Jodorowsky after Dune (Did you know he became very successful as an author of comic books?)

Note: No AI in any form has been used when writing this text.

Jodorowsky's works were one of my first big, big loves, and not just in the field of scifi, but when talking about media, stories, art, when I was a teenager, even before William Gibson really hit me, before Neo and The Matrix, or before I became lost within the stories of Stanislaw Lem.
How was that possible, or rather, how did that happen?
Well, I guess, and it's an educated guess (I hope!) that the majority of people these days know Jodorowsky because he did not make Dune. And that is quite the feat indeed, becoming famous for a movie that... you did not even end up making!
The story is covered elsewhere already, just go and dig on the internet. In the 70s, Jodorowsky got the rights to Dune (or he thought he could get them, can't remember exactly), then went on a completely whacked out cruise around the world, in order to recruit Pink Floyd, H.R. Giger, Orson Welles, future set and special FX artists of Star Wars and Alien... and then it went "kaboom!" as expected, even blew a few people's brains out (i.e. they became "mental unstable" for a while).

In the end, David Lynch got to make Dune instead, and, much much later, Denis Villeneuve got to make a more well-received version. (BTW, as Pink Floyd was in the trailer for that version of Dune, my educated guess is that Denis Villeneuve sought out to rip-off Jodo's ideas for good).

So, I assume people know all of this. But, I think there is a thing that is lesser known, which is what happened to Jodorowsky afterwards.
And this is that he became a comic book artist (or "graphic novel", like the art folk like to say these days). And I kid you not, he went into the comics industry, and became very, very well known and famous by making comic books for teenagers and young adults (like me when I first read them).
At least on the outside label.

Because the truth is that he took the most outrageous ideas he had for his dune movie. and even expanded them. he added some other strange ideas. and also used some of the earlier ones he had. and used that to build his comics (aka "graphic novels"). and for later comics, he came up with just as outrageous ideas.

i should add that he rarely painted (drawed?) them. he recruited other people for that, like moebius (author of the well known "blueberry" comics) or a host (army?) of others.

the books were a creative collab between him and the artists.

so... yeah, how to describe his comics? it's usually scifi, but his own style, i'd say... often very cyberpunk, there is also stuff that is like space operas, but never with a clean "black vs white" morality... more like a dirty version of epic scifi franchises...

the stories are full of references to psychoactive substances, religious cults, conspiracy, tarot, tantra, there is real violence (often getting very nasty), there is intimacy... let's just say that when some big US corporation brought his "before the incal" series to the american audience, they literally enlisted artists to "paint the clothes back on" for some panels! (quite a few panels, actually).

but it's never 100% nihilism, there are also shiny heroes and a possible, positive ending...

that's the universe, the future of mankind, like these books envision. books? well, comics, and i hope you are able to consider comics as real, serious "books".

okay some people will scream now: "wait, i know jodorowsky, but he did not do comics, he made movies, like el topo or the holy mountain".

yes, that is true. but his major body of work is his comics books (aka "graphic novels", hah!)

i suppose he is one of the most prolific comic authors in the 20th and 21th century. it is hard to find a complete list or index. but it must be close to 100 of volumes (or more).
"the incal" alone has a dozen of spin off series that are completed by now, and new spin offs seem to spawn every year.

plus it's not just scifi anymore, there are western comics, comics set in the middle ages, fantasy books. oddly enough, they stay similar to his other works, and even the western ones are about drugs, divine intervention / punishment, mystical conspiracies.
ah well.

all i can say is i highly recommend jodorowsky's comic books.

my top 5 of comics one should (could) check out by him:

1. The Incal (with Jean Giraud / Moebius)
2. The Metabarons / La Caste de Méta-Barons (with Juan Giménez)
3. Before The Incal / Avant l’Incal (with Zoran Janjetov)
4. The Technofathers / Les Technopères (with Zoran Janjetov, too)
5. Megalex (With Fred Beltran)

Non-erotic nudity as a metaphor for the creative process or: How to keep that productive streak running

Non-erotic nudity as a metaphor for the creative process or: How to keep that productive streak running

How to keep that creative streak running (Looking back at my life as an artist)

I often think stuff like: how could I sum up my biography as an artist, what advice could I give to others, is there something others could learn... some information to share.

Either way, the other day I turned on TV to watch a movie, and it seemed like the movie was not on yet, as the end of another movie was playing, a movie I did not know.
So there was a football (soccer) game going on, when suddenly some middle aged dude ran onto the pitch, unclothed. A sports streak, a thing that is not entirely unknown to happen in Europe. Turned out he was some friendly but boring loser with an even more boring job, had fallen out of favor, was in a financial and otherwise crisis, and was somehow involved in sports bets in order to find a remedy to his situation.
Now he was literally running for his bare life (pun intended), trying to dodge any kind of security, as the crowd in the stadium, and the millions of people in front of TV, cheered him on. Turns out he had to run for 3:18 straight, without being toppled or tripping, in order to beat the world record in - tada - "sports streaking".
He did succeed, and in the end this solved all his problems. Wonderful!

Why do I tell you this? Because, I think this little sequence of 3 and ⅓ minutes, perfectly sums up what creativity and the artist's life is about. It's a marvelous metaphor, really.

If you want to be a musician, or artist, and if you want to really get somewhere, and are not just doing it for hobby, or to become an unknown "in-house" producer for some label, or a similarly plain fate, ask yourself this:

Would you be comfortable in a situation like this? Being completely unclothed, millions watch you, several dozen chase you and try to topple you, and you must stay up, you must not trip, you must not allow yourself to be pushed to the ground?
And no, there is nothing "romantic" about this situation, you don't look above average, it's totally un-erotic nudity, no kink or fetish thing, and millions of people are free to laugh at you and your bare self, hate you, point at you, mock you, criticise you?

Because *that* is what art and music is about. You put your innermost emotions, thoughts, feelings, *secrets*, out to the world. Things that can be seen as embarrassing, shocking, ugly, or even just "stupid and dumb".
Normal people hide behind a shield, a shell, a protective layer, if you want to call it that. Where they are allowed to keep a lot of themselves, their moods, their true thoughts, to themselves. And that can give a sense of security and stability. To them.
But an artist does not have that security.
And don't think you could still keep something about yourself - to yourself. Once you are "moderately" known, they will come for you, and strip away everything that is left, of your "secrets".
The lions are hungry, and they come to devour you.

Oh, and the security force? That's a metaphor for the army of humans that are jealous, mean, evil, that see you, see how you are, do not like this, and try to stop you. You need to be able to dodge their attempts. And also be able not to trip by yourself.
And be able to keep running, and running, and running...

So, if you are able to put yourself in such a situation, in your own imagination, and you are comfortable with it, and you have the courage...

Then congrats, you really are an artist.

I should add two more notes to this otherwise finished text, because it is easy to be misunderstood:

In many European countries, being unclothed is semi-legal or not entirely illegal. I know that in other countries (hello USA!), there are different sensitivities.

And, most importantly, "nudity" really is just a metaphor in the entire text. Just like I said!
It's a metaphor for showing your creativity and thoughts, and everything else, out to the world. I don't mean "literal" nudity in this text! So please do not misunderstand it.

To trick the devil: the "blasphemous" symbolism of european folk stories and fairy tales

Christianity is a pretty unique religion in one regard. Other religions, or systems of spirituality have concepts of "good vs evil" too, or even ultimate irredeemable "evil" deities and forces. But, in nearly all these cases, these "evil" deities sometimes *do* actually do things that can be considered good.

For example, there could be a myth, where an evil force resurrects someone's child, not because they are so nice and helpful, but because they made a bargain, or want to spite someone (or something) else or whatever.
In some myths, forces that are mostly considered to be evil did important parts of the creation of the world, for example in the greek myths. So they actually *did* achieve something good. Maybe not in a direct, or straight forward way, but in its consequences.

For faithful christians on the other hand, the devil, satan, lucifer, is not only the absolute of all evils, but any faithful soul must, under no circumstance, ever petition the antichrist, call out to a demon, or to anyone who is in "league" with the legions of hell, or anything in this vein.
While in other religions, like I said above, under some circumstances, and they might be very rare, an "evil" spirit might be employed by a human to do something - "good".

This brings us to traditional european folk stories and fairy tales, for example the famous collections by the brothers grimm.
These deal with the devil quite a lot.
Often there is a person who calls out to some "demonic" force straight away. For example, in order to cure one's children, wife, husband... or to gain worldly riches, to overcome poverty. Sometimes the devil or a minion appears to a person in need and makes an offer.
In other cases, a mysterious object or secret is the cure or object of desire. and a "wise man" or "witch" tells our troubled protagonist that the object is only to be found in the underworld, and they need to go there and face the dark forces in order to get it.

And, just like expected, dealing with lucifer in such way, or enjoying the communion of demons, is not what was expected, there is evilness attached to it, and now our protagonist is in deep trouble.
The message, at the surface is: calling out to un-christian, dark, occult forces, will lead to evil, punishment, and ultimately death.
But the story does not end here, our poor protagonist starts to think and struggle, and with the help of others (or even alone) they are able to "outwit" the devil, trick the underworld in some way, and ultimately reign victorious.

These tales seem harmless enough (they can still be pretty grimm, though), and seemingly portray a message of faith to good christian souls: stay on your course, dont talk to demons, dont look to the ground and into the underworld.

But, if we think logically about it. These protagonists actually *did* gain something. By going to these dark, infernal, whatever forces.
Yes, they barely escaped death or eternal punishment in some cases. But they were brave and clever, and now their children are cured, wealth has come to them, they are kings and queens, maybe future rulers of the world.
And none of these quite good things would have happened if they *did* nothing. If they had avoided calling out to... these forces they were warned about.

And that's not really a "good" message to faithful believers, right?

I am not sure in which way the christian scholars of those times were aware of this "dangerous" symbolism in those stories. I know that a lot of them were against the belief in mystical forces outside of what the bible allows, including fairy tales (with their stories about pixies and ghosts and witches).
but just like alcohol, gambling, and many other things, these were so popular amongst the population, that they could not really weed this out. so i guess they had to accept that those folk stories got happily passed on by the general populace, while gnashing their teeth in the shadows themselves.

Interestingly, the above mentioned "infernal logic" of those folk stories mirrors similar "logic" in traditional pagan or other religions.
for example, if you go to a shaman somewhere, and ask them if it's possible to gain something out of dealing with a "chaotic" or "infernal" force, spirit, even deity, they might say "it is possible. but you have to be really clever and cunning about it. you might have to trick them".

or a shaman might tell their listeners that, at one point in their journey through life, they *have* to encounter and deal with an unpleasant and fiery realm, unless they want to remain in their starting conditions forever.

Just like the protagonists in our fairy tales!

So it's quite possible that in those classic tales, some remnants of the pagan religions that existed in europe. before the advance of christianity, still exist.

Note: No AI has been used when writing this text

The ultra-niche genre of political horror movies

There is a tiny sub-genre of movies I am pretty fond of; "political horror movies".
It's not the 60s and 70s anymore, and movies with a political theme or overt political plots have become pretty rare (maybe they even were already rare back then). Most political movies deal with shady business operations, shady government operations, or both. Horror movies do not seem to fit well to any kind of politics.
Because what would be political to a group of people getting butchered near a crystal lake?

Either way, oddly enough, these movies exist, and a lot of them are pretty damn well!

Let's take a look at some of them. (Major spoilers ahead, so take care if you have not seen these movies yet)

The Serpent and The Rainbow https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096071/

Was Craven is one of the "maestros" of the horror genre, of course. After all, he created the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series. And a lot of other classics.
This one stars Bill Pullman and Cathy Tyson. It tells the story of a scientist who is sent to Haiti in the late 70s by a pharma corp in order to investigate the case of people coming back to life due to a "voodoo drug". The business people think such a drug might come in mighty handy for western medicine, too (makes sense, right?).

During these days, Haiti was under the brutal reign of the fascist government by the Duvalier family. But it seems resistance is already growing...
As a non-believer in the occult, and a "western outsider", our scientist finds it hard to penetrate haitian society and it's voodoo underground. It turns out nothing is as it seems, there are a lot of crooks and strange characters.
And it turns out haiti's voodoo elite priests are more or less split into two camps. There are evil, black wizards who are aligned with, support and uphold the fascist government. The good, benevolent voodoo mages on the other hand are unaligned and do not want to have anything to do with the police and government brutality that is happening; they try to stay "unpolitical" though, and are reluctant to join the revolutionary citizens (but will they, in the end?).

as the movie goes on, our protagonist finally gets initiated in the voodoo mysteries of haiti, in more than one way.

It seems the movie is based on a real-world book by an "ethnobotanist" who studied cases of "zombification" in haiti.
The movie itself has its moments of cheese and camp, it's not some ultra-serious, ultra-intellectual dry affair... it's done by wes craven, after all.
But the whole thing is less cheesy than the above description might imply.
The whole portrayal of voodoo and magic is astonishingly complex.
For example, there is a female, haiti-based scientist that tries to explain the syncretism of a scientific worldview, catholicism, and voodoo magic. she is a psychiatric scientist and voodoo practitioner at the same time.
and she shows him, by leading the protagonist to the sight of a ceremonial burial with one of the most beautiful and haunting compositions i ever heard in a movie...

Suspiria Remake https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034415/?ref_=fn_t_1

the original suspiria, of course, is one of the all time great in horror movies. btw, i read somewhere that the "strange" colors of the original movie were there because the director used a recording technique that was already outdated by the time the movie was made! very interesting.

the remake has tilda swinton and dakota johnson. the story and everything is actually quite different from the original. it is more like a completely new movie, that has just some of the elements of the first one.

the movie takes place in 1977 in west berlin. international viewers might not know this, but this was the time of the so called "deutscher herbst". a left wing struggle against the german government. there were armed terrorists groups, but also a lot of more peaceful protests. the scent of revolution really was in the air, and a "comrade" later told me that germany was really a matchstick's length away from revolution in that year... (he was still an infant when all this happened, so what does he know, really?).

and unlike the original movie, this political backdrop is very visible in the movie. and audible, too, as the movie starts with the sound of a left wing bomb attack going off...

but there is not just the left side making their agitation audible. there is also the theme of fascism and post-fascism. buried, dark secrets in the history of germany, the nazi trauma. and our protagonists are entangled in this, one way or the other.

the "witches coven" that is the central part of the movie seems to be the still eye in the storm here, strangely devoid of the politics that is going on in the outside world.
but in my interpretation, there is an intended synchronicity in the plot; the hierarchy, the struggle for power, the brutality, the lies and deceit, well, everything that is going on in this spiritual, symbolic "witched world" actually mimics the themes of fascism, power abuse, struggle for freedom, that is happening in parallel, in the outside world.

and, of course, the witches mirror feminist politics. both in a negative and positive sense.

Pan's Labyrinth https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457430/

Maybe the most known political horror movie, and one where it is quite clear that it is a horror movie, and a political movie. one where one does not have to fear to be criticized of "dragging politics" into an otherwise normal movie.

it's set in the world and time of fascist spain.
i don't think i need to write much about its content, as i guess most people know this movie already.
but let me add that, just like in the suspiria re-make, the story seems to roll out on two levels.
the magic struggle and quest of the protagonist (a young witch, once again) mirrors the events that happen in the outside world, including the political ones.

Medusa Touch https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077921/

Oh oh, the medusa touch. this movie left quite the mark on me. there is richard burton and lino ventura in it. the entire world of the movie feels very depressing and austere, and i think only 1970s movies can feel this bleak (maybe people actually were quite depressed in that decade?).

there are two protagonists in the movie, lino ventura, the detective, who is called upon to investigate the death of an author, who is played by richard burton. he surprisingly comes back to life, though, and is put into a coma. this is when the mystery begins
in flashbacks we then witness the life of our author, which was quite bleak and depressive too, and reminds me of the hardships "pink" has to experience in pink floyd's "the wall" opera.

he also realizes he has supernatural gifts, but he does not use these to do good things, instead he does very bad things, like telekinetically killing people through accidents. he is haunted by this and feels guilty, to the point he seeks the help of a chirologist and a therapist. he feels he is only capable of doing evil, and wants to get rid of this cursed magic gift.

so where is the politics? well, one day our protagonist has an "epiphany" and thinks he finally found a way to use his dark powers in a good way; by using them to punish the "wickedness" of mankind. he starts by slaughtering a whole crew of astronauts on their way to the moon, because he felt the money of the space program had better been used to feel hungry people or for medical research.
towards the end of the movie, he tries to snuff out the upper echelon of british society by collapsing a cathedral on top of them.
in the end, he seeks to help out the anti-nuclear protesters that we see in the beginning of the movie, by blowing up the nuclear power plant that they are protesting against. which would have irradiated most of great britain, i suppose.
so, in this movie the protagonists are not really aligned with any political movement or group. it is political, because of the "anti-establishment" hatred of our author, which is especially visible in the rhetoric he uses to defend his magic attacks (despite all this evil stuff, he really thinks he is ultimately following a good cause with this mayhem).
which, i guess, makes it a political horror movie, too!

do you know more movies in this weird sub-niche of movies? let me know!

Do you remember the very heavy 90s rock band "Therapy?"

Hey friends,
This is a text I have written for a small fanzine / blog, about the band "Therapy?".
Wanted to share it here, too, maybe someone is interested in it :-)
Note: No AI was used in writing this text.

And here it goes:

Do you remember the very heavy 90s rock band "Therapy?"

To answer the question in the title right away: I guess most people in the world of today will not remember or know the band. But, on the other hand, they are still very active, touring, releasing albums, and still got plenty of their old fans or even new ones. So, even if the "mainstream" of society did - time itself did not forget the band.

Now that we answered the title question pre-maturely, we could end the text right away... but I won't. Also I don't want to just talk about their best songs, hit songs, or how much I loved the band as a teen.

I want to peek a bit deeper, and look at the "logic" behind the band, the sound... and how they somehow connected a plentitude of genres in the 90s... and then slipped right through the net.

As you know, the 90s were the decade where "commercially cheesy" music was at an all-time high. Boybands, Girlbands, Eurodance, happy elated pop and pop-dance songs everywhere.
"Credibility" was no longer seen as a viable concept. By no-one.
Right at the start of the decade, it still shocked the audience when Milli Vanilli got exposed - no, not in a NSFW moment. It turned out they merely lip synced to their "songs".
People objected to that! Can you imagine that?
Because as the 90s went on, nobody could have cared less if the various members of all the boy- and girl-bands did sing, could sing, wanted to sing, or if their music just came out of the can and by studio session vocalists.
(Not to slag off these bands - just want to show how quickly "values" can change).

But as a reaction to this, the 90s also had an underground. Or a massive range of underground subcultures, to be more specific.

Industrial Rock, Industrial Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Grunge, Psychobilly, Trip Hop, Jungle, Rave, Gabba, Speedcore...

And this was the complete opposite of the happy 90s mainstream! Super twisted, super dark music. Usually by people who lived very troubled lives themselves...

Therapy? originated from Northern Ireland, and started as an "alt rock" band with serious metal and industrial influences.
A lot of the early songs were "brilliant noise", there were no hooks, no sing a longs, there were vocal samples about psychiatric conditions, true crime killers... sincere disturbia. Often sampled out of transgressive movies and other discarded media.

So far, so good... or "so far, so dark".

But then something changed, the members alluded to this in interviews etc, but it's hard to pinpoint why that happened.

They decided to make more "simple" rock songs too. With hooks. With verse / chorus structure. With "catchy" melodies. For example, about their song "Lonely, Cryin, Only", the band stated that it was an attempt to "write in the style of Ramones meets Roy Orbison".
And this is when things went really off the hook.
When listening to the band back then, I did not realise how "deranged", but how "brilliant" this concept is, at the same time.

There were suddenly albums like "Troublegum" or "Infernal Love". And I would describe the sound as Industrial Metal soundscapes, with heavy metal riffs, "alternative rock" style drums (i.e. swinging percussion, not that simple stuff of more traditional metal groups) - and extremely good melodies, sing-a-long "hooks"...
Therapy? had some of the most saccharine, melancholic, soothing, beautiful melodies and harmonies of the 90s... no, of all eras of music.
And yes, at the same time, their guitars were ultra hard, ultra distorted.

(The "industrial" part is less visible on Troublegum btw - maybe that one is more traditional)

Pop / fun metal was a thing in the 90s already. But Therapy? did not feel as a parody. They managed to blend these two very different ideas of "music" very well.
Hell no, not just two ideas. It's like a patchwork of 90s music (they even got some MTV rotation for jungle remixes of their songs).

The major labels and the MTV loved this, the band became big because of these... they alienated their "underground" fans with this more approachable sound, then they got tired of it, and alienated their new "overground" fans by making more "strange" albums again... and then they struggled to survive, but somehow, they managed.

On a side note, I read an interview somewhere where the singer expressed "guilt" for maybe starting the "nu metal" sound of the later 90s and the early millennium... huh?
But regardless of that, rest assured, Therapy? were more influential than you think.

This was my short retrospective for a band that got forgotten by the rest of the world, even though their sound might be bigger than ever. Maybe you enjoy their songs, too!

My top 5 Therapy? favorite songs:

1. Lonely Cryin' Only
2. Ghost Train
3. Loose
4. Teethgrinder
5. Stories

The kinda interesting German Gen X Punk / Indie Rock band scene of the early 90s (Have you missed this one?)

Hello Friends,
here is a new text by me. Sources: I was around at that time, so it's from my memory, and tons of hours spent on watching and collecting media (and listening! :-) Oh yeah and I am a bit of a "low life music journalist" that writes for magazines since a few decades ;-)

Note: No ai has been used in writing this text!

If you just want to check the bands and skip the text, you can scroll down directly to the music.

And now, let's go on:

Germany always had very interesting underground music cultures which are largely unknown to the rest of the world - and to most of the Germans themselves!

Post-war Germany was a kind of black hole or void, when it came to music, or culture, or a lot of other things. Especially the youth felt this way.
From the 50s on, German mainstream music or TV lacked any form of innovation. It was stuck in endless repetition of "Schlager"-kitsch, or worse.

For aspiring musicians, there were two options, basically.
Bands like Kraftwerk said they drew from the pre-war German era, as nothing was going on after the war anyway. Same could be said about the "Neue Deutsche Welle" in early 80s, with bands like Trio and their hit song "Da Da Da" (The "Dada" art movement began in German speaking countries at the start of the 20th century).
But I guess you had to be 'aristocrats' (like Kraftwerk) or art school intellectuals (like Trio) to even have access to this rich pre-war German cultural capital. It was the pre-internet era after all, so even *knowing* about these things could be hard.

So for the more common people based youth, there was an option that seemed to be more appetizing:

Looking at subcultures in other, "more advanced" countries, and maybe even pulling some of that back - to the homeland?
Besides UK and, at smaller parts, diverse countries like France or Russia even, the big thing here was - America, USA, the yankee nation.
"American" culture was big in the 20th century anyway (who, in the world, did not know Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, Marylin Monroe, etc?)

But the youth was of course more interested in the sub culture. First rock and roll, then the hippie stuff, even disco stuff (which led rise to such things as the "Munich sound"). But as we get to the 90s... it was the punk, alt rock, indie, crossover, grunge and alt metal sound that crossed over the atlantic to good ol' germany.

So, to cut it short, a lot of German bands in these genres were around in the early 90s.
And beyond that date, too, but I am looking at this 90 era here, right now (let's talk about the rest at a later date).

Before I list some bands, I want to state a few things that I think that are noteworthy:

Germany, at this point was a kind of "clean", "ordered" and somewhat authoritarian state. It was also - somewhat - rich and had a welfare system.
But it also had a lot of poverty and social misery at the same time.

So even if there was a rugged and rough street punk band, it could be the case that its members were actually sheltered university type people. but they were still tough.

Second, there was a kind of language (and culture) clash. Some bands really tried to rid themselves of anything German and "made-pretend" to be as american as possible (not mainstream american, mind you, but "punk america") and thus had all the lyrics in english too, etc.
And other bands sang in German language, and even tied themselves to German boomer culture in some ways too (like covering old and dreaded "Schlager"-kitsch songs).

And often, all of this got mixed up.

I said there was a fair amount of money around in Germany. So, while some bands decided to stay underground, others got picked up by the big labels - and studios.
Which meant *professional* album and song production.

Some of the punk / hardcore rock songs with the best production values that I know, from the 90s, are actually from German bands!

And last but not least, these bands, and maybe the whole German Gen X youth, were "lost battalions", or stuck between two worlds.

They desired "American" underground culture, but they never got there, so "their" scenes (over the pond) rarely knew they even existed.
But neither were they understood within their homeland, within Germany, as they belonged to another world. To a never world.

They sailed off to a promised land that they saw in the media and images, then somehow got lost while traversing the Atlantic.

But maybe this can be said about the global gen x culture in the 1990s as well, generally, applying to everyone who felt young and "different" back then.

But hey hey, let's not drown this text on a downer note.
Some bands achieved "fame", and some were happy with being local heroes.
Some are forgotten, and some are still remembered fondly (or are still touring and releasing albums).

And here are some of them:

Swoons

Female-fronted pop-punk band that lingered in the underground, and popped up here and then.

Listening suggestions:

My Grandpa Is Joey Ramone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9t4gfzWEzU
Kamikaze Sushi Girl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAverU-qyRU

Wizo

They got signed to Fat Wreck Chords (NOFX label) for one album. Then noted that the American kids likely confused them with Weezer. "Because of the band name", you know.

Überflüssig https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vgJuqghEnk
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW7D7VHVa3U

Die Toten Hosen

Notes: best known german "punk" band. and still famous.
the single release Carnival in Rio featured famous British train robber "Ronnie" Biggs on vocals.

Nichts bleibt für die Ewigkeit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V7-nrZaDNU
Carnival in Rio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttm3BIryhFw

The Lost Lyrics

Notes: The singer later became a school teacher. And still played and toured with his punk band.

The Lost Lyrics - Sweet dreams of yesterday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2LR3SjuHck

The Lost Lyrics - Skibbereen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krQmXOsjf8c

The Bates

Punk band with mediocre chart success. Formed by a jazz drummer, punk singer, and a guitarist who was a student of theology. and then left the "love drugs and rock n roll" live to become a legit priest. I wrote more about them here:

Billie Jean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1Zn4EGG_78

I'm Still Waiting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLf-wlz_gF4

Throw That Beat In The Garbagecan!

The original German indie darlings! Made the front covers, then disappeared. They took their name from a B-52s song.

Cool https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukbETJTvGmo
Thanks For Knockin' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pdVA7rVdgI

Die Ärzte

Best known german punk band (together with die toten hosen). Still kicking it today.

Schunder Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IviYsUdUj6w
Dauerwelle vs. Minipli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpwa1nLiHkE

The Notwist

Interesting band from Bavaria.

Johnny & Mary (Robert Palmer cover) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gifFhyMmXk
No Love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FePWiMcXKAE

Atari Teenage Riot

On the fringe of everything I said above, because they were "outside of anything".
But, technically, they were around in the 90s, and somehow belong here, too.

Speed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plAr3adKbyc
Kids are United https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbsDJyFrW0c

Die Goldenen Zitronen

Also on the fringe, as they sort of belong to the earlier Generation of... 80s underground bands. And maybe not so keen on "american music".
But they were around, and listened to by those in the scene.

Das bißchen Totschlag https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Hxq-PFOlc
80 Millionen Hooligans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VTPttz2oD0

Tocotronic

Some upper class kids from the merchant city of Hamburg, Germany try to sound like Pavement or Mudhoney. Did they succeed? Their songs are still great, nonetheless.

Die Welt kann mich nicht mehr verstehen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKD-T-IHBl8
Wir sind hier nicht in Seattle, Dirk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVub2aQjJvw

If you have anything to add, or more bands to add, please let me know!

Producer's Diary - Writing a full-length "adult-themed" Hardcore Techno album

The original, 90s Techno / Trance / Rave releases and tracks were strangely devoid of intimacy - I wrote about that elsewhere.
It took the "nasty" minds of the Hardcore and Gabber producers to finally "talk about s.ex" in that era and style of music.
So there were more or less funny, and more or less "highly offensive" tracks being made, that became cult classic, filled the dancefloors, and would make parents and priests scream in terror.
It was all in good fun, though! (check here for these classics).

I feel this tendency withered over the years, and definitely shrunk in size.
But with the early Hardcore revival, it's time to have a revival of this "nasty Gabber" tradition, too!

So I decided to write an album in that style.
In the end it became a kind of "techno opera", a conceptual album, with common threads tying all the tracks together.

Almost like a prog rock album of the 70s! But with Techno and Gabber this time.

so let's talk about the tracks, baby:

1. Prologue 00:13

Just a short shock-mock intro.

2. Gabber S*x (Extended edit) 04:37

Oldschool Hardcore, 1993 / 1994 style. Straight beats running from start to finish.

4. More Cushion for the Pushin (Fast mix) 03:17

This is more acid / techno style actually, but fast enough for hardcore.

5. *ee Fantasy 04:24

Based on a "funny" incident at a rock star concert. Oldschool Hardcore all the way, almost 1991 / 1992 style if it was not so fast.
Bleeps, Klaxons, Acid / Detroit like filters...

6. *ee Fantasy (Expanded) 03:06

Here the basic track of part 1 completely breaks down and erupts into chaos.

7. Plus Size Angel (Fast mix) 03:17

Similar to track 4 - more like "acid hardcore"

8. Intermission 00:03

Just a very short skit.

9. S*x Beat 02:42

I subvert the Hardcore idea a bit, as the straight beat breaks down, and changes into a non-techno, almost tribal (or industrial) drumming - still with 909s though. The percussion feels (intentionally) "out of sync", but it never actually slips away.

10. S*x Beat (Climax) 04:09

like above - but in total overdrive.

11. F**k the P*rn Industry (Vocal Short Cut) 05:00

Once again a "different" kind of Oldschool - slow acid / techno. Almost like an 80s acid feel. If it was not for the distorted 909. I guess this is the track that is the most easy on the dancefloor.

12. Klos*x (Part 1) 04:44

Now things are just fast and frantic. Speedcore overdrive.

13. Klos*x (Part 2) 04:06

Beyond the speed threshold.

14. Epilogue 02:26

A words-only skit again, that ties the entire album together, and more or less loops back to the idea s expressed since track one.

15. (Bonus Track) Gabber *ex (Original mix) 03:33

A shorter, more straight-to-the-point edit of track two.


You can check production videos to these tracks here: (will add later)

I also wrote a "explanatory" text to the album, which tries to create a kind of mythological / media narrative to the entire thing. You can read it here:

Hope you enjoy the album! Stay tuned for more producer's diary entries.

Oh, and lest we forget: you can also check the album here:

https://gabbaretrecords.bandcamp.com/album/gbbr103-low-entropy-hardcore-sex-volume-2

Germany's favorite Bubblegum Goth Punk band: Looking back at The Bates

Hello Friends,

Here is a new text I wrote. This time it is about a lesser known band, that I think is still interesting.

Note: No AI was used in writing this text.

I think it was music journalist Simon Reynolds who once claimed that when the Punk wave hit the world in the 1970s and the earliest 80s, West Germany was third place, just behind UK and the US, when it came to production and quality of (post) punk music.

But just like in the US, the mainstream appeal of punk fizzled out quite quickly as the 80s went into full effect. Bands, fans, spiked boys and girls went and continued in the underground.

In Germany this gave rise to a genre called Deutschpunk which is a sorta weird mix of US and UK hardcore punk influences, German lyrics, and almost "Kitsch Schlager" type of melodies.

Lyrics of choice are usually about getting drunk, profanities, and either fighting the police or running from it.

But in the 90s there was also another punk band - The Bates.

• Listening Suggestion #1: The Bates - Love is Dead https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuO4oNlYfuc

They were a quite weird crew, formed in a sheltered and cozy German smalltown setting.

Including the charismatic lead singer "Zimbl", a Jazz musician as the drummer (Klube), Armin, a student of theology at the guitar (who left the band for good to become a legit priest) and a few punk guitarists who replaced him. Slayer and Speedmetal-fan "Pogo", the "chubby" Reb (who was asked by his fans to strip down to his speedos at concerts) and Dully.

They started really really underground, playing youth clubs, end-of-school-parties and other minor or DIY venues.

The kids loved them, though, they got signed to a major, went through the ceiling...

• Listening Suggestion #2: The Bates - Billie Jean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84MrYCzxuV8

Then the stars aligned in just the right way:

They did a "punk" cover of Billie Jean, the label sent them off to Hollywood to create a "Psycho" lookalike music video in black and white.

Right when the Punk Revival was at its height in the US with bands like Green Day and The Offspring.

There was a startup German Music TV station which was destined to "take" market shares from MTV's German division.

And they did so by focusing on more "local" bands than MTV (in the days of the infant internet, *distance* still mattered a lot more than it does today).

I'm on a tangent here, but I can imagine this was the reason why the major + TV tried to "push" a domestic Punk band to the teens who listened to the Punk bands from over the pond.

Maybe it also helped that they casted a model to do the shower scene - and showed a little bit more skin than in the original movie.

Either way, the video went into heavy rotation, was played half a dozen times a day and - boom - The Bates were the next big thing. Out of a sudden.

• Listening Suggestion #3: The Bates - Hello (Shakespears Sister cover) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM0RGc_rQZ0

Ever since that day the music elite slagged The Bates off as yet another teen punk band - who only got "famous" because of a cover song - "they can't even write songs on their own!".

Teens and even parts of the hc punks stayed true to the band, and they might not even object to the label.

The Bates once described their genre as "Bubblegum Trash".

Bubblegum as in: 60s Pop influences, Lesley Gore, The Ronettes, Shangri-Las, ...

And Trash as in: punk rock in your face you bastards!

If I listen back to the band with the "music knowledge" I have nowadays, I'd insist there are also other major influences:

Goth, Deathrock, even a bit of Psychobilly. Quite audible in songs like "Psycho Junior", "Lisa", and "Norman".

And yes, that they based the Band on a Psycho / Norman Bates theme adds to the Horrorpunk feel, in my opinion.

Plus they were inspired by The Chameleons, a UK indie rock band. References to them are sprawled across their discography.

This strange-but-alluring clash of styles should show you that The Bates was really not just-another-pop-punk-band.

There is something very deep, enigmatic hidden behind this surface.

I am telling you.

I guess this was largely based on the effort of their charismatic singer "Zimbl". And the talent they had for making outstanding melodies.

For me, personally, it was only after I stumbled upon later bands such as The Raveonettes or Dum Dum Girls that I spotted a well-done approach like this again - smashing 60s bubblegum harmonies into distorted guitars.

• Listening Suggestion #4: The Bates - Out Of The Blue (Neil Young Cover) (Live) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0cb0WHYJQY

According to all parties involved, the pressure they experienced after their sudden rise to stardom crushed the band.

International tours, excess of parties, alcohol, substance abuse and addiction... all this took its toll.

The band splintered, broke up. There were new and solo projects, but nothing as big anymore.

Zimbl died, much too soon, at the age of 41, and this was the end of it.

The legacy of the band is largely forgotten, even in Germany.

Unfairly so, because they had a lot going for them.

But they *still* have their fans from the old days - and the music keeps getting regular re-releases, too.

• Listening Suggestion #5: The Bates @ MTV's Most Wanted https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra5zdpG32xA

Burt Reynolds and Liza Minnelli in Rent-a-Cop (1987) - outdoing Tarantino in the first 10 minutes

Hello Friends,
A few weeks ago, I re-watched Rent-A-Cop. It was better than I remembered, so I decided to review it.

Warning, this review contains extensive spoilers of the movie, as well as of "Reservoir Dogs" towards the end.
Note: No AI was used in writing this text.

Rent-a-cop is a cop thriller / crime movie from the late 80s. Reviews were rather lukewarm. Critics lamented the movie would try to be too much of everything, and thus would be "neither here nor there". And, indeed, it feels like an accumulation of the 70s and 80s favorite tropes. Cop movie, buddy movie, fish-out-of-water, the odd couple...
The coupling is maybe not so square at all. Burt plays an aging, hardened, streetwise, tough talking cop who got kicked out of his job, while Liza is an aging, hardened, streetwise, shit-talking sex worker on the run.
Both actors were at a bit of a career slump and, indeed, aging at this point, so I could imagine there is something biographical about the way they played these roles.

Personally, I feel the movie sits a bit "in between time". It is a 70s / 80s movie through and through *yet* there are also some modern elements.
For example, There are (very brief) references to fetish sex and LGBTQIA+ themes that felt "ahead of time" for a traditional cop flick of the 80s (at least this side of Miami Vice).
The world of computers has already intruded the world of law and crime; both gangsters, cops, drug lords, and madams are very interested in desktop computers, diskettes, and database software.

And then there is Dancer, the main villain. I think he's one of the best villains in any crime movie ever.
Homicidal, maniac, complete psycho. Nihilist, hellbent, just in it for kicks and chaos. Nearly shoots himself in the head on a dare.

Apart from working as a killer, he is a professional dancer and loves to pick up people at night clubs (and a few scenes make you wonder how straight he is about this...)

Most people will remember the movie for one scene, right at the beginning.
There is an extensive build-up to the scene, we see hotel rooms, gangsters preparing a drug deal, cops gathering to bust this specific drug deal, we learn that there are undercover agents at work too, everything feels tense, uncertain...
So the deal takes place, and the operation takes place, too, and just in this moment, dancer bursts in through the door, tosses a "flashbang", blinds everyone, even the police snipers, kills everyone in the chaos, all of this in a matter of mere seconds.

It leaves quite the impression.

We later learn that the drug deal was overseen by a local kingpin; and word reached his organization that something might run afoul, and there might be a traitor involved in the deal. So the kingpin calls up dancer and orders a hit on *everyone* involved - the cops, the undercover agents and *all of his own, loyal men*. A wholesale massacre - just to be sure about everything.

I recently re-watched Reservoir Dogs, which also is a crime movie, but from the 90s, from the next generation.
Of course, "dogs" is the better movie, it's more modern, it's genius, it's groundbreaking. It was praised for its off-level screening of violence. It paints quite a bleak and nihilist world, that's for sure.

The topic is a failed crime operation too, and there is a lot of blood shed in the result. There is a traitor involved as well, and there is a lot of lamenting, pondering, panic, just to be certain who the traitor is, and not to kill the "wrong" guy by making an unwise decision.

But come to think of it... the world depicted in "rent-a-cop" is even one inch more bleak, cynical, and brutal, than in Tarantino's.
There is no "honor amongst thieves", no care - the fate of friends and foes is decided on a whim, without concern, and then everyone is gone.

Now to get away from Tarantino.
"Rent-a-cop" indeed feels like a lukewarm affair, an old-fashioned cop and buddy movie; but it has a few good moments, and these good moments actually feel brilliant and, in a sense, very modern.
It left me with the impression that maybe the time was not right for this content yet, and it would have fared better if it had been done in the 90s. And I wonder how some of the more interesting content would have worked out if these pieces had been getting more extensive treatment.

"Neuromancer" was actually adapted as a computer game in 1988 with the involvement of Timothy Leary and Devo

"Neuromancer" was actually adapted as a computer game in 1988 with the involvement of Timothy Leary and Devo

It's a story that seems to be a bit too crazy to be true... but William Gibson's cyberpunk novel "Neuromancer" was an early computer game port[1]. Released in 1988-1990 on contemporary computer systems like the Commodore 64, Amiga, or Apple II.
What's even more crazy is that the whole thing was initiated by "the most dangerous man in America" (according to Richard Nixon) - the 60s hippie guru Timothy Leary. Leary seems to have "jumped ship" early on during development[2], though, and in the end it was the company Interplay Entertainment that produced+released the game.
Interplay is also known for some other famous classics like The Bard's Tale, Battle Chess, or Wasteland.[3]

New Wave band Devo provided the soundtrack to it. According to the box cover art. Or rather, one of their songs got "ported" to the various systems, too. So the C64 actually has 8 bit vocal samples of the Devo singer, while the Amiga has a purely instrumental cover of the song as soundtrack.

The game itself is one of the most "mentally split" things ever, because you play the game as a fairly normal and conventional "point and click" type adventure (with a strange interface that avoids the "pointing" part of a point and click adventure, most of the time).
And then [warning, major spoilers ahead] boom! You lift off into cyberspace, and now it's an early 3D game, with wireframes, polygon graphics and all. You float around the matrix and need to hack into "ICE"[4] and battle AIs in a kind of "turn based real time fight" (too complicated to explain, just get in the car).

The setting is loosely based on the Neuromancer novel: you run around Chiba City, and Chrome, Wintermute, Neuromancer are amongst the AIs you encounter in the game. Other characters get mentioned, too, or omitted.
The story is entirely novel and different though, and die-hard fans would likely object that a lot of content clashes with the canon of the original book.

One of my favorite oldschool games!

So, why was a person like Timothy Leary so hell-bent on getting the story of Neuromancer out and onto the circuits?
Well, after the 60s subculture had died down, and the more sober 70s passed, Leary became interested in the computer / dial-up / hacker / cyberpunk culture of the 80s, and believed this to be the herald of a new "cyberdelic revolution" that would continue on the path of the original hippies (and knock the establishment out of business for good!)[4]

And why was Devo involved? Jeez! It's Devo, man. Did Devo ever need a reason?

Footnotes:

1: It might actually be one of the first computer ports based on a novel (most game adaptations were based on movies - and still are).
2: https://www.theverge.com/2013/10/1/4791566/timothy-learys-neuromancer-video-game-could-have-been-incredible
3: Interplay was also involved in a lot of other fairly famous games, but my "shortened" research on this topic did not make it clear if they developed these, too, or just licensed / acquired them.
4: "ICE (Intrusion Countermeasures Electronics) is the technology that protects a system from illegal intrusions" in the world of William Gibson https://williamgibson.fandom.com/wiki/ICE
5: if you are interested in this kind of stuff, then it is a very interesting topic to research on the internet.

Note: No AI was used in writing this text (sorry for that, my dear Neuromancer!)

Between Sleaze and Cosmic Longing: Themes of Love and Sensuality in the Early Techno Underground

The early techno scene is a bit of an oddity in the continuum of "dance" music in a wider sense. The disco era had many songs of a graphic or explicit nature (sometimes more veiled, sometimes less veiled), the 80s disco / dance era had a lot of sleaze and graphic affairs, too (Karen Finley, anyone?)... but the Techno sound?
There was almost none of that to be found there; the aesthetics were pure, clean, almost virginal...
Very strange for a sub-genre born out of LGBTQIA+, "free love" and similar sub-subcultures.

I guess part of it is the whole 60s, psychedelia, cyberdelia concept that runs through this sound... the initial acid house boom was called "second summer of love" for a reason (a reference to the first "summer of love", the zenith of the hippie movement in the Bay Area).
"We are cosmic dancers now, we move upwards to the sky, we leave our bodies behind... and our bodily needs, too".
And yeah, the heavy drug use associated with that scene means that, most of the time (and contrary to popular belief), they did not want to get it on.

And then there is the whole "future" vibe... original techno sounds like "alien music from planet alien"... it's tracks about hexadecimal dimensions, interstellar signals, journeys to the seven stars...
Too abstract, too nerdy, too brainiac to think about skin2skin action.

And the fallout of that is that 99 out of 100 early techno tracks are not about intimacy. (To put this into perspective; look up the regular pop/rap/dance top 100 charts and ponder how many of these tracks are about it...)

Now let's look at the few "unicorns" inside this group that are different in that regard.

1. Model 500 - Night Drive (Thru-Babylon) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5kKUtTX0yU

Woah! That's a sleaze-bomb right there. Juan Atkins, what were you thinking?
If you try to decipher the lyrics, it's about him driving his Porsche through Detroit until he meets... his girlfriend? a stranger? a sex worker?
And then... well, as the lyrics go, "she turns it... all the way"

2. LaTour - People Are Still Having Sex https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ImRyPymRAM

actually one of the first true techno hits and classics.
a witty satire and almost political commentary on human intimacy.
very direct, but also polite and modest enough to leave a lot to the imagination.
reverts the trope of the "sexual revolution" by saying "we didn't change anything, it was always here and will always be here".

3. LFO - Tied Up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azEB6NsqSsk

LFO were the heroes of bleep techno right? Warp records, warehouse raves.
And then they drop this one, many years later. A hymn to BDSM culture. Very heavy stuff.
If you still have a bit of innocence in your mind, listening to this track might haunt you forever.

4. Culture Trance - La Revolución Del Sexo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHQBg-MJHVM

This is what I wrote about earlier. Cosmic longing, cosmic trance, dancing under the night sky.
The "sexo" in this track feels very new age like too... hippies, gurus, shamans... unity with the stars. Bodily unity.

5. Marusha - Whatever Turns You On https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOHliHwJAu4

An early hit for "queen of hard trance" marusha... sound is a bit rougher than her later tracks.
Not very graphic or explicit at all, still, the sounds, vocals, and drums make you feel the ecstasy...

6. Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo - Ultimate Sextrack (Remix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StGstOcIfSw

Gabber producers never beat around the bush when it comes to any topic, and the track is exactly what the title says.
and now... "my favorite fantasy is..."

7. Lords Of Acid - Rough Sex https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6C9XQ0VoEU

Lords of Acid were probably the most sexual themed act of the rave scene... or in the history of music.
This track pushes back the "comic longing for love" aspect I mentioned earlier... and sports a more rough and hard outlook on the whole subject matter.

8. Legend B - Lost In Love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27AXunGRo5E

The acid-trance vibes, the mood of the track, and the vocal samples ("Remember when we played together?") evoke a mystical, pure, almost innocent form of intimacy.

9. Moby - Everytime You Touch Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoewKAOz1sU

Moby went from being a depressed rocker to being a depressed raver and finally to being a depressed producer of world-famous electronica-pop.
This is not to put him down, not at all; his music is pure and genius in its melancholy and infinite sadness.
But I guess this track was the closest he ever got to feeling happy.

10. ''O'' - Another Orgasm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJrLINKxP2A

Little nasty early EBM-Electro track.
Its author later became one of the most prolific producers in all the world of electronic music.

Ca. 1996/1997, the cosmic, new age mood of techno began to wane, and with it, the association with happiness, euphoria and ecstasy.
Now, the mood in electronica and dance music was more disillusioned, apocalyptic and pessimist; and this gave rise to a lot of very sleazy tracks.
The former "odd" period of almost bodiless electronic music was over.

Looking back at music history: the raunchy/spicy New Wave of German music 1977 - 1983

[Warning: mature themes throughout the text]

When people think about the New Wave era, the eye usually wanders towards the UK and, to a lesser degree, Northern America.
Rightfully so, because both countries had the most important and best known output regarding this music (Just think about Visage, The Human League, Blondie, Talking Heads...)
Germany is mostly off the radar, and again, rightfully so.

The new wave of signals were heard in Germany, yes, and it led to a huge wave of new music on its own, yes, that dominated the German and sometimes worldwide charts (Major Tom, Der Kommissar[1], 99 Red Balloons...), but... there is a big *but* here.
Because somehow the signals must have been splintered or fractured, as there was a strange, surreal mutation in sounds.
Or to describe it in more "sober" words: the influence of british new wave music gave rise to the so called "Neue Deutsche Welle" - 'German new wave' - *but* it sounded quite different to its British counterpart.
Much more so than, say, Belgian Techno did sound different from French Techno.
In fact, many "Neue Deutsche Welle" songs (I will call it "NDW" from now on) would not fit to the "New Wave" term, and vice versa.

Now that this intro is over, let's cut to the point.

The NDW scene had a huge and varied output that is of increased interest to international (and German) collectors and music fans in general.
There are a lot of gems, oddities, rarities and obscurities to be found; and this time, we will look at NSFW NDW songs.

These songs are of highly cultural (and maybe even sociological and political) interest, as they came into existence when various, sometimes completely opposed societal groups collided in the NDW scene, trend, and market.
"Raunchy" or "offensive" songs were, for example, done by ex-punk bands that tried to create an outrage, middle aged business men that wanted to generate easy money (by creating an outrage, too), feminist bands trying to stir up the male-centered cultural discourse, art projects that sought an outlet for highly intellectual, academicized, post-modern and post-cultural views on sex and nudity (and also wanted to create an outrage).

so, essentially, you had everything, from drunk gutter punks (of all genders) yelling particularly vulgar and obscene words for perfectly natural human body parts and activities, to chic, upper crust and high brow art school type people yelling particularly vulgar and obscene words for perfectly natural human body parts and activities.

The common thread behind all this indeed seems to have been the desire to create an outrage - and maybe to have some fun (and make easy money).

Did they succeed? Well, yes and no. The raunchy hits rarely became *official* hits, but, as expected, a lot of them spread in the underground and subcultures.

How did the public react? Nudity and other topics that were considered to be "no-no" in countries like the USA shocked Europeans and Germans to a much lesser degree. And playing the "art card" (which most bands could credibly do) usually meant that you could do whatever you want in Europe.
So, yes, there was some scandal and debates, but on a much smaller scale than one might expect when looking back at this.

The NDW unexpectedly faltered some time after 1983. "Over-saturation" of markets and "over-stupefaction" of songs is often cited as the reason.
So, this part of "raunchy" German music history ceased to exist, too.

And then, less than a decade later, the German Techno scene came around, and with it subcultures that were much more "risqué", but that's a wholly different matter.

Footnotes: [1] The media and most people refer usually refer to all songs of this movement as NDW or "Neue Deutsche Welle", even though a lot of it is actually of Austrian, Swiss, and other origin.

Examples of raunchy NDW / German new wave songs.

Note: don't expect driving disco music with luscious voices. The music is really like I described it above; somewhere between cringe and art, surrealism and synthesizers. I guess some of it won't be a "turn on", especially if you look back with today's eyes. Unless you are a drunk punk or art nerd, maybe.

Note 2: If you ain't fluent in German language, I suggest you get a dictionary and look up the song lyrics.
Because otherwise you might be entirely missing the point.

The Pinups - New Wave Lover (1980) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEQjpd8GgjY

Zaza - Zauberstab (1982) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmGaJ-6o3MI
guy sings about his "magic wand"

Die Chefs - Oberficker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkYlDK0eWcI

Spider Murphy Gang - Skandal Im Sperrbezirk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oESfa8jt0p8
about people allegedly having to resort to specialty telephone operators due to a ban of sex work in Munich.

Hans-a-Plast - Sex Sex Sex https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICNTwrj_nzc

Extrabreit - Annemarie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRDW1JwjL_g
the singer wants to have sex with Annemarie (also slight allusions towards BDSM and fetishism)

Trio - Anna https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8H0EUIq6Fs
the singer asks Anna to let him "in and out".

Falco - Der Kommissar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtxkmrXfgTM
sex drugs and rocknroll in the underground night life, basically - while paying attention to not get busted by the cops

Kiz - Die Sennerin vom Königsee (1982) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtxkmrXfgTM
young men from all over the nation visit a Bavarian dairymaid in order to "yodel" with her.

Bärchen und die Milchbubis - Schweinekram https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZS5qKZO3Fo
"Bärchen" can't stop thinking about sex

Hans-a-Plast - Lederhosentyp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGfUTsaglc8
about wanting to have sex with guys in lederhosen

Autofick - The deutsche girls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPGju05kjy0

Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft - Sex Up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiA6x4tjDwg

Ixi - Detlef (1983) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuvNMBiNnL8
a girl wants to pimp her boyfriend and send him off to work the streets

Schaltkreis Wassermann - Sex Is Out, Ich Bin Geklont (1981) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWovS806lyI
about the future of being a sexless clone

Strassenjungs - Jeder Mensch ist mal alleine (1977) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe6QUZKmWj8
justification and instructions for solo-sex

Producer Q&A: Do I think it's okay when people masturbate to my music?

For this article, we're having guest author Low Entropy over here in our magazine.

Hello friends and strangers,
It's another round of my producer's Q&A.
For this time, I want to focus on a quite special topic:

Last year, a rather unusual feedback regarding my music reached me:
A fan told me he got "addicted" to 'touching himself' while listening to my tracks; and he turned it into a little ritual where he would "overdub" movies of an explicit nature with my sound and then go on a very private session.
(It should be noted, it was not just my tracks that had this effect on him; but he noted my tracks are amongst those that 'worked best' for this purpose).

So, what do I think of this? How did it made me feel to be the recipient of such "candid" details?
Well, what I think and feel is that when it comes to topics of sexuality, the discourse in western society is often rather childish and silly. Let's try to have a more mature, rational take on this.

I don't think these "incidents" are related to any kind of attraction or "horniness" towards me or my music, maybe not even related to "sexuality" as it is understood by the laymen.

Due to my very personal history, the main theme of music has always been "healing": the healing of issues on a mental or emotional level, helping to cope with traumas or inner conflicts, and generally liberation and empowerment of the mind and the psyche (I make no claim that I'm always successful at that, though!).

Now, the reproductive system, and sexuality in general, are a huge part of a person's health, no matter if man, woman, or any other gender (or even agender). This is all very natural.
Reproductive and sexual well-being is just as much an important issue as well-being of one's digestive system, heart, lungs, and so on (maybe even more important).

So, I think what happened is that my tracks maybe helped undo / fix a mental blockade, that in turn led to this sexual improvement.
My music is about *release* after all, release of pent-up emotions such as anger, frustration, fury, sadness, melancholy. This release is often joined with a physical activity, such as intensive dancing in a club.
Now if my music leads to a release of pent-up emotions of a sexual nature, and is accompanied by a very special "physical movement", this is all fine with me. please go for it.

If someone went to a "real doctor" because of an issue regarding the reproductive system, the doctor tries to fix in, and in a follow up the person told him that sex / pleasure has improved by a lot now, this would not be weird or strange or unusual either, but part of the doctor's profession.

Thus, such "unusual" feedback does make me feel uneasy or uncomfortable.

Masturbation is good and healthy, and if my music is a help there, then this is all the better.

Music to get tied up to: BDSM and Fetish tracks in the Hardcore Techno genre

Hardcore Techno is - more or less - a non-erotic audio variant of BDSM; as the listening experience is usually described as pain, torture, torment, an ordeal for the mind and the senses by those outside its circle; yet its fans feel pleasure, joy, fulfillment, ecstasy, while listening and celebrating Hardcore Techno.

Despite these similarities, Hardcore tracks whose definite theme is BDSM are actually quite rare.
So here is a list of tracks (in no particular order) that can be associated with BDSM and related fetish topics; directly or indirectly, through track title, vocal sample, or sentiment, serious or not-so-serious. And in some cases just through a mental relation.

Because of this, we do not want to imply that any of these tracks or artists actually did want to send a BDSM message with their tracks; we don't know the artists' intent. It could be so, yes, but it could also be just a gimmick, or a completely random connection (though many cases seem to suggest either the former or the latter).

We hope these tracks evoke feelings of pain&pleasure amongst our audience, too, and, who knows, maybe some of them are suitable for your next session with a special person?

1. LFO - Tied Up
2. No Name - Latex
3. Neuwerk - Black Domina
4. Phoenix - Dominated
5. Hanin Elias - Tie Me To The Wall

6. Human Resource - Dominator
7. Lords Of Acid – Rough Sex (Beltram Whip Mix)
8. Formalities - Submission
9. The Shizit - Gak Bitch
10. Senical - Wanna Beat my Lover

11. Random Rampage - Submission
12. Sieste - Kitty Whip
13. Rave Creator - Me, The Master
14. Masters Of Rave - Pump It (Like A Master)
15. Inferno Bros - Slaves To The Rave

16. Lenny Dee & Ralphie Dee - Power Dominion
17. E-De Cologne - Slaves
18. DJ Alex - In Control
19. Masters of Torture - Power of Yoga
20. Nasenbluten - Feel Disciple

21. The Prophet - Dominatin
22. Noface - Torment
23. Titanium Steel - Slam!
24. DJ Buzz Fuzz - Power Punch
25. The Kotzaak Klan - Locked Inside

If you're in the mood to add your own favorite tracks on this topic - then please don't hold back in this regard!

New E-zine

Our fanzine is now mostly defunct.
But why not check the new E-zine "The Hardcore Overdogs" with a similar concept / content?

https://thehardcoreoverdogs.blogspot.com/

Beyond the penis: An alternative look at sexuality expressed in Hardcore and Gabber tracks of the 90s

One of the many things that has often been criticized about the hardcore and gabber scene of the 90s is the sexism, misogynism, queerphobia expressed in some of the tracks of that era, both in well and lesser known ones.

Lyrics like "Bitch, do you wanna be my mistress?" or "Happy is for homos!" can be seen as very problematic today. This resulted in some very heated debates, with some claiming this was just pure provocation or nonsense from a drug-fueled era, with minds being completely hazy all the time anyway, and that one shouldn't look for any deeper meaning in this, while others say these lyrics are meant to be taken at face value.

We will not get into this particular discussion here. Let's just say that if tracks with lyrics like this will not be produced anymore, we don't think there is a lot that the world would miss about them.

We will sidestep this debate, and take a look at - and try to uncover - something different, that is often blotted out by the aforementioned debate.

Which is that there were indeed tracks with a subtext or content related to human intimacy (aka sexuality) that don't come from a male-dominated, misogynist perspective.

And, if one looks closely, there were a lot of tracks and releases like that!

So here, we will feature some of them.

Just a word of warning here. These tracks can be interpreted in many ways, we don't know what the artist had in mind, their true intents, and so on.

Maybe some were serious, others tongue-in-cheek, or had no real meaning connected to them at all.

We don't want to suggest that the artists we mention had this or that intent, or whatever.

We are just giving examples of how these tracks can be interpreted, without saying our interpretation is the right one.

We don't want to imply the artists here are queer or activists or into BDSM or something else. Not least because, honestly, we don't know it.

You catch our drift?

But let us begin.

Female Empowerment

Let's not forget that in the very male and machismo dominated world of 90s gabber, there indeed were female artists, and they truly had something to say, too!

Cumshot - Urogenital Groove

This duo had only very few tracks out, but they were superb nonetheless.

This is a quite noisy early breakcore affair here. 

Hanin Elias - Tie Me To The Wall

Hanin needs to be mentioned here, of course. If I remember correctly, she stated that the intent of the track (and video) was to criticize sexism, objectification and attempted subjugation of women in the music industry (and the techno underground).

Brides Make Acid - Fucked All Night

The queens of acidcore chanting "... I just wanna get fucked all night". This can be interpreted in two ways, of course. Getting completely wasted and / or high in a hardcore rave party context. Or, well, as in having sex.

But it's a bold, provocative track and concept, in both ways.

Mouse - Lick My Pussy E.P. (Underground Perversions Records)

Stella Michelson with a very clear instruction. I see this title as a clever subversion of all the "Suck my cock, bitch!" track variations by all-too-male gabber producers.

No Name - Kamasutra

It's not clear to me how the title relates to the track, apart from that the sound is very twisted and contorted, too. But it's a great piece of music.

Conclusion

A common theme in the above-mentioned tracks seems to be a very hardcore, provocative, defiant take on human intimacy (aka sex), at times mingled with a bit of BDSM.

Non-misogynous

Not all male tracks have to be misogynist, either.

Marble Cybos - I'd rather get fucked by a vibrator

Very early hardcore track on the "Influence Recordings" label.

I always liked the "I'd rather get fucked by a vibrator than your cock" sample, as it reverses the usual gabber machismo by degrading and insulting males, not females, instead. 

Phoenix - Dominate

Titled "dominate" and featuring a "female dominatrix sample" (more or less. It's a female vocal taken from a BDSM themed track.), the males are definitely not in power here, and have to be content with being subs for the moment.
Well, yeah, that's one possible interpretation. but either way, it's a sex-themed sample that is not macho or against women again, and this is what we wanted to point out.

Gender and roles

One might think the 90s scene was very hetero-normative and binary, "gender solid" instead of fluid. It was not. And it seems it's not easy to find tracks that are beyond these concepts. But then, there were many of them.
Here are just two examples.

Deadly Buda - Themes For Androgenous Super Heroes

The intent or thought behind this track and EP are unknown to us. But, well, it's an example of a more androgynous-themed title, isn't it?

Chicks With Dicks - Musik Ohne Eier EP

While this is not really gabber, it's done by a very well known hardcore producer.
"Ohne eier" translates to "without balls" (aka testicles).

(Again, we don't want to imply the artists mentioned here are androgenous or transgender / transsexual in real life, etc.. Not that this would be a problem, though.)

Asexual

The Stunned Guys - Love Really Sucks

Apart from music that doesn't come from a macho perspective, or is critical of it, there were also tracks that expressed a dislike or disinterest towards human intimacy (aka sex) in general.
We don't think this is really the case here, but the lyrics of the tracks are witty and at least go in that direction.
"...please don't make me fuck you, honey!".

Lbgtqia+ spectrum

Slab - Anoint Me With The Black Sperm Of Beleth

Is it "gay" to be anointed with sperm provided by a demon in a ritual? What if you say "no homo" afterwards?
Aleister would probably approve!

Various Artists - Join The Queercorps EP

One of the only "openly queer" projects of the 90s it seems. I don't have much information on this venture. It's amazing music, though!

Summary

So, these were just some examples of tracks which show that the history of hardcore techno is not made up just of angry bald-heads on too much amphetamines, coke and testosterone, and that take a refreshing view on human intimacy (sex).
This was our little trip beyond the "penis perspective".

Did you like our picks? Do you know more tracks? let us know!

Anarchist Techno

there have been attempts to strip techno, hardcore, and similiar music, of all politics in the last years. while techno in the beginning had strong roots in the working class, in countercultural movements, in freaks and outsiders, and in many cases in overt politics, this had tried to be removed eventually. and totally.
politics, anarchism, are now despised in techno. most people who listen to it don't want to hear anything about it. they hate it, it annoys them, they dislike it. if it's any politics related to "the left" or anarchism, though - right wing politics are accepted in the hardcore mileu, and eagerly passed on. it is said that "the music" and "the party" should be enjoyed for what it is, and not be about "politics". as if music could exist in a vacuum! you won't solve the troubles of society, or of your live, by merely escaping into music - not in this way, at least. and apart from that, politics and these escapees have a common goal - anarchism shows you how to escape your troubles and those of the social, and not just for an hour by an ecstasy fueled high, but permanently.
but we also see a typical 20th century dichotomy here; that of party, fun, fulfillment, highs vs boring grey "politics" - but this should be left in the 20th century. dreams, social reality, politics, and thrills don't have to be opposites, contradictionary terms anymore.
so leave the unpolitical dancefloorhead behind - on to the future!
so the situation right now is, that techno is indeed a completely depoliticised scene (apart from the right wing politics i mentioned). it's funny that in rock, punk, guitar hardcore it is still possible to put a political message across, and people accept it and appreciate it and receive it, and in techno this is almost impossible anymore, in a genre that used to be so ahead of the others.
so, let's get active. switch this. create political techno again. create anarchist hardcore again.
i know a lot of you are out there. there is a lot you can do. first, realise that we anarchist types are not some isolated flakes in the electronic / hardcore world. spread the message. get involved. do some tracks, do vocals, start a zine, anarchist techno parties, whatever. the possibilites are plenty. your imagination is the only limit. so let's get up! take a stand for our beliefs.
create anarchist techno.
the "unpolitical dancefloorheads" can stay in their consumer techno amphetamine hole for a while longer. we don't care. but we want to create political, social and - dreamer music again.

Art And Utopia

there are people who suggest music to me, various styles, the established genres, the "established niches"; they say the music is really nice, good produced, exciting, well-made, interesting, enjoyable; good to party too, good to chill too, or good to listen to in other occurances.
but, when i listen to this music, i ask myself, what has this music to do with me, how does it relate to me, how does it relate to my live, my heart; to my dreams, my desires, my thoughts, my wishes; how does it enable me to change my life, to rise above the circumstances; how does it enable me to reach utopia; how does it enable me to reach my dreams? and does it give me new dreams, now wondrous thoughts, adventure, the wonderful?
there is music like that. there was music like that. but most music, today, or maybe in the past too, is not like it. but there also is different music.
the hippies thought their music could change the world. to overthrow the establishment. to create an utopia. the punks thought they could fight society and win.
where are these artists now? where are the bands? is there an artist who honestly, deeply thinks his music could change society from the bottom up? to reach utopia? that, by his music, he could create a better world?
no, current music, current artists, are devoid of these things. because these ideas and ideals are dead for them. because any ideal, that is not "money" or "success" is dead to them. soulless music by soulless artists for soulless consumers.
who still thinks there is a revolution, of society, a political and cultural revolution, in the west possible by music and counterculture? no one? if not, why not?
or if that is too "political" for you - then, to make a better world, on a large scale, by music and art?
or at least to change your life and that of others - to a wondrous, sweet, beautiful, perfect thing?
no, these ideas seem to be gone. because people are without vision and concept now - or rather, without knowledge and insight. these ideas are still true. the ideals are still true. you can reach utopia, a revolution, anarchy - if only for yourself. it is possible.
i painted a bleak picture - i am sure there are some artists out there who still do it for the "cause". and i know there are at least still listeners - the word "listeners" is to passive, i say activists - who believe art can bring a change, and believe in revolution and anarchy, or at least in utopia, and in ideals.
and we might very likely grow in numbers soon.
the point is not to give up - but to hope, to be sure, and to be active.