Artist Spotlight: Neu!

Neu! was possibly the most one-dimensional of the major Krautrock bands—yet their minimalist approach generated a powerfully hypnotic body of music. Michael Rother’s ambient guitar textures backed by Klaus Dinger’s simple lock-groove beat created a propulsive droning effect with a variety of sound-textures, from soothing to abrasive. Fascinating stuff.

Note: The music of Neu! has had quite a widespread influence. For example, whenever Sonic Youth suspend and stretch out a passage into an extended, ever-shifting drone, the sound clearly comes straight from Neu! They even feature the song “Negativland” in their song “Two Cool Rock Chicks Listening to Neu.” And “Isi” sounds like hundreds of electronica-influenced rock bands (Stereolab comes first to mind, but there are plenty of others).