Electronic Music - German Brilliance and Influence

[@markwibrow9126]

Great topic. The 1980’s. A time when Americans wanted to be British. The British wanted to be German. And the Germans wanted to be robots. 🎵

[@VaughnGeorge]

HAHAHAHAHA Well said Mark!! V:-)

[@MartinidM]

Cool conclusion !!!

[@diegoguadalupi7836]

The problem was robots wanted to be Americans...What a world!!!

[@_P_M_]

That's why they called it the 2nd British invasion in the US. Being a midwestern kid in the 80's, I didn't understand where all this new music was coming from in Europe but I knew it was cool and modern and different.

[@belconetto]

the Germans wanted to be Japanese

[@ksrnan4993]

being a german, i would also thank jean-michelle jarre, vangelis and many others for their efforts in this field of my favorite music. when it comes to techno, always remember: detroit hustles harder. ;-)

[@VaughnGeorge]

Hello bud!! I will discuss all of those!! V:-)

[@krasteff]

Probably Pink Floyd too, the German electronics owes a lot to them (if not everything).

[@micmarkno]

Yes but as far as I know, Detroit artists always refer to Kraftwerk

[@belconetto]

@@krasteff or not

[@sinidm9492]

micmarkno Kraftwerk and Depeche Mode ❤️

[@robb1865]

Absolutely. The Germans are great at everything they do. When I heard "People are People" by Depeche Mode on the radio in 1984 over the loudspeakers at my local public swimming pool I could tell it was very very different. Just the sounds of the smashing on pieces of metal blended in with the drum beat was able to make quite an impression to me at only 6-year-old. To make that kind of impression on a small child who still hadn't heard a whole lot of music you have to be doing something very innovative. Very cool how they used the influence from German industrial music.

[@gvr6079]

Brilliant vid. I'm also a South African and finished school in 1984. I still have a big collection of Lp's and cd's of these German artists. All the things you mention in this video i told my 2 daughters when they where still very young ( now 16 & 19 ) and offcourse they still listen to these artists today.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you for sharing !! Welcome to the channel:!! V:-)

[@gvr6079]

Thanks....i"ve dubscribed a few months ago .

[@alexandermalexander9268]

Ooooo dankeschön for this video!! Interesting as always.

[@VaughnGeorge]

You're welcome!!! V:-)

[@kstats8243]

Alphaville!! Germany with love

[@jpn3036]

Great coverage!! Wow your breadth of knowledge is impressive-you captured modern talking/Sandra/bad boys blue even!! Mid 80’s to early 90’s Italo/euro disco was my intro to electronic music-the atmosphere of excitement, romance, and melancholy in an avant-garde package-love it till today. It was this genre that situated me for depeche and so on! Thanks again for another entertaining topic and the passion you bring to it!!!

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you matey and I am glad you enjoyed the video !! V;-)

[@neonlight7669]

And let's not forget to mention the genius behind these early great electronic music acts - Conny Plank. From Kraftwerk to John Foxx, from Ultravox to Eurythmix, he was the man who turned analogue sounds into a perfect art form. I wonder what else he would have achieved if he didn't die so you. As for Hans Zimmer, I remember the guy from when he played synths with a band called Krisma. You're right, he's very talented. The score for the movie Gladiator is just amazing and so is Pearl Harbour. Thank you for all the work and effort to put these videos up.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you for your kind words and for the suggestions!! V;-)

[@iDoTechOK]

Had a good listen on this one again VG. Still enjoyable to listen to and learn from.

[@KidMrRemixes]

I let out a big cheer when you mentioned Alphaville. That, and Sandra’s massive hits! Sandra was my sound of 1989, when I worked in Jersey for the summer. This Portuguese guy who worked with me had a tape of this girl singer. No idea who she was at the time but totally unique sound. He gave me the tape and I still have it to this day. For my daughters 16th birthday I took her to see Alphaville in Krakow. I’d emailed their manager to say we were making the trip for her birthday as she was a big fan - from listening whilst growing up. Marian sent a recorded video message to her and I gave it to her on her birthday when I told her we were going to see them in Poland. We were both invited back stage after the gig to meet Marian and the band. The remastered LP album Forever Young is amazing.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Hey Jezz !! Thank you so much for this brilliant post !! V;-)

[@daveschrdinger]

Absurd Minds, And One, Blind Passengers, Camouflage, De/Vision, In Strict Confidence, Nena, Project Pitchfork, Wolfsheim (+Peter Heppener solo) etc. Interesting fact that most of German artists are singing in English, but they're not so popular in other parts of the world as in Germany (home).

[@VaughnGeorge]

True Dave!! V:-)

[@Loendt]

Oh yeah!

[@captainbanana2099]

Also, Deine Lakaien, Die Krupps and Wumpscut, Welle Erdball.

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

That can also be said about Kowalski (Schlagende Wetter) produced by Conny Plank.

[@DavidBoura]

Das Ich , Einsturzenden Neubauten

[@annpower8071]

Watched a few videos of you and can tell you they are great! Thanks so much for talking about these musicians in a nice, clever and also funny way! I really enjoy it. I'm a huge fan of synthpop music, especially of Erasure and PSB (to name a few British ones) and of German musicians of that genre like Kraftwerk, Camouflage, Alphaville, Propaganda, Modern Talking... Also like Desireless singing in French and in general musicians singing in English or mixed languages... As I am myself German I appreciate what you said about 'breaking the market in Germany'.

[@HazeAnderson]

Harold Faltermeyer is one of my all time favs and influences. His music for the Fletch soundtrack is just delightful. 🤗

[@StockholmNightlife]

Again quality video from The heart!! I we get reminded how much Great electronic Music there is out there!! BIG Thanks Vaughn!! =)

[@VaughnGeorge]

Big Thanks to YOU my dear friend for your support and kind words!! V;-)

[@StockholmNightlife]

@@VaughnGeorge Soon 5000 Subs Vaughn!! Going to Promote You on FaceBook! People need to see this! =)

[@VaughnGeorge]

@@StockholmNightlife Thank you so much my friend!! I am so grateful to you !! V:-)

[@BiserAngelov1]

@Piano & Keyboard Artist Some time in the future i would be really happy to see an elaborated video series about Tangerine Dream. A band that right beside Kraftwerk, held the "Electronic Pioneers" title, until around the late 1980s, but in later years their popularity went down. Tangerine Dream are one of the most productive music bands of all time, with 100+ records (not counting the compilations & the bootlegs) from the late 1960s to this day. Their music often consists of long atmospheric tracks, that carry the feeling of cosmic harmony, which is hard to be mistaken. That is why Tangerine Dream has their own fan base, that probably behaves more quietly and passively, but its certainly not a small in numbers. PS: Fun fact - Alan Wilder sampled one of Tangerine Dream iconic pieces "Rubycon part 1", for Recoil's 2007 song Allelujah

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you for this Biser!! V:-)

[@GabeTorregiani]

Totally agree Biser. It is just wrong to mention Tangerine Dream as just one of the others.

[@ReginatorNet]

I also have an affinity for German electronic music... since... I was born in Stuttgart.

[@blankets1453]

Thank you for overlaying images to your videos. Super helpful!

[@Pulse2AM]

I miss the synth pop era. Thanks for the video.

[@VaughnGeorge]

In this series, we will keep synth alive !! Cheers!! V;-)

[@Pulse2AM]

@@VaughnGeorge Nice - the synth is alive current Pop is almost all synth but it's not the same as the 80's for sure.. You're a good player I'd like to see a video where you break down a classic synth pop song, chords, synths used, drum machines etc. You know a total geek out. LOL

[@mikekaraoke]

Vaughn-Really like your channel, So glad you chose to do a video about German bands/artists! I'm from England in Kent + have been on holiday to Germany since I was a small kid in the 1980's You mentioned Depeche Mode although Big in the UK-They were indeed massive in Germany Regarding the full kick fat sound for Blue Monday yea at that time in 82/83, 6 months later though it did get that fat kick sound with bands like Frankie Goes to Hollywood with Relax recorded in August of 83 Really liked your mentions of Sandra, Alphaville, michael cretu, Modern Talking, Camouflage, Kraftwerk, etc When would your video be out for Sandra-I remember as a kid she had 1 minor hit single in UK but never released any albums, But in France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, Spain, Italy, your country South Africa as you know etc she was everywhere on TV and having hit singles + albums for like 12 years-One of my favs I just listened to was: In the Heat of the Night :-) Could you also do other videos for really good Electronic/Synth German Bands/ Artists like: Hubert Kah, Münchener Freiheit, Blue System(Dieter did this after MT as you know), Nena, etc I could go on and on :-)

[@VaughnGeorge]

Mikey thank you dfor your kind words and for recommendations too!! V;-)

[@mikekaraoke]

@@VaughnGeorge Your very welcome George , So have you been to any part in the county of Kent? I have followed you on Facebook as well :-)

[@rickblasing1237]

This video just keeps getting better, what a great topic.- Michael Cretu, Harold Faltermeyer, Tangerine Dream, and Alphaville. You got em all!. I love your little bits of playing in between....And the Hans Zimmer impression just made me burst out laughing and now everyone in my office probably thinks I'm a nut job, which is just fine! Thanks for making my workday go by a little easier.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Glad to have brought a smile to your day Rick!! Cheers for your kind comments!! V;-)

[@davidw5515]

One of my favorite German Synth Pop bands since the 90's and today has to be De/Vision

[@VaughnGeorge]

Yep, I will check them out!! V:-)

[@angiefuego]

Very interesting video! But I love how you went from Kraftwerk to Modern Talking (LOL!), that's something I wasn't expecting.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Glad you enjoyed it Angela!! V;-)

[@HJPhilippi]

DM and Germany - yes, a true love story. :-) Just imagine that, starting in the late 80ies or so, we began to have DM parties here. In every major city and in every forgotten small town. Sometimes just a handful, sometimes hundreds of people met to listen and dance to DM songs all night long, nothing else. And this lives on until today!

[@thodeus]

its not just electronic music. even in rock and classical music.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Yes indeed, Germany has influenced the world in many positive ways !! V:-)

[@secretsymphony]

Dreaming in my own synth band in the 1990s we used to say it would be nice just to break central Europe, especially Germany, and then we could walk around still unknown in the UK. Well, we succeeded in staying unknown! Mesh, the band I linked previously, however, pretty much have succeeded in being big in Germany and relatively unrecognised in the UK. BTW, good singing and playing as usual.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you for your kind words my friend!! I have been introduced to Mesh and I like them too!! V;-)

[@koji505]

Ha Ha ha I first heard of modern talking's music from a tv commercial , their music is catchy, those melodies get stuck in your head for days. German electronic music is great!

[@TEDdotcom]

There’s a ton of German Depeche Mode ‘inspired’ bands out there... Camouflage, Cetu Javu, De/Vision, C.C.C.P., Edge of Dawn, to name a few.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Yes!! Germany certainly are forerunners in electronic music!! V:-)

[@top-ten.music_and_more]

@@VaughnGeorge The Blond Guy you mentioned in Modern Talking WAS Dieter Boheln - the Producer. Dieter Bohlen is like Stock Aitken Waterman ... Copy & Paste Music.

[@Luna_And_Pixel]

Camouflage has been my favorite band since methods of silence came out. But their past 3 albums have been synth perfection! True they started out influenced by DM but now they carry their own unique and unmistakable style.

[@VaughnGeorge]

I like them too !! V;-)

[@trizvanov]

I grew up surrounded by bands like Modern Talking and other artists produced by Bohlen, such as C.C. Catch blasting from speakers on every corner. Extremely cheesy but at the same time, very very catchy. "Bad Boys Blue" was another one. Just like you, Sandra (later I found that she started her career in a band called Arabesque), was the first artist I've had a crush on! :D Loved the stuff she and Cretu did later with Enigma project. Their "Return to Innocence" track is an absolute classic! To this day however, a German band band that I really admire for the sheer number of beautiful melodies is Camouflage. Listen to their "Methods of Silence" and "Bodega Bohemia" and you'll see what I mean.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you for this post Tim!! V;-)

[@gabija_v2012]

Alphaville - yes, yes yes! The first ever music that I decided was brilliant and I always would love (so not actually DM, hehe, but they have overtaken by now).

[@VaughnGeorge]

hi gabby!! V;-)

[@Seligs]

Great vid. I've never listened to Kraftwerk, but will give them a listen. Like you, growing up in South Africa, I listened to Modern Talking, Alphaville and Sandra. The good old days of music.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Craig Seligmann Cheers matey yes give them a listen !!😎👍V

[@arashislami5710]

Thank you Vaughn ! Brilliant work!

[@robertgarscadden]

Great to hear.name clang here.i met John Foxx at a brilliant gig of his in Glasgow in 2004.i nearly froze and all I could say was "loved the show,do you know any of Kraftwerk?"he replied" I'm in correspondence with Ralf Hutter.my jaw nearly dropped.also a gentleman.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you for sharing Robert!! Cheers matey!! V;-)

[@alibobsmarland9572]

Dancing like a gun and No one driving. Classics!

[@murraywkester]

I’m a bit older than you Vaughn and was a teenager in South Africa in the 80s. I do remember bands like Erasure, Modern Talking , Alphaville and synth pop in general being Incredibly popular. For some reason, South Africa loved this genre. Particularly compared to other English speaking nations. Also mate, haven’t heard you mention Tears for Fears yet! Love your channel! Other thing I want to say is this. Forget calling yourself Piano and Keyboard Artist. Put your name -Vaughn George - out there. You will get a huge following. Because people enjoy not just your comments on the music but your performances are great as well. I watch your channel in HD on a massive projector screen with great sound.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Murray hi and thank you for your post!! V:-)

[@blankets1453]

OMG! For a Million is my most played track from Alphaville. I am so happy we share the same favourite. Please cover more Alphaville in your channel.

[@StewO101]

One german band you really forgot was D.A.F. There where the real pioneers of the harder line in electronics in the late 70s and early 80s. Without them EBM probably wouldnt exist. And btw. when I first heard "Modern Talking" I really thought "Now thats the end!" and after that when I saw what success they had in germany I really knew "This is definetly the proof germans mainstream musical taste is sh...t". My luck was, I already knew Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, DAF, Human League, Gary Numan etc. But I always felt sorry about the generation that were just about to get interested in actual music...and were damned to listen to Modern Talking because they where onmipresent in german radio.

[@evilgenius4488]

Dont't forget Propaganda

[@Anne_Ty]

Thanks for covering two of my all time favourite bands - Alphaville and Camouflage. Some of Alphaville's songs, like Summer in Berlin, sound quite indie. I think they might have influenced the indie music of today. Hope you'll find time for Camouflage and you'll be in for a pleasant surprise. I guess you know A-ha (Norway) and Scandinavian bands deserve a separate video, but you may check Bonanza Banzai (Hungarian Depeche Mode), and Indochine (the most successful French new wave band) just out of curiosity.

[@marketamrklasova1260]

Hi Vaughn ,im really shock after this movie about what you present.But my shock is wery positive.Im so happy,just because you are the first who put Modern Talking as artist in almost the same lewel.I love Depeche Mode but my first girlfriend was Modern Talking,and we newer forget first love.thats why im very happy to hear about MT in your channel.specially when today MT opinion is like great but disco band even no pop.I was fanatic about MT and Dieter Bohlen after come DM.Music of MT was easy,very simple,straight throug without filosophie of life, ewery songs about love or living about simple human emotions .Of course about like should be no like is in reality.But something like MT was good to listenning and this kind of music people need as well.Modern Talking is one of the huge band from Germany,its simply band .in 3 years 6 albums,ok.nothing to be proud.but please listen songs from albums not this radio singles Brother louiee,Cherry lady.I think ,Dieter go so fast and so quickly to make album after album and his songs look like fast food but witch more care about production this songs are very brilliant

[@syracusemusic1539]

I’ve glad you did this topic, sometimes feel Germany gets over looked for pioneering electronic music. I suppose if you watch a lot of documentaries, about electronic music. Kraftwerk are are always seen as the blue print.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Indeed, Kraftwerk is always featured on electronic documentaries!! V:-)

[@mrglitch0]

Interestingly, the British electronic band Mesh who are quite unknown in the UK. Have done really well in Germany and other places in Europe, but not many people in the UK would have heard of them.

[@lemmi1968]

Love them, great Band!

[@viktordelta247]

Alphaville! Nice! They just released the 1st album remastered + demos.. awesome. Any chance to look at Falco?

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thanks James !! Yes . we could lookl at Falco!!

[@viktordelta247]

Nice! Thank you!

[@Reprodestruxion]

He’s AUSTRIAN you know

[@viktordelta247]

Vienna Calling ;) I think in this context, or my context as an american, I can let it slide, he had the 1st german language hit in the US. If you are Austrian or German, I understand.. let's just say I'm a huge fan of both. and depeche.. and OMD and... ;)

[@Nephilim-81]

One of my very and absolute favourite electronic albums of all time is Klaus Schulze’s Kontinuum. It is unbelievable. Highly recommended. A 21st century classic!

[@VaughnGeorge]

for sure that one matey!! V:-)

[@davidw5515]

Oh my God you bringing up Street Hawk brought back my childhood

[@VaughnGeorge]

OHHHHHH YESSS!!! V:-)

[@Reprodestruxion]

I remember the tune not the show

[@Reprodestruxion]

You forgot Automan >.>

[@stefanhennig]

Just hearing "Modern Talking" and "Kraftwerk" or "Dieter Bohlen" and "brains" being mentioned in one sentence really cracks me up. Whenever MT played, I left the room. Spent quite some time outside in those days...

[@VaughnGeorge]

LOL!! Yep , Modern Talking was not quite my thing either!! V:-)

[@laudec00]

Less a melodic type of sound, but Nitzer Ebb would deserve some credits in the Electro-body music genre, along with Front 242 (Belgium). Nitzer Ebb did the first act during the Music for the Masses tour I believe. Interesting to watch and listen, it was...

[@VaughnGeorge]

Yes they are a favourite of many of my subscribers and I should do some videos on them!! V:-)

[@BaddaBigBoom]

@@VaughnGeorge ...and one of the has your name ;-)

[@VaughnGeorge]

@@BaddaBigBoom correct !! VG

[@mazined8932]

Just started following you George...great, insightful stuff with a great sense of humor! - You had me at Demo Mode! :) Anyway, I think that with this Germany influence video, you’ve tapped into some brilliant idea for a series of videos, if you will. “influences of Electronic music from many parts of the world”. I know this could take too much of your time, but I’ve enjoyed this video so much, that I think it might be worth looking into more material. Even if you don’t continue with videos like this; I am still happy to mention a few artists here that someone might discover, and may want to add to their listening list. After all, isn’t it all about the music? A few artists that might be interesting to you. Many of these have elements of Electronic/Synthpop found in originators such as Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Enigma, & Portishead...which are the pioneers of Trip Hop. Latin America: Moenia (Very Similar to Depeche Mode but in Spanish) - Listen to “Siempre Igual” For an example of that industrial/dark sound of DM : kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnS6hmh7f5mhqKs Miguel Bosé - Fusion of Synthpop - Listen to the “XXX” album kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5aadaqZi7tpd5Y Mecano - Fusion of Synthpop -Listen to “Los Amantes” kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYPPoKdvdtOtmMk France: Deep Forest (Michel Sanchez and Éric Mouquet) - Similar to Enigma with Elements of World Music and Chillout - Listen to their debut self-titled album for an example: kzbin.info/www/bejne/onurhaieatyLobc Jean-Michel Jarre - Electronic Ambient USA: Information Society - Listen to their Debut Album kzbin.info/www/bejne/epKbn4yGmtiNbMU Anything Box - Listen to “Living in Oblivion” kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHqYZHqVeZp3mNk Italy: Giorgio Moroder - "The NeverEnding Story" song was produced by Giorgio Moroder and performed by Limahl Japan: Yellow Magic Orchestra More UK bands to look for: Tears for Fears Ultravox Mesh De/Vision Camouflage (SO glad you mentioned them) Red Flag

[@VaughnGeorge]

Mazin Ed great post !!! Thank you so much !! In tally appreciate your support and the links and the well written post !! VG🎹😎👍

[@fernandozornosa6398]

Deutschland, a great country thanks Friends from Germany for give us your culture and spread around the world,(Beethoven,Kraftwerk,Oktoberfest,Bayern munchen,hamburguers,chocolates,BMW,Mercedes,puma,grim brothers. Danke.

[@thomasnordwest]

What makes Europe very interesting is the combination of discipline both in production and sound design and the deep (sometimes even morbid Central European / Austrian) melancholy which is based in the ever present classical music tradition. You find that in many European bands and composers, even film music composers like Hans Zimmer. Culturally I think it stems deeply from Europes ancient history and the countless more stories that are buried in our still visible remains, the medieval castles, Roman ruins and Celtic magic places.

[@Lastman737]

I love Kraftwerk! Radio Activity is one of my favorite albums. Keep up the great work! Love your videos!

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you bud!! V:-)

[@deftcoleman0552]

Autobahn is my favorite from them.

[@simongunkel7457]

There has to be a mention of Karlheinz Stockhausen, who did some electronic composition as far back as the late 40s - heck he did surround sound and stereo at the time. Along with people like Varese and Boulez a defining person in the extended serialism style of composing (also there is a great interview from 1995 where he discusses a couple of electronic artists and says things like "[Pemberton] likes loops, a loop effect, like in musique concrète, where I worked in 1952. Pierre Henry and Schaeffer himself, they found some sounds, like say the sounds of a casserole, they made a loop, and then they transposed this loop. So I think he should give up this loop; it is too old-fashioned. Really.") He also worked as a professor of composition in Cologne, where his student included people who ended up founding Kraut-bands including Can and Kraftwerk. Talking about Kraut: Cluster as proto-ambient needs mention, if only because Brian Eno thought Musik von Harmonia made them "the world's most important rock band" and then went on to record an album with them and only then worked on music for airports. So they are the band that lead Eno to ambient... Also DAF should probably be mentioned. They toured the UK quite extensively if memory serves and they were a very early synth duo. I think DM took the "backing track from a tape machine set up on stage" from them, because they were doing that with a stack of cassette decks, one per song, and put them center stage as well. Possibly some other NDW things - Palais Schaumburg might be a candidate, but Liaisons Dangereuses are definitely in there - their 81 album got sampled so much... Then there is a lot of techno and eurodance - you mention bad boy blue, but the musical masterminds behind that - Karin Hartmann and Tony Hendrick would be far more successful later on, writing and producing "What is love?" for Haddaway...

[@VaughnGeorge]

WOW Simon!! An awesome post there mate!! I love it that I can learn os much form you guys on this channel!! There is a lot of "food for thought there" and I thank you for your interest in the channel and taking the time to write !! Cheers V:-)

[@joker9494949494]

Don’t forget early Human League using the Reel to Reel in 78!

[@alibobsmarland9572]

Love electronic music. I think it was Oxygene 4 and I Feel Love that made it mainstream in Britain.

[@Indiediscs]

Alphaville's Marian Gold's solo album So Long Celeste is great, very under rated

[@VaughnGeorge]

I will check it out!! V;-)

[@strychnyne3530]

You're impressions crack me up. 😂

[@VaughnGeorge]

Hahahhaha cheers!! V:-)

[@kocho4242]

Great "For a milion" version! Bravo! You proved how great that composition is. For other German groups, you can check "Deine Lakaien".

[@whoozl3540]

Very interesting topic, thank you! I never looked at it this way, but often a view from outside sees more than if you sit (or sat) right within! I'd like to mention the "Neue Deutsche Welle" (German New Wave), which I think played a very important role for electronic music, too. It began with a kind of German post punk musik in the late 70's that was made more palatable by using elements of pop music and synthesisers basically dominated the German music scene during the 80's. It was something really new and quickly became successful, also because the song texts were all in German and the broad use of synthesisers. Before the 'Neue Deutsche Welle' only german folk music and "Schlagermusik" was sung in German. Going back further in history, the 'Trautonium', an electronic organ-like instrument was a predecessor of the synthesizer and was built by Friedrich Trautwein in 1930, were it was presented to the public at the music convention "Neue Musik Berlin 1930" for the first time. In the same year german composer Paul Hindemith wrote "7 Stücke für drei Trautonien". Another famous German musician and composer, Karlheinz Stockhausen experimented with natural and electronic sounds and noises, which he called "Konkrete Musik" in contrast to the "Abstrakte Musik", or the music that is composed, written down and played by musicians. Even the term "Elektronische Musik" or electronic music was proposed by the German Werner Meyer-Eppler for 'any music which is composed using technical tools'. Note: I apologize for not translating every German term into English, but these German terms just are what they are known for.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you for this brilliant post my friend!! I appreciate it!! V:-)

[@SimonS-ph5dz]

Some great points there Vaughn. Kudos for the Tangerine Dream mention, I would also point you towards KMFDM, DAF and Einstürzende Neubauten as influential German bans who were all electronic but also between them helped define industrial music. Let’s also not forget Conny Plank who was the producer for Kraftwerk and Ultravox. Finally, moving away from the industrial bands... Propaganda were one of the best bands ever, even though they only really did one album (plus it’s remix - I will ignore the reincarnated version a few years later which only had original member left in it). A Secret Wish is simply one of the finest debut albums ever to grace Trevor Horns ZTT label, although Steve Lipson took charge of most of the production duties for it because Trevor Horn was busy producing the Frankie Goes to Hollywood album. Duel and Dr Mabuse are two of the most underrated songs ever!

[@simongunkel7457]

Einstürzende Neubauten aren't electronic, though. FM Einheit did some solo stuff that's electronic, but EN generally make their sounds accoustically. They heavily influenced sample based electronica, but with those bands (including DM) it was sampling a piece of metal being hit, whereas EN would put that piece of metal on stage and play it...

[@sinidm9492]

I loved Sandra’s music,too (especially ”In The Heat Of The Night”) at the age of 13-14,just a little before I discovered Depeche Mode❣️🎹🎹🎼💫

[@evilgenius4488]

Not to forget Fancy (and his various Aliases) who was the Man behind of many 80s and 90s Dancemusic

[@trizvanov]

I am almost ashamed to say that I've had both of "his" albums on audio cassette while growing up.

[@OscarPerez-kb2od]

Great vid!

[@Videos80sRemastered]

Thank you very much for your awesome review!! Please 🙏 continue! Please review Italo disco as well.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

I know we are talking about Germans in this video but I do want to say that I always thought that the father of electronic music - well I guess there's two: Dr. Robert Moog and Tomita. Of the latter, my uncle used to by his "spacey" out of this world albums in the early '70s. I always looked forward to his new releases. They were really different.

[@VaughnGeorge]

M. M. You are right !! Bib Moog was indeed a pioneer !! 😎👍V

[@wujianjing6618]

Though Neu! might not be counted as an electronic act, I think they did influenced a lot of electronic musicians. I love the effortlessness of their epic melodies and dope grooves.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you fro the recommendation !! V:-)

[@Reprodestruxion]

Well Florian and Michael Rother were members of Kraftwerk back when they were Organisation . But yeah all about effects , samples and the motorik beat

[@wujianjing6618]

@@VaughnGeorge Love this episode! The Hans Zimmer impersonation is hilarious:)

[@wujianjing6618]

@@Reprodestruxion Michael Rother did come to China twice, love his other projects too

[@nashf5925]

Nice to hear that you're originally from SA. My origins are from Mauritius where DM was huge especially from our French and Dutch roots). I think that DM were never commercially big in the UK since they never played that commercial game with Top of the Pops or Smash Hits. In Canada, DM is huge in Montreal, but so so in Toronto.

[@Reprodestruxion]

Giorgio Moroder Italian German on the Swiss border

[@tlacorp.3813]

The Italians ---- They were very influential in the 80s with Italo disco: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italo_disco You should do a video about this!

[@abrokenframe82]

Don't forget producer Conny Plank. Producer of Kraftwerk, Devo, Ultravox etc.

[@VaughnGeorge]

OF course !! thank you !! V:-)

[@abrokenframe82]

@@VaughnGeorge Also the band Propaganda with their fabulous album A secret Wish.. Paul Humphreys of OMD was in a relationship with Claudia Brucken.

[@Reprodestruxion]

abrokenframe82 who hated David Bowie (Düsseldorf studios -sob 😢)

[@abrokenframe82]

@@Reprodestruxion Do you mean Conny hated David Bowie?

[@Reprodestruxion]

abrokenframe82 ja

[@frauldabissen]

I think it's time for an EBM Special with the main influences from Belgium and Germany (f.e. Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, A Split Second, D.A.F., Die Krupps, Thommy Stumpf, Liaisons Dangereuses and so on...). I think EBM was an importand milestone in the evolution of modern and powerful electronic musik.

[@sarahdmgirl5743]

Great video, as always. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit I only know one Alphaville song (Big in Japan) 😳 Off to do my research now!

[@VaughnGeorge]

NO worries Sarah, people often ask me on this channel what I think about certain bands bands and I'm like , "Er , never heard of them!! " LOL!! V:-)

[@ernestoromo3344]

Germany will always be in just about any brilliant topic... .Name it!!!

[@VaughnGeorge]

Germany is one of the most outstanding Countries and nations in the world for sure !! They excel in every field and have given to much to the world!! Precision and Excellence !! All my respect!! VG

[@robgrossi2368]

Alphaville video coming. Noted 😬. Great video my friend, ended too soon!

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you Rob!! V:-)

[@norcicoso]

Looks like a lot of people don't go back, I could mention David Bowie's Low from 1977, years before the omd's or the depeche mode's , Brian Eno ??? Go listen to LOW, on the Heroes album you can listen to a track called V2 schneider , you can't get more of a tribute than to me and that's a simple one to figure out !

[@nashf5925]

Early Roxy Music and Eno's solo work for sure.

[@titanuxsound]

Thanks the lord we have got Kraftwerk music in our life, in our world. I love them, and i really need to listen their ,usic very often.

[@kingcharlie4]

Very cool video!

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you Jim!! V:-)

[@wojciechgibas9794]

Im very glad how you said about Modern Talking.Your program i Wow.And listen from you about MT is something amazing,specially when now this band is taken around just like simple disco band .You said they elektronic pop.thank you for that.And please if you got a time in future ,make some material about Modern Talking ,Thomas Anders and specially about Dieter Bohlen.this guy make a LOT amazing music and melodies.On the side of Modern Talking he was make it songs for diffrent artists.Him solo project Blue System (87-97)was amazing.13 albums witch very nice music .You have a lot of job ,but i swear you you will not waste your time.best regards

[@johnstanich2821]

So many electronic bands in Germany in the 80s. Different genres basic synth pop to harder dark wave and industrial.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Cheers John!! V;-)

[@johnstanich2821]

I am happy to have discovered your channel. I cannot find many people that are even familiar with this type of music. It’s nice to know there are other kindred spirits and enthusiasts. I spent some years in Germany as a soldier in the late 80s and my electronic horizons were vastly expanded. I would enjoy having a good chat about the bands and the scene during that time.

[@ryantremblay594]

De/Vision is the greatest synth band to come out of Germany

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you mate!! I will check them out !! V:-)

[@davidw5515]

The German group And One is another good group 😎🎹

[@monumento.f.501]

My favourite German group today is Elektro-Müller.

[@VaughnGeorge]

I will check it out!! Thank you !! V:-)

[@Paul_Davies77]

Hey Vaughn, damn you are putting out some fine videos. Funny seeing Street Hawk, I actually helped Chris Bromham (a stunt man) restore the original hero bike which he later sold to the Cars of the Stars museum. When I say helped it was more a case of I just happened to be in his garage having a chat and holding bits for him whilst he did all the work 😉 It was still cool tho seeing my fave childhood vehicle and being able to sit on it whenever I wanted

[@VaughnGeorge]

Paul!! Hi !! Thank you for sharing that awesome story with us and for your kind comments !!!! V;-)

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

I was praying for this video! You got Alphaville in, but I liked their 3rd album, Breathtaking Blue the best which featured Romeos. Also, I liked Camouflage which you mentioned but what about Information Society? (I think they're German.) Funny how you mentioned how the Brits aren't too keen on DM. I lived in the UK for a couple of years ('93-95), if I mentioned DM or Erasure, I usually got told to "bugger off, mate". However, over in the USA (where I'm from) you mention any of these bands you mentioned in this video (except for the movie related ones), ... crickets. No one knew who DM was (until Enjoy the Silence) or Erasure or New Order. or Alphaville or the Cure They were not getting commercial radio airplay which back then was vital to survival in the USA. They did get airplay on College radio stations (or in the case of South Florida, a high school radio station WKPX. You can also hear the 12" versions in "progressive" (as we used to say) dance clubs. And yet, DM can sell out stadiums across the USA in 1987-8 with no one except the "underground" dance clubs and the artsy-fartsy kids in high school knowing who they were.

[@VaughnGeorge]

M. M. I’m glad you liked the video !! 😎👍V

[@mazined8932]

Information Society is from Minnesota, US.

[@marcomazzucco7104]

Germans always has been a folk of inventers ;-) And Vaughn is so much right when he tells us that Germany was and is the Market for new trends and sounds in electronic Music. There are so many Bands who become great because of Germany - for me one example are the "Back Street Boys"... ok that was the 90's but you can put this to the 70's, 80's, 2000's and 2010's until present no matter.. I grew up in the 80's and was a teen/twen back then. I do realize that Germany was a big starter for all this in late 70's and it swaped over to the UK and in the early 80's it came back as a huge Wave that went out to the world.. OMG I just thought that I'm old. lol

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you Marco!! V:-)

[@niallmcdonagh1093]

RIP Florian Schneider...you were a lovely machine...

[@mickadatwist1620]

Modern Talking was a must to mention. I was expecting it and was surprised you did mentioned it. DAF and Feindflug.

[@KortKramer]

Without a doubt German electronica was brilliant and pioneering. From Alphaville to Kraftwerk to Trio, so much to love from Germany!

[@VaughnGeorge]

Absolutely right Kort!! V:-)

[@KortKramer]

@@VaughnGeorge Yes, "Full respect!"

[@KortKramer]

BTW - I was a teen living in Japan when BIJ came out - amazing album and it was epic! Alphaville is an all-time favorite and love the new remaster that just was released. Looking forward to your video on them. They continued to release epic albums through the 90s.

[@KortKramer]

BTW - my daughter and wife are pianists. Do you have a good source for the sheet music for A Million Years?

[@Luna_And_Pixel]

Fave German bands camouflage, de/vision, Vnv nation, (lives in Germany at least), Peter heppner / wolfsheim, And One - to name just a few.

[@VaughnGeorge]

SoulPlow Vive Germany !! V😎👍

[@Rents.]

Thank you for your outstanding videos! Also check borghesia and front242! While the second is more dance thing, guys from borghesia did some typical electronic stuff but stll quite interesting to listen to (talking mostly about the Resistance album) This is not german stuff, but close enough

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you for your kind words and also for your suggestions!! V;-)

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

Have seen Borghesia, F242, The Klinik, Skinny Puppy live. There is a little bit of Kraftwerk in all of them.

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

Fun fact is that the UK and France were very in the front of electronic music as well. Think of BBC Radiophonic Workshop and Musique Concrete. Propaganda was huge in the 80s as, just a worthy mention imho. It was Kraftwerk making me buy a vocoder...I needed one.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Mike Hydropneumatic true what you are saying bud!!😎👍V

[@benrous8430]

Check out Seabound if you're not already familiar. I think you'll like! They're a German electronic duo. The albums Double-Crosser and Speak in Storms are particularly awesome!! They have very inventive vocal melodies and lyrics with really intricate programming and lush ambient synth pads! Kinda fit in with the EBM, future pop scene but they get extremely overlooked.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you for the recommendations Ben!! Cheers!! V;-)

[@sheep1ewe]

Thank You wery much for making this episode! Hawe You concidered a talk about Robotink and Pinsky in the future by the way?

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you for the suggestions!! V:-)

[@moga1968]

Wish you will do coverim.. Wonderful video

[@qrplife]

Must also mention TD in their "Virgin" years and the whole Berlin school, and also Klaus Schulze.

[@Wesaveingold]

Awesome topic. During the 80's I was just a kid and Sandra was one of my 2 dreamgirls. (The other was Susanna Hoffs from The Bangles) and here in Norway German music was a huge deal. Sandra, Alphaville, Modern Talking, Nena (99 luftballons) while Kraftwerk was more for the special interested. I also want to mention a Belgian electro band called Front 242 They had a huge hit with a song called Headhunter. Even today I do watching german acts since they still have a lot of electronic artist and bands. If you curious check out "And One" and "Blutengel". I listen to them regularly.

[@joanzensillystuff2285]

One of my favorite German band is Melotron. They have a really good sound very influenced by Depeche.

[@methos101]

Speaking about German bands propaganda is one of my favorite 80’s band. They were one of initial roster of acts signed to Trevor Horns ZTT label.Claudia Brucken is a great vocalist. Doctor Mabuse Machinery duel jewel frozen faces sorry for laughing etc. Speaking about Depeche Mode Claudia Brucken and Martin Gore teamed up and worked on a song together. Claudia ran into Martin and asked him to help on a song. Even though propaganda only had a few albums they were a great band in Germany. Thanks for posting 😊.

[@eltonjamey2584]

so weird - was just listening to Camouflage (Voices and Images) this morning. Amazing album. Actually remember listening to it as a youngster and thinking it was Depeche Mode! Didnt enjot their follow up album Methods of Silence as much, but still a real German electronic "goodie"

[@VaughnGeorge]

Brilliant!! Yep you can hear the DM influence!! V:-)

[@stefanopozzi3167]

I'd like you talk of Conny Plank and the so-called 'Krautrock' artists. I love Neu! in particular: their sound was based on guitar and drums, but they used synthesisers too. Thank you Vaughn.

[@NeonEleven]

Das ist gut 👍🏼

[@VaughnGeorge]

Neon Banana Danken!!😎👍

[@Lofote]

haha, wasn't expecting you know Sandra :-D also my first crush probably

[@danielhresko4900]

Lol I’d never heard of her here in the States, but wow, I see your point. I remember that seeing Diana Rigg in black leather on The Avengers gave me that first “funny feeling”... 😊

[@DarkSideofSynth]

@@danielhresko4900 Man, you guys lost SO MUCH GOOD STUFF over there in those years - it's criminal ;) If you were a teen in the '80s and didn't have a crush on Sandra - you were not a teen in the '80s.... or lived in the States :))))

[@danielhresko4900]

Dark Side of Synth I’ll try to catch up now!

[@trizvanov]

We have to thank Bach for starting the whole journey towards what would become electronic pop music.

[@VaughnGeorge]

FULL RESPECT TO BACH!! V;-)

[@evilgenius4488]

Jean-Michel Jarre said once in an interview Vivaldi was remixing J.S.Bach

[@christiandreher290]

Hi Vaughn, as a German I really appreciated this video where you abstained from any stereotypes (the funny accent is a fact, not a stereotype 😀). To complement: Dieter Bohlen is a very successful producer, but not very much liked. Michael Cretu is, other than his music, not well known here. Camouflage was perceived as a band playing DM songs that are not from DM. A similar German band is called Twins (game of chance). Have you heard from them? But, it appeared to me that Germans during the 80s were more into Italian Disco music, maybe because it sounded happier... Best, Christian

[@davaris1224]

German influence even extended into the 90s. Even if you hate Eurodance, you should check out Marusha, Snap!, X-Perience and Scooter.