Neue Deutsche Welle
Encyclopedia
Neue Deutsche Welle is a genre
of German music originally derived from punk rock
and New Wave music
. The term "Neue Deutsche Welle" was first coined by journalist
Alfred Hilsberg, whose article about the movement titled "Neue Deutsche Welle — Aus grauer Städte Mauern" ("New German Wave — From Grey Cities' Walls") was published
in the German magazine
Sounds in 1979.
movement with roots in British
punk
and New Wave music
; it quickly developed into an original and distinct style, influenced in no small part by the different sound
and rhythm
of the German language
which many of the bands had adapted from early on.
The main centers of the NDW movement during these years were Berlin
, Düsseldorf
, Hamburg
, Hannover and Hagen
as well as, to a lesser extent, the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region, Limburg an der Lahn
and Vienna
(Austria
).
From about 1980 on, the music industry began noticing the Neue Deutsche Welle; however, due to the idiosyncratic nature of the music, the focus shifted to creating new bands more compatible with the mainstream
, rather than promoting existing bands. Many one-hit wonder
s and short-lived bands appeared and were forgotten again in rapid succession, and the overly broad application of the "NDW" label to these bands as well as to almost any German musicians not using English lyrics, even if their music was apparently not influenced at all by the 'original' NDW (including pure Rock bands like BAP
or even Udo Lindenberg
) quickly led to the decay of the entire genre when many of the original musicians turned their backs in frustration.
Around 1983/1984, the era of the Neue Deutsche Welle came to an early end, following the oversaturation of the market
with what was perceived as stereotypical, manufactured hits.
A revival of interest in the style in the Anglophone world occurred in 2003, with the release of DJ Hell
's compilation New Deutsch. The NDW has come to be acknowledged as a forerunner to later developments in dance-punk
, electronic body music
, and electroclash
.
In the 2000s, the term is being used by the Berlin-based rap label Aggro Berlin
to describe a supposed new German rap movement that they claim to be a part of. This was the subject of Aggro-signed Fler
in his 2005 single Neue Deutsche Welle.
Note: Many of the underground groups were commercially successful; the dichotomy between underground and commercial NDW-groups has more to do with differences in sound, presentation and attitude.
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
of German music originally derived from 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...
and New Wave music
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
. The term "Neue Deutsche Welle" was first coined by journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
Alfred Hilsberg, whose article about the movement titled "Neue Deutsche Welle — Aus grauer Städte Mauern" ("New German Wave — From Grey Cities' Walls") was published
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
in the German magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
Sounds in 1979.
History
The history of the Neue Deutsche Welle consists of two major parts. From its beginnings to 1981, the Neue Deutsche Welle was mostly an undergroundUnderground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
movement with roots in British
United 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...
punk
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...
and New Wave music
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
; it quickly developed into an original and distinct style, influenced in no small part by the different sound
Sound
Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...
and rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
of the German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
which many of the bands had adapted from early on.
The main centers of the NDW movement during these years were Berlin
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...
, Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, 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...
, Hannover and Hagen
Hagen
Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
as well as, to a lesser extent, the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region, Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Limburg lies in western Hesse between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn....
and 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...
(Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
).
From about 1980 on, the music industry began noticing the Neue Deutsche Welle; however, due to the idiosyncratic nature of the music, the focus shifted to creating new bands more compatible with the mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
, rather than promoting existing bands. Many one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
s and short-lived bands appeared and were forgotten again in rapid succession, and the overly broad application of the "NDW" label to these bands as well as to almost any German musicians not using English lyrics, even if their music was apparently not influenced at all by the 'original' NDW (including pure Rock bands like BAP
BAP (German band)
Bap is a German rock group. With ten albums reaching the number one in the German record charts, Bap is one of the most successful rock acts in their home country....
or even Udo Lindenberg
Udo Lindenberg
Udo Lindenberg is a German rock musician and composer.-Career:Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969 Lindenberg founded his first band Free Orbit and also appeared as a studio and guest musician . In 1970 he collaborated as a drummer with jazz-saxophonist Klaus Doldinger in...
) quickly led to the decay of the entire genre when many of the original musicians turned their backs in frustration.
Around 1983/1984, the era of the Neue Deutsche Welle came to an early end, following the oversaturation of the market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
with what was perceived as stereotypical, manufactured hits.
DJ Hell
This article is about Helmut Josef Geier. You may also be looking for Darryl Hell.Helmut Josef Geier, professionally known as DJ Hell is a German house-techno DJ...
's compilation New Deutsch. The NDW has come to be acknowledged as a forerunner to later developments in dance-punk
Dance-punk
Dance-punk is a music genre that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the post-punk and No Wave movements.-Predecessors:...
, electronic body music
Electronic body music
Electronic body music or industrial dance is a music genre that combines elements of industrial music and electronic dance music...
, and electroclash
Electroclash
Electroclash is a style of music that fuses New Wave and electronic dance music. It emerged in New York and Detroit in the later 1990s, pioneered by acts including I-F and those associated with Gerald Donald, and is associated with acts including Peaches, Adult, and Fischerspooner...
.
In the 2000s, the term is being used by the Berlin-based rap label Aggro Berlin
Aggro Berlin
Aggro Berlin was a German hip-hop independent record label based in Berlin, Germany that existed from 1 January 2001 until 1 April 2009. Three artists; Sido, Tony D and Kitty Kat were signed with the label at the time of its closure....
to describe a supposed new German rap movement that they claim to be a part of. This was the subject of Aggro-signed Fler
Fler
Patrick Losensky better known as Fler, is a German rapper. He also uses the pseudonym Frank White after the character in King of New York....
in his 2005 single Neue Deutsche Welle.
Underground
- 1.Futurologischer Congress
- AbwärtsAbwärtsAbwärts 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....
- Andreas Dorau
- Andy Giorbino
- Daälbers
- Die Klopferbande
- Die Unbekannten
- Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft / DAF
- Einstürzende NeubautenEinstürzende NeubautenEinstürzende Neubauten is a German post-industrial band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld , Alexander Hacke , N.U...
- FehlfarbenFehlfarbenFehlfarben is a German post-punk band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The band name is from a German printing term referring to erroneous colors in prints: singer Peter Hein was in this line of work at Xerox while in the band...
- Foyer des artsFoyer des ArtsFoyer des Arts were a German experimental pop duo founded in 1981 consisting of Max Goldt and Gerd Pasemann . They released four original albums between 1981 and 1995, but were on hiatus for most of that time...
- FSKFSK (band)FSK is a German band that was formed in Munich in 1980. It became involved in the underground-part of the German New-Wave-Scene of the early 1980s. The band name is a reference to the German motion picture rating organisation Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft, which uses the same...
- Grosse Freiheit
- GrauzoneGrauzoneGrauzone was a band from Berne, Switzerland active in the early 80s.-History:At the end of 1979 Marco Repetto and GT left the punk band Glueams, to form together with Martin Eicher a new band called Grauzone. Martin had already supported Glueams on their single mental...
- Ja Ja Ja
- KeinMenscH!
- Kosmonautentraum
- Malaria!
- Male
- Mittagspause
- Palais SchaumburgPalais Schaumburg (band)Palais Schaumburg was a new wave band from Hamburg, Germany. The style was classified as Neue Deutsche Welle, and strongly characterized by their avant garde music and dadaistic attitude....
- Der PlanDer PlanDer Plan is a German electronic music group from Düsseldorf, formed in the earlier months of 1979 by Moritz Reichelt , Kai Horn, and Frank Fenstermacher, originally under the name of Weltaufstandsplan ....
- Pyrolator
- Saal 2
- StahlnetzStahlnetzStahlnetz is a German television series....
- Stratis
- S.Y.P.H.
- Sprung Aus Den WolkenSprung Aus Den WolkenSprung Aus Den Wolken is a German musical group based out of Berlin, part of Berlin's underground music movement of the 1980s - sometimes referred to as the "Geniale Dilletanten" movement by Blixa Bargeld of Einstürzende Neubauten...
- Die Tödliche DorisDie Tödliche DorisDie Tödliche Doris was a German performance art and music group based in Berlin from 1980 to 1987. It was founded by band members Wolfgang Müller and Nikolaus Utermöhlen and later joined by Chris Dreier, Dagmar Dimitroff, Tabea Blumenschein and Käthe Kruse .Die Tödliche Doris was part of the...
- The WirtschaftswunderThe WirtschaftswunderThe Wirtschaftswunder was a German band consisting of musicians Angelo Galizia , Tom Dokoupil , Mark Pfurtschneller and Jürgen Beuth...
- Die Zimmermänner
Note: Many of the underground groups were commercially successful; the dichotomy between underground and commercial NDW-groups has more to do with differences in sound, presentation and attitude.
Mainstream
- AlphavilleAlphaville (band)Alphaville is a German synthpop group which gained popularity in the 1980s. The founding members were Marian Gold , Bernhard Lloyd , and Frank Mertens Alphaville is a German synthpop group which gained popularity in the 1980s. The founding members were Marian Gold (real name Hartwig Schierbaum,...
- Combo Colossale
- D.E.F.
- DÖFDOFDOF may stand for:* Deeds of Flesh, a Death Metal band* Degrees of freedom * Department of Finance , an executive department in the Philippines...
("Deutsch-österreichisches Feingefühl": Joesi Prokopetz, Manfred Tauchen, Annette HumpeAnnette HumpeAnnette Humpe is a famous German songwriter, pop singer and record producer. Her band Ideal was one of the most important and seminal representatives of the Neue Deutsche Welle...
) - ExtrabreitExtrabreitExtrabreit is a German band established in Hagen, Germany in 1978. The band was one of the most successful exponents of the Neue Deutsche Welle movement of the 1980s.-History:...
- FalcoFalco (musician)Johann Hölzel , better known by his stage name Falco, was an Austrian pop and rock musician and rapper. He had several international hits: "Der Kommissar", "Rock Me Amadeus", "Vienna Calling", "Jeanny", "The Sound of Musik", "Coming Home " and posthumously, "Out Of The Dark"...
- Felix De Luxe
- Fräulein Menke
- Gänsehaut
- IdealIdeal (German band)Ideal was one of the more successful German Neue Deutsche Welle music groups. It is best known for the songs "Blaue Augen" , "Berlin", and "Monotonie" .- History :...
- InsistersInsistersInsisters was an NDW Band, which was successful in the early 1980s. Band members were e.g. Rosa Precht and Ilonka Breitmeier.- External links :* http://www.ichwillspass.de/ndw/bands/cosa.htm* http://www.ilonka-breitmeier.de...
- Ixi
- Geier SturzflugGeier SturzflugGeier Sturzflug is a German musical group of the Neue Deutsche Welle genre, created in 1979, and probably best known for their hits "Bruttosozialprodukt", "Pure Lust Am Leben," "Einsamkeit," and "Besuchen Sie Europa." They combine rock, pop, ska, and a little jazz to create their unique "feel...
- Hubert KahHubert KahHubert Kah is a German synthpop band, led by Hubert Kemmler who was born 22 March 1961 in Reutlingen. Kemmler is a German musician, composer, songwriter and producer.- Biography :...
- Jawoll
- Joachim WittJoachim WittJoachim Witt is a German musician and actor.- Life and work :Joachim Witt became a major star of the German pop scene during the eighties with huge hits such as "Der Goldene Reiter"...
- KIZKIZKiz was a New German Wave band from Reutlingen, Germany. Founded by Joachim Gaiser, Ulrich Herter, Thomas Dörr, Chutichai Indrasen in 1982. Their biggest international hit was "Die Sennerin vom Königsee"....
- Klaus NomiKlaus NomiKlaus Sperber , better known as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona....
- Markus
- NenaNenaGabriele Susanne Kerner , better known by her stage name Nena, is a German singer and actress. She rose to international fame in 1983 with the New German Wave song "99 Luftballons". In 1984, she re-recorded this song in English as "99 Red Balloons". Nena was also the name of the band with whom she...
- NichtsNichtsNichts are a German language rock band from Düsseldorf, Germany. Founding members are Tobias Brink , Michael Clauss , Andrea Mothes and Chris Scarbeck...
- Nina HagenNina HagenNina Hagen is a German singer and actress.-Early years:Hagen was born as Catharina Hagen in the former East Berlin, East Germany, the daughter of Hans Hagen , a scriptwriter, and Eva-Maria Hagen, an actress and singer...
- Paso DoblePaso Doble (band)Paso Doble is a German NDW band that formed in 1983. Very popular in Germany, their songs Computerliebe, Herz An Herz and Fantasie have appeared on several Best of NDW/New Wave compilations...
- Peter SchillingPeter SchillingPeter Schilling is a German synthpop musician whose songs often feature science-fiction themes...
- Sandra
- Spider Murphy GangSpider Murphy GangThe Spider Murphy Gang is a German band from Munich best known for their greatest hit "Skandal im Sperrbezirk". It was founded in 1977 by bank clerk Günther Sigl, together with Gerhard Gmell , Michael Busse and Franz Trojan...
- SpliffSpliff (band)Spliff was a Neue Deutsche Welle rock band, active in the 1980s. The members were already playing together before they were 'adopted' by Nina Hagen when she came to West Germany in 1977. They recorded two albums with her as the Nina Hagen Band before continuing under the name Spliff when Hagen...
- Steinwolke
- TrioTrio (band)Trio was a German band. It formed in the small German town of Großenkneten in 1980. The band is most noted for the song "Da da da, ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht aha aha aha" which was a hit in 30 countries worldwide. Trio was a product of the Neue Deutsche Welle...
Trio preferred the label Neue Deutsche Fröhlichkeit ("New German Cheerfulness") to describe their music. - UKW
- United Balls