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Faust (band)

Faust (German: [faʊ̯st], English: "fist") are a German rock band from Hamburg. Formed in 1971 by producer and former music journalist Uwe Nettelbeck, the group was originally composed of Werner "Zappi" Diermaier (b.1949), Hans Joachim Irmler (b.1950),[5] Arnulf Meifert, Jean-Hervé Péron (b.1949),[6] Rudolf Sosna (1946 – 1996) and Gunther Wüsthoff, working with engineer Kurt Graupner.[7] Their work was oriented around dissonance, improvisation, and experimental electronic approaches,[2] and would influence subsequent ambient and industrial music.[7] They are considered a central act of West Germany's 1970s krautrock movement.[8]

Faust

Wümme, Bremen, Germany

1971–1975; 1990–present

Werner "Zappi" Diermaier
Jean-Hervé Péron

Hans Joachim Irmler
Rudolf Sosna
Gunther Wüsthoff
Arnulf Meifert

History[edit]

1971–1975[edit]

Faust formed in 1971 in the rural setting of Wümme. They secured a recording contract with Polydor and soon began recording their debut, Faust, which sold poorly but received critical acclaim for its innovative approach and established a devoted fan base. Meifert was sacked shortly afterwards because, as Peron wrote in 2004, "he discussed things, because he had flat buttocks and an absolutely beautiful girlfriend, because he practised every day, because he always kept his room neat and woke up every morning to first wet a cloth he'd put in front of his room to keep the dirt out, because he played such a hard 4/4th that we had to travel into the tongue, ready to drop, ding dong is handsome top."[9]


In 1972 the band recorded its second, slightly more accessible album So Far. Faust became one of the premier bands in the international appreciation of the genre that would eventually be known as krautrock.[10]


Faust became one of the first acts to sign to Richard Branson's Virgin Records, who embarked on a marketing campaign somewhat daring for its time, aimed at introducing Faust to British record-buyers. The Faust Tapes was a cut-and-paste album, which spliced together a large number of bits and pieces from their extensive collection of private recordings not originally intended for release. Virgin issued it at the then price of a single, 48 pence. The Faust Tapes reportedly sold over 100,000 copies but its low price tag rendered it ineligible for a chart placing.[10]


After collaborating with Tony Conrad on the album Outside the Dream Syndicate, Faust recorded Faust IV at Virgin's studios in England. The band broke up in 1975 after Virgin rejected its fifth album (some of the recordings later appeared on the Munich and Elsewhere album), but reissues of their recordings and various additional material through Chris Cutler's Recommended Records maintained a level of interest.

Collaborations[edit]

During the Wümme years, Diermaier, Péron and Wüsthoff played on Slapp Happy's first two albums, Sort Of (1972) and Acnalbasac Noom (1973) which were also produced by Uwe Nettelbeck. Slapp Happy's Peter Blegvad had played with Faust in Wümme and subsequently toured with them in the UK. That tour also featured Uli Trepte, who had performed with Guru Guru and Neu!.


In contrast with Slapp Happy's song-based music, in 1972 Diermaier, Péron and Sosna also collaborated with the violinist Tony Conrad on Outside the Dream Syndicate; the record was released in 1973 at a low price in the UK and was, at the time, one of the few available examples of drone-based minimalism. A live recording from a 1995 concert, entitled Outside the Dream Syndicate Alive featuring Tony Conrad, Zappi Diermaier & Jean-Hervé Péron of Faust and Jim O'Rourke was released in Autumn 2005.


Faust collaborated with New Jersey avant-garde hip-hop crew Dälek for the album Derbe Respect, Alder in 2004.


Jean-Hervé Péron collaborated with THEME and Zsolt Sores on a MLP called 'Poison Is (Not) The Word' released on the Lumberton Trading Company label in 2012, and in 2013 Faust recorded 'Live at Clouds Hill' with Omar Rodríguez-López.


Faust performed with Slapp Happy again in November 2016 at the Week-End festival in Cologne, Germany.[17] The two groups also played together in February 2017 at Cafe Oto in London.[18]


In December 2017, Faust recorded a one-off collaboration with erotic-electronic artist Natalie Sharp, aka Lone Taxidermist, as part of the BBC Radio 3 programme Late Junction's "Late Junction Sessions" series.[19]

(1973) – collaboration with Tony Conrad

Outside the Dream Syndicate

(2004) – collaboration with Dälek

Derbe Respect, Alder

Outside the Dream Syndicate Alive (2005) – 1995 live collaboration with

Tony Conrad

(2007) – collaboration album with Nurse with Wound

Disconnected

Fini! (2008) - Jean-Herve Peron collaboration with Andrew Liles and Ragna Skinner

Poison Is (Not) the Word (2012) – Jean-Herve Peron collaboration with THEME and Zsolt Sores

...Live at Clouds Hill (Vinylbox #3) (2013) – collaboration with

Omar Rodríguez-López

Festival Milhões de Festa (2017) - residency and live concert with GNOD

Faust: Stretch Out Time 1970–1975. Andy Wilson. Mute / The Faust-Pages, 2006.  0-9550664-5-X.

ISBN

. Julian Cope. Head Heritage 1997

Krautrocksampler

The Wumme Years: 1970–1973 – accompanying booklet 2000

The Faust Pages

jean-hervé péron

zappi diermaier

hans-joachim irmler

Video Report on OC-TV.net

Gunther Wüsthoff

The Guardian, 18 October 2021

"Interview: Krautrock legends Faust"