Artists
Album Info
Release Date: 2020-01-24Label: Play Loud! Productions
To release a tape in East Germany in 1986 called “Ihre großen Erfolge” (‘Their GreatSuccesses’) illustrates how every situation produces people unwilling to accept that
situation. Claus Löser and Florian Merkel were two such people. Their band Die Gehirne and
their many side-projects ensured that their hometown of Karl-Marx-Stadt, today’s Chemnitz,
could assert its role in the independent art world of the GDR. Inspirations included Frank
Bretschneider from the experimental electronic band AG Geige, the artist friend Klaus
Hähner-Springmühl, the jazz guitarist Joe Sachse and the free jazz figures Conny Bauer and
Luten Petrowsky.
A small batch totalling some 35 copies of "Their Greatest Hits" by Die Gehirne was gradually
handed out around the scene to trade with other musicians. For tapetopia 002 we’ve put
together a shortened vinyl version, while the complete tape is available for download at
playloud.org.
Robert Mießner
tapetopia is a series of vinyl releases based on cassettes from the East Germany’s 80s
underground, particularly from the East Berlin "Mauerstadt" music scene, featuring original
layouts and track lists. For over 30 years after their initial “release” the music on these tapes
was neither available on vinyl nor CD, but they were important statements in the canon of
the GDR subculture. Despite the miniscule number of original cassettes in circulation at the
time many of the bands were popular in countercultural circles, a factor that made them
highly suspect among the government’s own inner circles. tapetopia is edited by Henryk Gericke.
Limited to 500 copies.