Perhaps the best musical encapsulation of the Cold War as experienced in the walled city of West-Berlin, Kollaps is a product of its time while remaining as vital, exhilarating and surprising as the day it was released.

The book explores the contexts, themes and influences that shaped Kollaps. It describes the early days of Einsturzende Neubauten in West-Berlin, their infamous live performances and guerilla style recording tactics, and the scrap metal banging, piercing guitar noise and evocative lyricism that went on to inspire generations of fans. Most significantly, it explores the desire and deep sense of belonging that is expressed by what Nick Cave called the 'incredibly mournful, haunting' nature of this music. The beginning of a 40-year career, this first burst of energy remains their purest statement.

Tells the story of Germany's legendary Einsturzende Neubauten's 1981 debut album Kollaps from a musical, historical, and theoretical point of view.

About the Author

Melle Jan Kromhout is a sound scholar and musician from Amsterdam, The Netherlands. His work deals with the conceptual relations between music, sound, and media from the 19th century to the present. He is the author of The Logic of Filtering: How Noise Shapes the Sound of Recorded Music (2021).

Jan Nieuwenhuis is an independent artist and author from Utrecht, the Netherlands, amongst other things writing on the intersection of music and philosophy.

Book Information
ISBN 9781501387500
Author Melle Jan Kromhout
Format Paperback
Page Count 128
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic USA
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing Plc