NEU! Vinyl Records
One of the key groups to come out of the Krautrock scene of the 1970s, Neu! embraced both driving, repetitive rhythms and euphoric ambience, breaking rock music down into a form that was wild, exploratory, and elemental. Drummer Klaus Dinger and guitarist Michael Rother were active players in Germany's small but interconnected circles of experimental musicians, both playing in early lineups of Kraftwerk before starting Neu! and maintaining various other projects throughout the band's existence, but what they created together stood apart from their other groups and what many of their peers were doing at the time. The band was short-lived, working in fits and starts between 1971 and 1975 (and reuniting briefly in the mid-'80s for some ill-fated studio sessions), but their sound was groundbreaking and hugely influential.