hamarplazt
100% No Soul Guaranteed
Inspired by the krautrock thread, where we just slightly touched neue deutsche welle before it fizzled out, I'd like to hear peoples opinions about something that have really puzzled me. Now, no matter who you might consider the kraut canon of the 70s, there obviously was enough indisputable talent to actually make a canon, and I'd say at least 10 names could be recognized as making groundbreaking contributions (like them or not) to the develpment of music. But in the 80s, there was really only one german act of the same calibre and unique influence as the 70s giants - Einstürzende Neubauten. OK, there was DAF, but they only lasted until 81, so they hardly count in this respect. And there was Asmus Tietchens, but he was kind of rooted in the 70s too, having contributed to the Liliental-project and the Cluster/Eno-record.
It's not that there wasn't a lot of brilliant german music in the 80s, there just wasn't the same amount of big flagships as in the 70s... there isn't really a neue deutsche welle canon. Why is this? It's not like the 70s was some kind of freak accident of german creativity, because in the 90s they were back, as brilliant as ever, ruling the world of electronic music together with the british. So why this strange 80s void?
It's not that there wasn't a lot of brilliant german music in the 80s, there just wasn't the same amount of big flagships as in the 70s... there isn't really a neue deutsche welle canon. Why is this? It's not like the 70s was some kind of freak accident of german creativity, because in the 90s they were back, as brilliant as ever, ruling the world of electronic music together with the british. So why this strange 80s void?