Herbst in Peking
Encyclopedia
Herbst in Peking is a band from East Germany. It was formed in 1987 in East Berlin by singer and mastermind Rex Joswig
and keyboard player Dr Totenhöfer. Completing the band were Alexander Istschenko (guitar), Hans "Tomato" Narva (bass) and Benno Verch (drums). The band was one of Die anderen Bands
who openly expressed their social and political criticism in lyrics and music. The name was derived from a book of the same title by French author Boris Vian
. Fearing copyright problems they only used the abbreviation "H.I.P." in official correspondence. Their live shows featured a weird mix of Russian, Chinese and Eastern European influenced personality cult. The lyrics were sung partly in German, English and Russian.
Shortly after the Tiananmen Square Massacre in Beijing
in May 1989 they lost their licence to play. This was due to Joswig's appeal for a minute of silence for the victims of the massacre during a previous concert. The ban became irrelevant when the GDR collapsed in autumn the same year. The Herbst in Peking song "Bakschischrepublik" became the hymn of East Germany's Rock music scene during the Wende. The lyrics included the line "Schwarz-Rot-Gold ist das System - morgen wird es untergehen" (Black-red-golden is the system - tomorrow it will fall)
During the 90s the musical style of the band changed considerably, and their Punk rock songs were now heavily influenced by Dub, Electronic Music and Industrial; spoken word tracks appeared on their records too. From 1991 to 1998 band mastermind Rex Joswig presented a radio show called Grenzpunkt Null (Border Point Zero) at the East German radio station DT 64 (later MDR Sputnik). Herbst in Peking concerts became more and more rare while the band line-up changed too. The last official Herbst in Peking gig was performed by Rex Joswig in May 2006 in Berlin's club Kaffee Burger.
Herbst in Peking reformed in autumn 2008 and are back in the studio and on the road.
Rex Joswig
Rex Joswig , "The living repetition machine" & "Dubprotector", has produced wordsounds with Herbst in Peking, Column One, Babylon 23, Badphish and Bert Papenfuß....
and keyboard player Dr Totenhöfer. Completing the band were Alexander Istschenko (guitar), Hans "Tomato" Narva (bass) and Benno Verch (drums). The band was one of Die anderen Bands
Die anderen Bands
Die anderen Bands is a term combining alternative music bands of 1980s GDR . They shared a more or less open criticism of their country's political system, and a high degree of creativity which was lacking from the more established music scene of East Germany. Many members of these bands played...
who openly expressed their social and political criticism in lyrics and music. The name was derived from a book of the same title by French author Boris Vian
Boris Vian
Boris Vian was a French polymath: writer, poet, musician, singer, translator, critic, actor, inventor and engineer. He is best remembered today for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan were bizarre parodies of criminal fiction, highly controversial at the time of their...
. Fearing copyright problems they only used the abbreviation "H.I.P." in official correspondence. Their live shows featured a weird mix of Russian, Chinese and Eastern European influenced personality cult. The lyrics were sung partly in German, English and Russian.
Shortly after the Tiananmen Square Massacre in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in May 1989 they lost their licence to play. This was due to Joswig's appeal for a minute of silence for the victims of the massacre during a previous concert. The ban became irrelevant when the GDR collapsed in autumn the same year. The Herbst in Peking song "Bakschischrepublik" became the hymn of East Germany's Rock music scene during the Wende. The lyrics included the line "Schwarz-Rot-Gold ist das System - morgen wird es untergehen" (Black-red-golden is the system - tomorrow it will fall)
During the 90s the musical style of the band changed considerably, and their Punk rock songs were now heavily influenced by Dub, Electronic Music and Industrial; spoken word tracks appeared on their records too. From 1991 to 1998 band mastermind Rex Joswig presented a radio show called Grenzpunkt Null (Border Point Zero) at the East German radio station DT 64 (later MDR Sputnik). Herbst in Peking concerts became more and more rare while the band line-up changed too. The last official Herbst in Peking gig was performed by Rex Joswig in May 2006 in Berlin's club Kaffee Burger.
Herbst in Peking reformed in autumn 2008 and are back in the studio and on the road.
Current Lineup
- Rex Joswig (vocals)
- Alexander Istschenko (electronics and guitar)
- Tom Krimi (guitars)
Records
- Bakschischrepublik (7", 1989)
- To Be H.I.P. (1990)
- Terrible Herbst (1993)
- Das Jahr Schnee (1996)
- Merry X-Mas (1996)
- Feuer Wasser & Posaunen (1997) Record Review
- La Dolce Vita (1998)
- Les Fleurs du Mal (1999) Record Review
- German Fool (2004) Download
- All Nights Reserved (2009)
External links
- http://www.herbst-in-peking.de (Band Homepage)
- http://www.myspace.com/herbstinpekingband (Herbst in Peking on myspace)
- http://www.artdisc.org/index.php?status=13,45 (Podcasts by Rex Joswig)