MATT THROWER catches up with NEU! co-founder MICHAEL ROTHER to discuss a new CD delving into the varied music inspired by the legendary krautrock outfit.

German outfit NEU! are one of the most important bands of the last four decades, their hypnotic rhythms, pioneering electronics and grimy proto-punk an influence on everyone from Sex Pistols to Bowie to Stereolab. To celebrate their legacy, new compilation Brand NEU! puts together an impressive roster of artists from LCD Soundsystem to School Of Seven Bells, performing tracks immersed in the sonic magic of this seminal duo, as well as unreleased material from original members Michael Rother and the late, great Klaus Dinger.

MATT THROWER: Brand NEU! is an interesting concept for an album, in that the bands aren’t covering your songs but playing originals with elements influenced by NEU!’s music. How do you view this idea as opposed to a covers album? Do you have any favourite pieces on the CD?

MICHAEL ROTHER: Although it would be interesting to hear bands actually trying to cover NEU! songs, it’s definitely more interesting for me to hear their original tracks featuring traces of our ideas. There are a few tracks on Brand NEU! which I really like, such as Device (Fuer M) by School of Seven Bells, Electro Karaoke by Fujiya & Miyagi, plus the Oasis track and the one by LCD Soundsystem to name a few.

MT: Your track on the CD, Neutronics 98, is a tribute to Conny Plank. What do you feel were Conny’s primary contributions to your music and many other German / European bands?  

MR: I feel that we owe our co-producer Conny Plank incredibly much for the creativity he contributed to the recordings of the three NEU! albums as well as Harmonia’s Deluxe and my first three solo albums. Conny was just as interested in originality and in creating new music as we were. He had a strong personality, great musical and technical qualities at the mixing desk and was not afraid of sharing risks with us. Conny had the ability to memorise the good parts which were often scattered all over the multi-track tape and he picked them up in the mix at the right time. Some of Conny’s basic truths about music production are still in my mind whenever I’m mixing. He will continue to be an inspiration.

MT: I, like many, got to hear NEU! in relatively recent years, when the three studio albums from the ‘70s were reissued on CD. How important do you feel these reissues were in exposing your music to younger listeners?

MR: Luckily, in 1999 we were contacted by the German artist Herbert Groenemeyer who is hardly known outside of Germany, but sells millions of albums in German-speaking countries. He wanted to start his label Gronland with NEU! and he succeeded in bringing Klaus and me together just long enough to release the albums in 2001.

He invested a lot of enthusiasm, energy, good-will and money on NEU! and released the albums on vinyl and CD. Since 2001, we’re experiencing a completely new focus on our music and a lot of young people discover NEU! From what I hear, many fans are surprised to find out that they already knew some of our ideas because the new bands they like have taken inspiration from NEU! I’m very happy that our music is now available in the best quality and is still creating so much enthusiasm. By the way, we are just about to prolong our contract with Gronland.

MT:  I’ve seen early footage of Kraftwerk, when you and Klaus were in the group with Florian Schneider. Understandably, one can hear the origins of the NEU! sound in these performances. What common ground inspired you and Klaus to start NEU! ?

MR: After a few months it became clear – without having to discuss anything – that the vision Klaus and I had for the music we were trying to create was different to what Florian had in mind. You can judge easily if you compare the first NEU! album which we recorded a few months after the split from Kraftwerk, with the second Kraftwerk album which Florian Schneider recorded with Ralf Hutter. Hallogallo is a perfect example of our idea of a straight fast-forward movement, of flying towards the horizon. Hallogallo reflects one of the main concepts of NEU! and is one of my favourite tracks.

MT: What future projects can we expect from you?
MR: I have just finished working on the re-release of the project Harmonia & Eno ‘76 (Rave Note: Harmonia is the group Rother performed in with electronic duo Cluster). Our album Tracks & Traces will feature three new tracks which I have unearthed from my tapes of our collaboration with Brian Eno and will be out on CD and vinyl on Gronland Records in September this year.                                                                                     

Also, I’m currently working in the studio on the recordings Klaus Dinger and I made in 1985/1986 for our album NEU! ´86. Fans may know that part of the material (from this project) was illegally released by my NEU! partner in 1995 in Japan as NEU! 4. Klaus was quite desperate for money and in a very bad state at the time, which made him do some terrible things, but listening to our music now and thinking about how to present NEU! in the best way is an inspiration for me and reminds me of the good sides of Klaus, of his great artistic personality.

Next year I hope to perform live again. I will focus on performing solo and intend to present my favourite NEU! and Harmonia music and tracks from my solo albums live. I’ve already contacted some of my musician friends, such as John Frusciante, Benjamin Curtis, Josh Klinghoffer and Flea and it’s great to see that all are just as enthusiastic about this project as I am.

BRAND NEU! is out now on Feraltone Records through Inertia. www.myspace.com/brandneucompilation

Be first to comment on this article

Write Comment
Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Poster's IP addresses are logged.
Name:
Comment:
Code:*