Formed in 1971 by two early members of Kraftwerk, Neu! became not only an important band in the emerging krautrock movement but also kosmische pioneers. With the expansive new box set, 50!, out now, Prog catches up with surviving member Michael Rother to revisit the band’s core albums and explore their influence on modern music.

Words: Rob Hughes

Neu! faces: Klaus Dinger (left) and Michael Rother.

Portrait: Anton Corbijn

“In 1972, Klaus and I weren’t thinking about the future beyond maybe a span of several months. I would never have thought we’d be talking about Neu! 50 years later.”

It’s December 1974 and silence reigns inside Conny Plank’s studio in Cologne. Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger – the duo who comprise Neu! – are locked in a battle of wills. They’ve been sitting here for five or six hours now, with neither prepared to give in.

They’re midway through sessions for their third album, Neu! 75, and Rother is aggrieved that Dinger has reneged on a deal they’d struck beforehand. “Klaus had suggested we record the album with two drummers: Thomas Dinger and Hans Lampe,” explains guitarist Rother. “But I only wanted to record with just him and me. So we made a compromise – one side as a duo, the other side with the four of us. We started with the two drummers, then halfway through, when it came time to switch, Klaus didn’t want to stick to the agreement. Of course, I wasn’t happy about this, so we sat there for half a day, not speaking.”

Without warning, Dinger suddenly springs up from his chair and shatters the stillness: “Okay, let’s get going!” He then takes up his customary spot behind the drumkit, acquiescing to his musical partner by reverting to a twopiece. “From that point on, we started working and Klaus was just as 100 per cent involved and excited about those tracks,” says Rother. “That’s really important to remember, because it’s an example of our agreement on the whole bandwidth of Neu!”