Still collapsing after all these years: Einsturzende Neubauten on their fifth decade as a Berlin legend

"Everything already written, everything already said, the words Blixa Bargeld chose to open Rampen, the latest Einsturzende Neubauten record, released in 2024 to comparatively little fanfare, felt ominous. Would this mark the end of the band that has defined German music, at least to the outside world, for close to five decades? No! Bargeld replies, his voice thundering across the small dressing room backstage at the National Theatre of the Netherlands in The Hague. Take it for granted we'll make another record."

"Later that night, Einsturzende Neubauten (Collapsing New Buildings) are the closing act of the Rewire festival's 15th edition, an anniversary for the city's celebration of experimental music and art. It is the third stop on a short festival run the band has embarked on this spring and summer, and true to form, they have lugged a shopping trolley all the way from Berlin, along with pipes, drills and metal sheets. Known for an intense noise sound, created using building materials and scrap metals, Neubauten are seen as pioneers of the industrial genre, influencing later bands such as Nine Inch Nails or Swans."

"This time, there is a new addition to the stage a new member: bassist Josefine Lukschy, who is now sitting on the sofa next to Bargeld, in the first interview he has given alongside another band member in years. New chapters afford new routines. Lukschy, born in 1989, is the first new member since Jochen Arbeit and Rudolph Moser joined in 1997. When Josefine was born, we had just released Haus der Luge, Bargeld says, referring to the band's fifth studio album."

"The catalyst for this new chapter was the departure of Alexander Hacke who joined Einsturzende Neubauten shortly after their founding in 1980 and had been with them ever since who announced last April that he was leaving. The exact reasons remain unclear. In a statement, Hacke cited a divergence of basic standards, p"

Einsturzende Neubauten’s 2024 record opened with ominous feeling despite limited fanfare, raising questions about the band’s future. Bargeld stated the band would make another record. The band performed as the closing act of the Rewire festival in The Hague, continuing a short spring and summer run. They brought industrial instruments and materials, including a shopping trolley, pipes, drills, and metal sheets, maintaining their intense noise sound. The group is recognized as a pioneer of industrial music and influenced later bands, even as their sound became more melodic in the early 2000s. Josefine Lukschy joined as bassist, marking the first new member since 1997, following Alexander Hacke’s announced departure.

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