A West Berlin group that made music from hammers, metal drums, and power tools.
If you want to hear what they're about, try 'Susej' or 'Wüste.' They're not easy listening, but that's the point.
They formed around 1980 in West Berlin's squat scene during the Cold War, and their name translates to 'Collapsing New Buildings', which tells you everything about their approach. They worked with industrial materials as instruments, creating a raw, confrontational sound that felt more like construction than conventional music. A track like 'Susej' from their catalog shows how they built tension through repetition and metallic percussion rather than traditional song structures.
Early members included Blixa Bargeld, Gudrun Gut, and Beate Bartel. Their 1985 album 'Halber Mensch' included 'Sabrina,' which showed they could work with quieter, atmospheric textures alongside the noise. Over time, they developed a following among listeners interested in experimental sound, though they never aimed for mainstream acceptance.
Keep it compact: a lyric you come back to, a live memory, or the part of the catalog you would point someone toward first.
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