger had difficulty getting records released and distributed in Germany, but the Japanese record label Captain Trip Records signed him in 1994, setting up the Dingerland sub-label for Dinger's projects. la! Neu? is a...
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