Einstürzende Neubauten
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Einstürzende Neubauten is an experimental music band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980.
The band is often classified as industrial music or electronica. One of their 'trademarks' is the use of custom made instruments (usually, but not always, made out of scrap metal and building tools) and noises, in addition to standard musical instruments. Neubauten has always experimented with sounds, originally in noise music and recently in very diverse styles.
Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Blixa Bargeld is probably the best-known member of the group. The band has shared members with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
The band name
The band name is usually translated into English as "Collapsing New Buildings" - "collapsing" is a participial adjective, not a transitive verb (i.e., "buildings that are collapsing"). Neubauten is a general term referring to buildings constructed in Germany after 1945. These are often regarded as cheaper, flimsier, and less aesthetically attractive than "Altbauten," or pre-1945, especially pre-modernist buildings. Due to the extensive destruction throughout Germany during the second World War, and the extensive rebuilding thereafter, Neubauten constitute a very familiar element of German cities.
Band logo
The Einstürzende Neubauten logo resembles a human stick figure with two arms, two legs (one shorter than another), thin body and big round head consisting of a circled dot. It was not created by or for the band, but is a cave drawing of probably Toltec or Olmec origin, though its provenance has also been attributed to the much older sacred ring at Stonehenge.