NEU!

NEU! was established in Düsseldorf, Germany in 1971 by multi-instrumentalist musicians Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother, former members of the influential band Kraftwerk. Despite not achieving mainstream commercial success, the band is now acknowledged for influencing the sound of genres like krautrock, punk, electronic, and ambient music. Their first and third albums are considered masterpieces by numerous artists, including David Bowie, Brian Eno, Iggy Pop, and Thom Yorke.

The name NEU! translates to “New!” in German and is pronounced as “Noy”. The band selected this name due to its common usage in Düsseldorf advertising, according to Dinger, who described it as “the strongest word in advertising”.

NEU! is recognized for being part of the krautrock scene, deconstructing commercial rock/pop music with a minimalist approach, using a 4/4 beat known as “Motorik” that repeats throughout the track, and replacing chord changes with a harmonic drone (a single chord, layering numerous electric guitar overdubs).