Sowas Von Egal 3 the long awaited third instalment into this compilation series for obscure German Synthwave acts of the 80's, compiled by the DJ's at the Damaged Goods DJ Team that I assume is retro German club night. This is made up of totally obscure but cool German Synth wave tunes from the first half of the 80's.
The album opens with He Sabine by Switzerland's Guyer's Connection who use a basic drum machine and synth on this dance pop song that is like early Depeche Mode, with a twist of Metal Boys perfect for some robotic dancing.
Night by Night (7" Version) By Starter who are like the Swiss Soft Cell, this is the only song on the album in English, this is part Bedsitter part Seedy Sin City with a pure dance pop feel.
Almenrausch by Bergtraum is taken from the bands only 12" single and has a slightly offbeat, no wave feel, while reworking the Tom Hark rhythm pattern, the vocals seem a little bit out of kilter with the music in intriguing ways.
Disco-Liebe by The Shadocks who came from Bremen, are a garage synth punk band, this feels like a more guitar-based Anomy, the female vocals sounding suitable desperate of the fleeting love she finds at the disco.
Kontrolle by Isolierband is one of the two songs they put out in their brief lifetime, this has choppy guitars and what my useless German language skills makes me feel is a screed against those that seek to exert too much control on them, with a good fist in the air chorus the get the fight going.
Geheimnis by Bizarre Leidenschaft who are apparently an Rotzkotz offshoot, who made this rather catchy riff-based synthwave ballad.
Geduld By Ziggy & Eno is one of only two tracks by them as a duo and not as part of Kosmonautentraum, this has a rather doomy synth bassline that pulsing sounds go over, twin vocals telling us all about Geduld with all sorts of odd synth interjections, this is odd and weird.
Liebe Banal by Andre Szigehty appears to be Bremen's answer to A-Ha who are looking for some banal love, a meaningless brief encounter in a dark club will do, while we all dance across the floor towards someone we believe will give us the sort of Liebe Banal we are in the club looking for.
Irrenanstalt by Zero Zero one of the only bands on this compilation I was vaguely familiar with, named after some potent hash, allowing them to do the dislocation dance in Munich, with echoes of Too Cut A Long Story Short and weird effects and sounds, this has bags of charm and is extremely hard to sit still too.
Habt Nicht Mehr Angst by Ja Ja Ja has a Slits meets Raincoats slightly twisted Femme Punk sound that threatens to go full Nina Hagen style insanity in places, this is wonderfully bonkers, it needs hearing for the bass parts alone.
Traumtanzer by Ti-Tho is Hamburg style oompah synth punk with squeaky high teenage vocals that have an angry bitter edge to them while the music never loses its dancefloor beat and love of Schlager accordions.
Mensch Im Eis by Vorgruppe this is the Joy Division infused post punk version of Vorgruppe's only hit, imagine Joy Division fronted by an ethereal sounding German woman and you may get close to how this could easily have been a massive global hit, I wish the women who called me a mensch in the 80's sounded like this while doing so.
Morgen by X-Beliebig who appear to be the Austrian Wasted Youth claiming tomorrow everyone will be dead, this is dark goth post-punk with drums that move around the speakers like we are sitting on the drum stool listening to this, before the guitars battle it out of the outro.
City Nacht by Trick 17 uses a clap track and simple synth patterns, with the tale of what they get up too in the city of Solingen at night unfurls in all its sordid glory, this would work well next to Klippans Centrum by Torsson.
Kuntstoff by Die Egozentgrischen Zwei is early glitchcore madness with whispered vocals and lots of pitch shifting in the mad ways only 15-year-old experimental musicians can.
The alum closes with Contergan Punk by Tommi Stumpff is dark brooding synth punk with the only string section on the album that is totally at odds with the bassline and synths this is a truly fascinating sound being conjured up, creating a frightening dystopian hellscape.
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