Back from New York, I met Alexander von Borsig, aka Alexander Hacke now Einstürzende Neubauten and Frieder Butzmann at Zensor, the best record shop in Berlin. The fact that my band left me in New York, that I was planning a „Metropolitan symphony“ with SAMO© and Alan Vega from Suicide according to the principles of Music Konkrete was to be reported. Alexander, then 14 years old, invited me to play in his band BLÄSSE (Paleness).

First performance at Kippenberger`s SO.36

 

Alexander van Borsig, Arleen Schloss, SO. 36, Berlin, 1980.

 

Munich, Vienna, Düsseldorf, Eastern 1980, ©Werner Schmiedel.

 

Posters by Alexander van Borsig, above right at 330 Broome Street.

 

Düsseldorf at LERM, April 1980

Brigitte Bühler, Xao Seffcheque, Eva ©Gino Bühler

Diedrich Diederichsen

 

 

 

 

Sonnenseite = Sunnyside

Art Direction Brigitte Bühler, Bernward Malaka, Brigitte Bühler, Xao, Eva ©Gino Bühler

 

 

 

14 July 2023 , New release by Buero B, Hamburg, BLÄSSE side b, No 6.

This compilation represents an initial – and long overdue – foray into the years 1980 – 82, when KLAR! 80 was a cassette label, paired with a shop of the same name in Düsseldorf. Founded by Rainer Rabowski, KLAR!80 released 18 cassettes of varying length and a box set containing three 12” vinyl Eps which fetch handsome prices among collectors nowadays.
The KLAR!80 – Ein Kassettenlabel aus Düsseldorf 1980-1982 collection reaches even further back in time than the SAMMLUNG – Düsseldorfer Kassettenmusik 1982-1989 (BB236/2017) collection, similarly curated by Stefan Schneider, which focused on the mid-1980s Düsseldorf cassette scene. It captures the brief period between the end of punk and the looming capitalisation and digitalisation of so many aspects of life.

Nachdenkliche Wehrpflichtige, Ratinger Hof 1980. From left to right Diedrich Diederichsen (PopPope), Frieder Butzmann, Eva, Ulrike Harbig, Markus Oehlen, Albert Oehlen. Party Finger für Deutschland. Part of the programme

 

the idea of the „Metropolitan symphony“ by SAMO©, Alan Vega and myself I told Jürgen Engler. He thought „Music Konkrete“ was great and transformed the idea into the „Stahlwerk Sinfonie“. Only the steel was „Music Konkrete“. He founded a new Band for that project, Die Krupps. Stahlwerk? Steelplant.

December 1980

 

„Stahlwerk Sinfonie“ Haus Blumenthal, Krefeld ©Achim Duchow.  Republished 20 times in the meantime, the record.

 

In „Assimilate“, Oxford Universtity press 2013, S. Alexander Reed, provides the first ever critical history of industrial music.

Komödi Trakik ©Brigitte Bühler

Tragedy or the comedy? We had a recording session at the world famous CAN Studio, sound engineer René Tinner, who also worked with Lou Reed, Ry Cooder, Killing Joke, Holger Czukay, Jah Wobble, Jim Capaldi and others. The appointment fell through, the bassist had an internship at the World Bank in Washington. At least, a few pieces of music were published by Klar 80! the cassette label from Düsseldorf.