Being socialized in the GDR himself Dunkeltier (German for dark beast) aka SneakerDJ delivers a recording of two and a half hours of German (+ Austrian & Swiss) synth music from the early 80s commonly dubbed as NDW (the commercial tag) and from the Kassettentäterszene (underground tape scene). [edit: a song with English vocals and a classic one by Absolute Body Control sneaked in] The mix was recorded for eternity at the small community-run venue Pracht in the wilderness of East Germany we know as Leipzig.


An interview is passed down from back then:

Q: This is a mix of mostly music with German vocals. What is your personal connection to electronic music with German lyrics and what do you think adds the language to the music to make it specific?

Sneaker: Although everybody is allowed to play any music (free minds at least) German vocals give me an identity. Often these artists refer to a feeling apparent in the German society at its time that I can reenact inside myself and certainly relate to (you should see me dumbly gaping at Cuban musicians last month). Although I am also – in heavy contrast – into house music with my main alias Sneaker, we can play and love this music. But we do not entirely feel the Ghetto House from Chicago or the Wild Pitch Sound of the Paradise Garage. Not talking of more Gospel and black and Latin community influenced sub-genres (yes, I am digging and collecting all of that).

And on your second question – I don’t know if it’s the language, but the German vocals and lyrics were expressive to all edgy directions one could imagine. Often closer to performance art than music, they just let loose! To me – and I really like to state that in capitals – THE UNDERGROUND NDW WAS THE LATER MUSICAL PENDANT TO THE 20s GERMAN DADA ART MOVEMENT. I’d really argue hard if someone disagrees. Just like Dada the tape kids were fed up with authorities and the older generation (compare first world war monarchies and the Thatcher / Reagan cold war!). So instead of direct rebellion (’68 student movement being just a fart in history) both went into denying any logic and sense in order to reject false and pathetic ideology and by this becoming immune against these and “their devils”! At least at home and in an edition of 20 or so tapes. This no-sense layer was most obvious in the lyrics (besides dilettante musical structures): Lyrics – willfully German – against Big Brother America. Their parents embraced the occupying forces and their “Coca-Cola & Elvis” – partly (the older) in some false moral in an effort to forget the collective guilt of the 3rd Reich – partly (the younger) in blind hedonism of the Wirtschaftswunder. Us – however – are the detached internet generation (we are not NDW) looking for nostalgia to feel more real than everyday’s virtual “life in our laptop office”.

I could unfurl an extra theory on the East German scene (my childhood), but as I might bore you this is best covered already in the book “Wir wollen immer artig sein!” (only in German language). The book is mainly covering the punk scene, but also the tiny bits of high quality low key electronic DIY music in the socialist G.D.R..”

“Wir wollen immer artig sein!” on Amazon
Deutschlandfunk on “Wir wollen immer artig sein!” (German language)

Q: There is a lot of this German music still to be discovered that was recorded and is stored on tapes. You are quite into the German 80s synth/wave tape scene, why do you think there was such a big tape movement in that era?

Sneaker: Honestly I’d have to guess and we’d better ask a witness and activist of that time like Felix Kubin. There is a great podcast (2 parts + lyrics) made by him for a Spanish (!) museum explaining in detail the Kassettentäterszene.”

http://rwm.macba.cat/en/felix_kubin_tag/

Q: In Austria it is really hard to find tape recordings of bands that focussed on synth music. We recently discovered the Poligam material that will be out on a 2×12’’ album soon where you also contributed a remix. How can the Poligam material and the Austrian scene of the early 80s in general be compared with the German scene?

Sneaker: I’d judge that Austria was smaller only in terms of quantity due to the size of the country. And maybe you can tell me if my observation is right – that the Austrian scene was more gravitating around Vienna? In Germany it was a remarkably decentralized scene. Not only we had several higher concentrations such as in Berlin (not as dominant as you might think), the scattered Ruhrgebiet and Hamburg – you also had numerous DIY projects from the attics of small towns and villages (like “The Gotling” we remastered last year for a reissue on Mond Musik). Despite a minor, loose network people hardly gathered for festivals nor did they combine forces (equipment, exchange of knowledge and label infrastructure). So the quality remained the same charming naive approach like anywhere else in the 80s tape scene (so actually there was no vigor scene!). It was more likely to become a pro for these chaps than growing into a full-blown youth culture – what never happened!

Q: Do you think it is a good thing to make almost forgotten musical material like this accessible for a bigger audience again? In times of rising vinyl reissue numbers this is a quite controversial topic.

Sneaker: “Anything goes!” in the first place. And “Whatever works!” in the second. I like old music and it is essential to me as my direct source of creativity. For samples, edits, pattern and arrangement structures, mix balance, even mastering – all is inspired and competes with the iconic history. I wanna have it accessible. So when it comes to edits I am grateful for any CD-reissue and hi-res download. Only the best! Remastering is a different topic and more controversial to me. To sum up – myself doesn’t want to convince anybody else to like or need old music. “Live and let live!”

Q: You already contributed a widely lauded podcast on Soviet synth for the 716LaVie Mix series – now it’s NDW and German synth from tapes. – What does it mean to you to record genre-themed mixes?

Sneaker: When I compare my variety of genres – laid out from one mix to the next, entirely different one rather than in one eclectic mix – I only see a comparable theme-based scheme with classic radio DJs. And podcasts are in this tradition. However I also play like that in clubs (this NDW mix was recorded at Pracht, Leipzig during a club night). At Dr. Seltsam in Leipzig I have regular nights with Saša Sora. A year ago we played one night of NY & gay house. Then – never again. Another night we ping-pong cosmic (him) and wave (me) for hours. Then again I might play acid and techno all-night. You can’t pin me down, so “what it means” you ask? … It means freedom and the Forrest Gump metaphor of “You never know!” what to expect tonight!

All this diversity is still handled with a sense for a musical flow and for example garage house you will only truly feel after a good set of a few hours (preferably in the right setting). It’s not a genre to drop for one track. Also NDW often fails when I try to integrate it in between techno and wave (they instead go well together in the hands of a knowledgeable DJ). NDW is a gritty beast – tempos from 80 to 200 bpm, full stops and track lengths of 1:30 min, plenty of harmonic changes, cacophonic climaxes … with NDW you better assemble a DJ set one by one rather curating the flow by a proper selection (in a balance of steadiness and dynamics of moods and speeds). … just as I tried with my mix here. Still my style is classic. If you wanna listen to masterfully assembled NDW madness … experimental, daring and out there as if the newbie-horrifying tag ‘beat-matching’ never existed … one should listen to a German synth set by Ober Mannkind!

www.felixkubin.com
https://soundcloud.com/obermannkind

Memory Screen is hosted by Joshua Cordova
Past shows can be streamed here (top right button on their radio station web site): https://www.mutantradio.net/residents/joshua

This mix for Memory Screen was recorded at the legendary ‘Hot On The Heels’ night at the California Clipper. Shortly after Halloween 2024, the enigmatic Dunkeltier played the monthly, mid-week night started nearly 20 years ago and hosted by Beau Wanzer. In his 2.5 hour set, Dunkeltier brought the hyper-local Neue Deutsche Welle (the commercial tag) and Kassettentäter (DIY tape scene) sounds to Chicago exposing party goers to what he considers “THE LATER MUSICAL PENDANT TO THE 20s GERMAN DADA ART MOVEMENT”.

For those curious about the cultural background of the scenes behind the mix, here is an interview with the Dunkeltier for Discus Throwers (Wiener Brut):
https://sneakerdj.com/discus-mix-20-dunkeltierndwgerman-synth-special/

The legendary night (named after the eponymous classic title by Throbbing Gristle) is hosting the obscure Dunkeltier bringing Neue Deutsche Welle and Kassettentäter to Chicago. Highlight of the night is a live act by Pod Blotz! I said LIVE!!!

Dunkeltier teams up with the Supa DJ Dmitry from New York and Squirrels on Film from the Bay Area.

C.L.A.W.S. has seen it all, done it all and does it again in the basement on Thursday:
Returning from the Mutants Festival in Tiblisi C.L.A.W.S. stops by to reunite with Dunkeltier.

DJ Dmitry is the co-founder of New York dance group Deee-Lite currently collaborating with half of Autonervous’ Jessie Evans as Nauti Siren. Groove is in the heart!

Sameheads on Instagram – Click here!

Order here! (Bordello, Juno, oYE & Serendeepity shops are SOLD OUT!):
  Linktree with all known shops

release date: Dec 8th, 2023
Distributed by Word & Sound.
Cat.no.: RAS-EDIT1

Returning to a Cosmic fest after last year’s hiatus left me with one big question – what to play? The 7″ collection didn’t grow considerably in the last 2 years. So I picked the records that grew accumulated since I played a darker set – well … as Dunkeltier in 2016. Not particularly «Cosmic» either. But remarkably psychedelic – not only because of the Timothy Leary citations – and therefore in the Cosmic tradition in a wider sense. It’s clashing here and there – the typical friction I accept, I am even seeking for in my sets ever since (or at least since the Disco Train is rolling on Rat Life 1 in 2013). Far from synced, generic patterns the mix is challenging you with disharmonic dubbing, dares to layer badly edited originals (comparable to disco records «without a click») and even entirely different metra. Not mentioning the hard to grasp sunless tunes before I blend into more celestial realms.

I don’t offer a tracklist, but I wanna point you to two tunes by the fabulous label Moonwalk X (stay up-to-date on Insta here!) – run by the equally genius and adored DJ turning head by shouting his name Cid Hohner.

Thanks to Andri and Marco from Mattoni Pazzi (follow them here!) and of course Wahid and all peeps from Cosmic Deluxe!

On occasion of the upcoming EP of edits named “Dunkeltier macht Spaß!” on Reach Another System we need a release party – here we are!

FB-event click here!