Intuitive Music

Producer and music journalist Uwe Nettelbeck died last 17th January 2007. He will be remembered as the man who cathalised the foundation of the renowned krautrock band Faust. The sad news was posted at Faust official web site last 22nd of January along with the following statement from Jean-Hervé Peron” “Besides being a sharp-witted but yet charming and loving husband, father and grandfather, he was an outstanding cook, a writer who always generated deep emotions and interest, and a genius, selfless music producer. Thank you Uwe for all you have done for our music. Faust is your work, no doubt ! Your work will outlast all of us. May your soul rest in peace. My sincere sympathy to his family Petra, Anouchka, Sandra, Elisha and Elsa.”

Faust was originally founded in Wumme, Germany, 1971, when Zappi Diermaier (drums), Hans Joachim Irmler (keyboards), Arnulf Meifert (drums) of the band Campylognatus Citelli and Jean Hervé Péron (guitar,vocals), Rudolf Sosna (guitar, keyboards) and Gunter Wüsthoff (saxophone) of Nukleus met in Hamburg and begin casually playing together. Producer and journalist Uwe Nettelbeck was so impressed that he decided to support financially the band in order to create the Faust project. In 1972, Faust recorded a demo tape for the Deutsche Grammophon and Uwe Nettelbeck was so excited about the potential of the project that not only he recruited the members but he also built a studio in an old schoolhouse in Luneburg, Wumme. Deutsche Grammophon helped the band equipping them with a recording studio and the support of the recording engineer Kurt Graupner. Their debut album “Faust” (1971) was released in Britain by Polydor in clear vinyl and clear cover to unveil the X-ray image of a fist, and they catch the attention of the British press.

In 1974, after the commercial failure of their mythical and later acclaimed “IV” album, Faust broke up with Uwe Nettelbec after his increasing demands to take musical decisions, and they finally dissolved in 1975 due to the refusal of Virgin records to release their following work “Faust 5″. The band later reformed in several occasions, including a come-back in 2005 with a new reincarnation, including Zappi W. Diermaier (drums), Jean-Hervé Péron (guitar, vocals), Olivier Manchion (bass, guitar) and Amaury Cambuzat (vocals, guitar). At the same time, a parallel version of Faust is working with a line-up including Hans Joachim Irmler (keyboard instruments), Steven Wray Lobdell (guitar), Michael Stoll (bass), Lars Paukstat (noises) and Arnulf Meifert (drums).

Uwe Nettelbec will be remembered as a man with an advanced musical vision who helped the birth of the most innovative music in Germany during the 70’s. Nettelbec also grew a renowned career in Germany as a journalist and he also occasionally collaborated in films, such as Vlado Kristl’s “Der Damm” (1965).