Minimalistic debut from krautrock pioneers Neu lays down the foundations of krautrock and what would later become the genre electronica.

"Neu! was recorded over four days in Hamburg with Can producer Conrad Plank, and its static, aggressive harmonies and almost (but not quite) robotic sound still has a resonance that echoes even today. As any musician from Add N to X to Sonic Youth, from Stereolab to Cabaret Voltaire could tell you, early '70s Dusseldorf band Neu! were one third of the original triumvirate--alongside Can and Faust--that defined Krautrock. Michael Rother (guitar/keyboards) and Klaus Dinger (drums) formed the band in 1971, and with their first three albums established a pattern of minimalist melodies and locked groove "motorik" beats that were to later exert a tremendous influence over left-field music, both in dance and rock. Indeed, one of the great U.S. avant-garde '90s bands, Negativland, take their name from a track on this album. "Hallogallo, Sonderangebot," "Im Gluck"--these are the conveyor-belt grooves, the elemental sweep and soar of the neon-bright autobahn, and the sound of the future when it was still shiny and clean. As David Bowie put it, "[Neu! were] Kraftwerk's wayward, anarchistic brothers." And so much more."

Jerry Thackray