Keimzeit

Keimzeit formed in East Berlin in 1988, with Norbert Leisegang, Hartmut Engler, Andreas Herzberg, and Sebastian Pufpaff playing together. Their early material faced some censorship from authorities, which meant they often performed in alternative venues. Songs like 'Alfred' from 1990 captured the anxieties of German reunification, while 'Irrenhaus' explored themes of alienation in a changing society.

Their albums from the early 1990s, including 'Irrenhaus' and 'Keinzeit' from 1993, established their approach to blending folk, rock, and pop elements. The lineup remained fairly consistent, with Leisegang and Engler handling vocals and guitar, Herzberg on bass, and Pufpaff on drums. Later records like 'Ganz schön feist' in 1998 and 'Auf einem Esel durch Arizona' in 2010 continued their pattern of releasing music that addressed social and political themes without becoming overtly polemical.

Keimzeit's songs often worked because they avoided simple sloganeering. Tracks like 'Amerikanische Liebe' and 'Bunte Scherben' maintained a poetic quality even when dealing with difficult subjects. Their music found listeners who appreciated that balance between commentary and craft.