[Column] NEU! and the core of krautrock—future music opened up through repetition
Column en Electronic History Krautrock![[Column] NEU! and the core of krautrock—future music opened up through repetition](/../assets/images/column-neu.webp)
What is NEU!—The existence at the core of Krautrock
Text: mmr｜Theme: The moment when repetition and mechanicality changed music—NEU! and the revolution in the sense of time
Position in German experimental music
In the early 1970s, a unique musical movement was born in West Germany in conjunction with postwar cultural restructuring. This trend, later called ““krautrock,’’ was an attempt to break away from imitations of British and American rock and explore an autonomous musical language. At the center of this was NEU!
NEU! was formed in 1971 by Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother. Both artists had previously been part of Kraftwerk’s initial lineup, but due to differences in musical direction, they left and started a new project, NEU!.
Germany at this time was acutely aware of its political and cultural disconnect with its past. There was a feeling that it was necessary to create a ““German sound” rather than just copying British and American rock. NEU! responded to this request by changing not the language or lyrics, but the ““structure” itself.
Furthermore, the band name “NEU!” (new) has more meaning than just a name. It is said to have originated from pop advertisements in record stores and copies of consumer society, and symbolizes that their music is located between commercial symbols and experimentation.
NEU! is not just a band, but a turning point in musical thought in postwar Germany.
The invention of motorik beat
Innovation of linear rhythm
One of NEU!’s most important contributions is the rhythm style called “mortal beat.” This is a type of drumming mainly established by Klaus Dinger, and is characterized by maintaining a constant tempo and sustaining a beat with almost no change.
This style is different from traditional rock grooves and swings, and creates a feeling of driving down the autobahn. In fact, Dinger himself is said to have referred to this rhythm as “a beat that moves forward forever.”
An interesting anecdote is that Dinger had a strong aversion to fluctuations in tempo during live performances, and was obsessed with maintaining a constant mechanical speed. There are also testimonies that even physical movements were kept to a minimum in order to avoid increasing the tempo due to the enthusiasm of the audience or the atmosphere of the venue.
This beat influenced later techno, post-punk, and even modern electronic music.
Mortalic Beat eliminated human fluctuations and transformed music into time itself.
Debut work “NEU!” and acoustic experiments
Minimalism and space construction
Their debut album ““NEU!’’, released in 1972, is one of the most important works in music history. The album is based on repetition and static structures, layered with guitars, noise, and ambient sounds.
Michael Rother”s guitar functions more as a texture than a melody, creating spatial dimension. On the other hand, Dinger”s drums function as the axis that runs through it.
The recording was done in a very simple environment, with many studio restrictions, but this resulted in an emphasis on the blank space and silence of the sound. In particular, “Hallogallo” continues for nearly 10 minutes with a nearly fixed chord progression, but it gives the listener the feeling that the passage of time becomes vague.
Although the album was not a commercial success at the time, it was considered a highly innovative work by some critics and musicians. In later years, it was sometimes described in the liner notes of reissues as ““sounds from the future.’’
"”NEU!’’ is a work that does not design changes in sound, but the auditory experience itself.
“NEU! 2” and the idea of editing
Innovation born from constraints
Their second album, 1973’s NEU! 2, was born under the practical constraints of a lack of production budget. In the second half of the album, a technique is used in which existing sound sources are played back at different rotational speeds.
This is not just reuse, but is close to the concept of “reinterpretation of sound.” By changing the speed, the same material transforms into music with completely different meanings.
There are some interesting anecdotes surrounding this production process. Normally, production would be halted when the budget runs out, but NEU! took advantage of these constraints and arrived at the idea of ”“transforming the same sound source.’’ As a result, this became something that anticipated later DJ culture and the concept of remixing.
At the time, this method was controversial, with some critics calling it unfinished, but today it is regarded as one of the most radical attempts.
"”NEU! 2” is a work that brings to the fore the concept of ““editing” in music production.
“NEU! 75” and the completion of duality
Contrast between static and dynamic
1975’s NEU! 75 presents distinctly different directions in the first and second half of the album. The first half is ambient and melodic songs led by Rother, and the second half is aggressive and noisy songs led by Dinger.
This structure can be said to directly reflect the differences in musical orientation within the band. In fact, there is evidence that the relationship between the two was already strained at this time, and that the recordings were made separately.
The songs in the second half in particular had a roughness similar to later punk and industrial music, and could be said to be ahead of their time.
This album ended up presenting the polar opposites of the NEU! project, leading to its subsequent suspension of activities.
"”NEU! 75’’ is a work that was completed not through unification but through division.
Impact and reassessment
Spread to subsequent generations
NEU!’s music was reevaluated in later years rather than in the 1970s. Especially since the 1980s, its value has been popularized by David Bowie, Brian Eno, and others.
In Bowie’s “Berlin Trilogy”, the influence of NEU!-like repetition and spatial processing has been pointed out. Eno also showed a strong interest in the sustained structure of NEU! in the context of ambient music.
From the 1990s onwards, post-rock and techno artists rediscovered NEU!, and its influence expanded once again. In Japan as well, with the wave of reappraisal of Krautrock, NEU! is positioned as an important reference point.
NEU! was music that was more open to the future than its contemporaries.
Chronology
Major movements of NEU!
Despite being active for a short period of time, NEU! is deeply engraved in the long-term history of music.
Conclusion——The future presented by NEU!
Redefining musical time and structure
NEU! changed the way time is handled within the rock format. Continuation rather than change, repetition rather than development. This idea was extremely radical at the time.
Their music may seem monotonous at first glance. However, within this monotony, there are subtle changes and fluctuations in perception. The listener loses track of the flow of time and experiences the music as a ““state’’ rather than the sound itself.
This feeling is an important element in modern club music and ambient music, and NEU!’s philosophy continues to be updated.
NEU! is an entity that has transformed music from “something to listen to” to “something to experience.”
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