Neue Deutsche Welle (New German Wave, often abbreviated NDW) was a style of German music originally derived from Punk and New Wave in 1976. The term "Neue Deutsche Welle" was first coined by journalist Alfred Hilsberg, whose article about the movement titled "Neue Deutsche Welle - Aus grauer Städte Mauern" was published in the magazine Sounds in 1979.
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The history of the Neue Deutsche Welle consists of two major parts. From its beginnings to 1981, the Neue Deutsche Welle was mostly an underground movement with roots in English Punk and New Wave music; it quickly developed into an original and distinct style, influenced in no small part by the different sound and rhythm of the German language which many of the bands had adapted from early on.
The main centers of the NDW movement during these years were Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Hannover, as well as, to a lesser extent, the Frankfurt / Wiesbaden / Mainz region, Limburg an der Lahn and Vienna (Austria).
From about 1980 on, the music industry began noticing the Neue Deutsche Welle; however, due to the idiosyncratic nature of the music, the main focus was put on creating new bands more compatible with the mainstream rather than promoting the existing bands. Many one-hit wonders and short-lived bands appeared and were forgotten again in rapid succession, and the overly broad application of the "NDW" label to these bands quickly led to the decay of the entire genre when many of the original musicians turned their backs in frustration.
It was thus no surprise when in 1982 / 1983, the era of the Neue Deutsche Welle came to an early end again, following the oversaturation of the market with what was widely perceived as stereotypical, manufactured hits.
History
Notable bands
Underground
Commercial
Also see
