Holger Hiller and Thomas Fehlmann rode on the tip of the surfboard hanging ten on the crest of the Neu Deutsche Welle (New German Wave) movement that arose in the early 1980′s. The two were founding members of the legendary NDW band Palais Schaumburg who made distinctly vibrant post punk that continues to electrify eardrums decades later. In 1981 the two musicians looked back from their perspective at the bleeding edge of innovation and referenced an earlier influential figure of German music, Paul Hindemith. In 1930 the composer had written a sound play for school orchestras called “Wir Bauen Eine Stadt” (We build a Town) in which the children steered society and the adults took backseat. Well, in 1981, it was Hiller and Fehlmann who were building the new city of sound so they recorded their own, true to score rendition of Hindemith’s piece, swapping out the orchestra for synthesizers and drum machines. The resulting music has an innocent simplicity wrapped infuturistic sensibility. The album was released originally on cassette by the awesome Ata Tak label and now has thankfully been revived for all to enjoy in vinyl and digital form by Felix Kubin’s incredible Gagarin Records. You can find more info and buy the album here.

“Mit dem Autobus”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Podcast (mp3): Download

“Baumusik”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Podcast (mp3): Download

Hiller and Fehlmann took it steps further and built their own NEW town with Palais Schaumburg. You can hear them in action in this video from 1981. Be patient because the good stuff starts 21 seconds in.

A totallly bizarre video from influential Neue Deutsche Welle band Der Plan . This video highlights the importance of exercise for leotard clad skeletons while traveling in Japan.

Part 1

Part 2

I know it is random to all of a sudden post a video of Kratwerk’s “Autobahn” song, but my son is super into that song (he’s 3 years old) and after he broke my vinyl copy of it, I had no choice but to look on youtube for quick access to the song when he was asking for it over and over. That’s when I found this crazy good animation made for the song. Directed by Rober Mainwood.

Before band called Can called themselves Can they were The Inner Space. Here’s a clip from the Kobi Jaeger’s 1969 film ‘Kamasutra – Vollendung der liebe’ where The Inner Space and guest vocalist Margareta Juvan are playing the role of a nightclub band. Fortunately for the extras shaking on the screen and for us watching this clip, The Inner Space are the coolest house band a club could wish for. Here they are playing a great, early single called “I’m Hiding My Nightingale.”

I agree with matthewdavid, these girls are dreams and dragons