Neu! encapsulate two musical elements perhaps greater than any other band: repetition and dichotomy. But it’s an integral dichotomy; it strangely results in cohesion. There are not many bands that can place together polar opposites and create blissful harmony, yet Neu! have not only done it seamlessly, but in doing so have cemented a sound, aesthetic and template that has been copied relentlessly but never beaten or matched.
Idiosyncratic but somehow ubiquitous, Neu! were the ultimate anomaly. They have teetered the line between obscurity and notoriety - been ignored and revered in equal measure - but now it seems their time is duly coming, and people who missed out can now kick themselves with a force paralleled only by the relentless beating of Klaus Dinger’s drumming. Michael Rother (co-founder of Neu! along with the now deceased Klaus Dinger) is now taking the songs of Neu!, along with his Harmonia material and and solo work, on tour with a live band comprising of Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) on drums, and Aaron Mullan (Tall Firs) on bass - a line-up named Hallogallo 2010. Neu!’s new vinyl box set is also released - potentially the finest looking box set ever made - with everything from unreleased material to a t-shirt included. I spoke with Michael about, well, everything really…
On a Tuesday morning I sat in front of my computer, eyes fixated on the clock, slowly waiting for the numbers to read 10.00... then it’s time. I shakily punch in the digits on Skype and the strange sound of a foreign ring begins. I am plagued equally by anxiety and excitement. “Hello, Daniel?” comes the soothing voice at the other end. A degree of tranquillity then washes over me; sometimes you just get a good feeling about an interview.
So, you must be busy at the moment? “Erm, not only at the moment, it’s been this year and all of last year and it’s getting worse and better!”. With a Hallogallo 2010 tour lined up and playing Neu! songs again, this must be an exciting time for you? “Well, this has been on my mind for many years now, this fast forward movement music… it’s exciting for the audience to see a real drummer, and one as good as Steve Shelley, and the audience response has been amazing - we recently played to 5,000 people in New York. It’s been a rewarding experience. But I must stress, this is not us playing Neu! songs note for note, it is about the spirit, the dynamic, and taking this fast forward movement music from all aspects of my career. I would be bored doing songs note for note and it would also not be possible, as Neu! was always Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother”.
I imagine Neu! fans are quite loyal and protective over the material and reputation of the band, was there any degree of trepidation when approaching the project? “Well, the first obstacle I have to get over is my own ambition! I’m not easily pleased with what I do, but that has always been the case. So what I am presenting them, I am ready to receive any reaction. I was so utterly convinced of Harmonium’s music in the ‘70s, but it was rejected by the audience. Of course it’s not easy, it’s something you have to chew and something you have to digest. I‘m ready to accept that… Harmonia took twenty five, thirty years to get people‘s respect.” As Michael himself says, “it’s the other side of the coin” in that he has in so many ways been ahead of his time, resulting in a fragmented and often frustrating career when it comes to outsider response. However, it seems his faith in both his music and convictions has paid off (eventually).
When speaking about Klaus, his former musical partner and co-founder of Neu!, Michael is unwilling to go down negative avenues, often interrupting himself with “well, that’s a dark story and I don’t want to speak about that”. Michael and Klaus’ history is fairly well known and I don’t want to reiterate too much, but let’s just say it was fruitful and plagued with musical and personal differences; differences leading to ties being severed and the refusal of Neu! material being released. Michael, it seems, often acted as the calm and rational thought to Klaus’ raging storm, musically and personally. In many senses, it’s like any volatile experiment of opposites: the original results may be new, exciting and inspirational, it can always end in explosively. “The essential aspect of Neu! was the combination of those two personalities,” as Michael himself states. So, if Klaus were still alive, would this have been a project he would have been approached with? “That’s a very difficult question. I’m not sure what would have happened if Klaus would have been around. We had been talking with people at our label (Groenland) since we re-released our albums in 2001 - talking of making a new album - and Klaus wanted to play live, but I was very sceptical about it all. Because of the dark side of our history, which I don’t want to go into. Our relationship still hadn‘t really changed. It was very troubled in the nineties. But to look on the positive, we were just very fortunate that our albums were finally able to be released”. This is something that Michael persistently does throughout our conversation and it’s remarkably humbling. He casts a positive light on whatever he can. Even when discussing things that have probably made him miserable and question his own artistic worth, he still speaks with a degree of gratitude and reflective optimism.
It’s also worth noting that the Neu! albums you see in shops today were not available until 2001. The first Neu! record was made in 1971, selling 30,000 copies and then after the initial copies of the future releases (‘Neu! 2’ and ‘Neu! 75’) they only existed in illegal bootleg form on the Germanofon label until the aforementioned reissue. Itself a true test of patience and communication. Michael himself claims he at times struggled to “survive” and it was a “struggle”, as illegal bootlegs made him no money, and in certain periods in the ‘80s and ‘90s he was having albums rejected “I had a trio of solo albums rejected, and so I started my own label in ‘93 in order to be alive with ambition again”. When I set out to write this I really didn’t want to focus on the past or cover well trodden ground, but the road has no doubt been a bumpy one for Rother, and I think we have to discover more about the journey in order to appreciate the outcome. So, this isn’t necessarily a nod to the past, but a signal to the future; the steps that brought him here will continue to take him to new pastures.
Michael’s humility and insight make speaking to him incredibly inspiring. No more so than when I bring up the subject of water. For those who have seen the BBC documentary on kraut-rock, Michael talks about his affinity and love for the element whilst in front of a lake. I query whether this element has influenced his music, and what it is he loves about it? Coincidentally while speaking of and in front that same lake: “I always find this strange magical attraction to it when I return from a tour or a trip. It’s such a special place.” He continues, sometimes almost speechless, as though he is genuinely overcome by the natural and infinite force of the element. “I was running my hands under some water and it was reflecting in the light above and I just thought it was so beautiful. It was like music to me. Whether it’s in the air or in waves, it’s about harmony. I’ve always felt attracted to water, I love being in water and the element itself; being carried forward by a wave or a river. Much more than I know or can express.”
The manner in which he speaks about water is not only a joy to hear, but also illuminates the inherent effect this element has had on Michael and his music. Water is everything and nothing at the same time, tangible to the eye but elusive to the mind, free to transform into any state, shape or sound; the ultimate embodiment of what Michael is trying to capture in his work. It seems like a mantra that has seeped into Michael and cannot be defined or finalised, only explored. Michael is dumbfounded by water’s natural beauty and form - just as we today find ourselves so fascinated with his music.
Michael told me of his partner: “Klaus would brag about taking over one thousand LSD trips in his life.” Now, when you consider Michael’s serenity, you realise that they were both engulfed by an unpredictability in natural, artificial and physical states: merely approaching them from opposite sides.