Einstürzende Neubauten is an ever changing band originally from West Berlin that was formed in 1980 as part of a modern folk music movement. The band is often classified as industrial or electronica, though neither really apply well in describing what it is that Einstürzende Neubauten does or sounds like. The band name translates into English as Collapsing New Buildings.
Members:
- Christian Emmerich, alias Blixa Bargeld (original member)
- Alexander von Borsig, alias Alexander Hacke
- Mark Chung
- Frank Martin Strauß, alias F. M. Einheit
- Andrew Chudy, alias N. U. Unruh (original member)
- Jochen Arbeit
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Rudi Moser
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Ash Wednesday (touring member, perhaps named for the Australian bush fires, perhaps for the holiday)
History of Einstürzende Neubauten
On the first of April in 1980 the "Einstürzende Neubauten" had their first appearance in the "Moon Club" in Berlin. Their name was a reference to the Berlin Kongresshalle, a post-war "new building", which had collapsed earlier that year. At that time the band was just a coincidental live set-up of the dadaistic musical movement the "Genialen Dilettanten". This line-up featured, beside Beate Bartel and Gudrun Gut, Blixa Bargeld (Christian Emmerich) and N. U. Unruh (Andrew Chudy), who later went on to record music under the name of "Einstürzende Neubauten". The two female members Bartel and Gut left the band after a short period of performing and founded the girl-band Mania D. .
In 1981 the percussionist Frank Martin Strauß, known as FM Einheit joined the "Einstürzende Neubauten" and they released their first LP Kollaps, a strange and new mixture of rough punk tunes and industrial noises by using obscure instruments such as metal plates, self-made music machines and various electronic sounds.
During their first German tour, Mark Chung from England joined the group of musicians and one year later the sound technician Alexander von Borsig also became a member of the band. This line-up lasted for the next ten years.
In 1982 the "Einstürzende Neubauten" recorded their second album Zeichnungen des Patienten O.T.. The title comes originally from a book of the writer Leo Navratil, which describes the drawings of Oswald Tschirtner, O.T. 1974.
The band's next output Halber Mensch (1985) can be seen as the breakthrough of their musical career. For the first time "Einstürzende Neubauten" had a certain structure in their music, especially Bargeld`s lyrics and singing changed from only shouting out words and phrases into organised, poetic melodies.
The next two albums, Fünf auf der nach oben offenen Richterskala (1987) and Haus der Lüge, were great successes in the United States and Japan.
In 1991 the band tried something completely new and recorded the soundtrack for Heiner Müller's theatre play Die Hamletmaschine (The Hamletmachine).
Vienna, 1992. Einstürzende Neubauten play at The Academy of Visual Arts' 300th aniversary in a show by Erich Wonder , Das Auge des Taifun .
The next album Tabula Rasa (1993) was an important turning point in the history of Einstürzende Neubauten because from their music was now softer and contained more electronic sounds. For that reason Mark Chung and Frank Martin Strauß decided to leave the band.
After a short time the band released the LP Ende Neu (1996) which became quite famous because of the song "Stella Maris", a duet of Blixa Bargeld with the talented singer Meret Becker .
During their 1997 tour Jochen Arbeit and Rudi Moser joined the band.
In the year 2000 Einstürzende Neubauten released their 20-year-jubilee album Silence is sexy. The title song is about tinnitus.
In 2002 Einstürzende Neubauten began the work on a new album without the backing of a record label, relying instead upon supporter participation in an experiment of a type of Street Performer Protocol combined with an internet community and touches of the patronage system. About 2000 supporters signed up to support what became Phase I by paying 35 U.S. dollars to participate in the experience and receive the results. Supporter Album #1 was sent out to them in autumn 2003. In order to go on tour the band amended the idea of creating a supporter-only album, and cooperated with the Mute record label to go on tour and release Perpetuum Mobile in 2004.
Discography
Albums
Singles
EPs
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Interim (1993) (part of Tabula Rasa triptych)
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Malediction (1993) (part of Tabula Rasa triptych)
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Total Eclipse Of The Sun (1999)
- Airplane Miniatures (supporters-only download) (Christmas present 2003 )
Videos
External links
Last updated: 10-29-2005 02:13:46
