Zum Geburtstag von Moritz R und Frank F has just been released on
WM Recordings, the offshoot free netlabel of
WeirdoMusic.comThe release celebrates the recent birthdays of two members of the band
Der Plan, Moritz and Frank. This birthday project is composed of tracks by friends and colleagues of Moritz and Frank, and was organized by long-time fan, collector and
WM Recordings artist Werner Popp. More about
Der Plan by Peter Schaefer of
allmusic.com, the free online music encyclopedia:
"One of the founders of
synth pop, Der Plan were mainstays of the music underground of Germany in the 1980s. Singing almost exclusively in German, they inspired a countless number of like-minded groups as part of the Neue Deutsche Welle (German New Wave) scene. Inspired by the synthetic beats of
Kraftwerk and the quirky styles of
the Residents [fellas I used to work for -k.], Der Plan created a unique blend of electronics, pop music, and surrealism.
"
Kurt "Pyrolator" Dahlke left
D.A.F. after their first LP and formed Der Plan with
Frank Fenstermacher and
Moritz "RRR" Reichelt [the birthday boys]. While many German underground acts were playing derivative
Sex Pistols-inspired punk, Der Plan aligned themselves with predecessors such as
Kraftwerk to focus on the use of electronics in pop music. In 1980, they released
Geri Reig, a strong debut with an off-kilter pop sensibility and innovative use of electronics. Though never receiving much chart success, Der Plan developed a strong cult following. However, they did manage to crack the German Top 40 with their 1980 single
Da Vorne Steht Ne Ampel. Der Plan continued to grow artistically by incorporating innovative rhythms into their songs with their second full-length
Normalette Surprise.
"Der Plan continued to perform and release music throughout the 1980s and early '90s, though never equaling the strength of their early material. Their record label,
Ata Tak, released some of the most innovative electronic music coming out of Germany during the 1980s and '90s. They were responsible for releases by artists such as
D.A.F.,
Andreas Dorau,
Holger Hiller,
Oval, and
Wirtschaftswunder. Der Plan called it quits in 1992, but
Frank Fenstermacher and
Kurt Dahlke formed
A Certain Frank, releasing a full-length on
Ata Tak in 1996."
Ageema New Year's Release. Silly stuff for you: Textile God of Sweden - Musik för Dig. Wonder how long that one will be up there. Not everyone's cup of _insertyourdrinkofchoicehere_ but there is a remote 
Cinema Volta begins a new year of creating ambient music almost daily and sharing it with the world. Musician John Maxwell Hobbs rings in the new year with studies in harmonized delays for guitar and piano. [blog / podcast]
On WFMU...
Ton Rückert presents 
Happy Holidays from Oddio Overplay. Click your way through an audio card.
Here is another sampling of the cool stuff folks have sent to the ole inbox.
Interupting your day to bring you these gems currently in play here
UB Radio and Shirley & Spinoza have been having fun putting together live programs the first Sunday of each month. There is plenty of photographic evidence of this excitement. The audio evidence is archived, as well. The two combined equal a free trip to the San Fran Bay for evenings of sound joy surrounded by artists.
Gogol Bordello are insane live. Seven weeks later and I still have bruises from that amazing show. NYC's finest Ukrainian-American-Russian-Israeli punk boys are still touring and the shows are legendary. Check them out! You have to see the girls - oh wow, the girls!
Okay, so the last post was seriously anti-Winter. What can I say? I'm looking forward to warmth in the sun.
Winter is pressing down here again. This is my last cold winter. The winters are over; the ancestors fled "zemlya bolshikh vozmozhnoctye," and Stalin, and all the cold forever. No more cold.
a little new year treat from OddioOverplay.com [link expired]