GIRLS EXPERIMENTAL DANCE MUSIC REINCARNATED

GIRLS are the reincarnation of a forgotten all female proto-Krautrock showband from Upper Bavaria / Southern Germany (1967-71)

In 1967 in a small countryside village in upper Bavaria, my mother, the drummer Anny de Martin, founded the band GIRLS. In the late '60s/ early '70s, this band, consisting of four young women from Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, played monthly engagements in night clubs and dance halls.

GIRLS - Germany‘s first and only female Krautrock showband?

Through discussions with colleagues, experts and music historians over the past couple of years, I've come to the conclusion that GIRLS were an early source for the musical genre later known as “Krautrock.” They were just more “swinging” than most of the later successors. They played in a unique style surprisingly progressive for the time and context (late '60s, Bavarian countryside) and even for today's ears, with compositions that lasted for up to one set (45 min.); tricky, bumpy grooves mixed with raw guitar textures; and manipulated singing with cryptic lyrics that dealt with the thematic triangle of love, death and Heimat. They appeared on stage in striking, homemade outfits that gravitated between Marlene Dietrich and The Clockwork Orange.

GIRLS performed in dance clubs for „Tanztee“. Documentary evidence indicates that their appearance and music polarized audiences, resulting in clashes with promoters as well as a huge collection of love messages left on the snare drum.

GIRLS recorded one demo for promotion purposes and were asked to produce an album under the mysterious title „Yes Wave“. Unfortunately, it never got released. Due to the death of my mother, drummer and driving force of the band Anny de Martin GIRLS dissolved in 1971. The recordings disappeared into the family archives. Some decades later, the extant relics of their artistic heritage were turned over to me. Besides her diary, numerous photos, articles, posters and other ephemera, I also inherited original equipment, compositions and recorded music.

I decided to re-establish GIRLS with four contemporary Berlin musicians from very different contexts in order to bring the music, spirit and style of this undiscovered source of „jazzy“ Krautrock into the NOW.

Maurice de Martin & GIRLS 01/2019

GIRLS 2019 on stage are:

Stella Mars - Bass / Voice

Ida van Selbst - Guitar/Voice

Vally Cloud - Trombone / Voice

Moon de Marzan - Drums / Voice

Feedback

„Sounds like Steve Reich hanging out with Joseph Beuys on the Lower East Side“ (Musicologist)

„Die Platte in Marzahn hat sich kurzzeitig in einen Club im NYC der 80er verwandelt.“ (Director)

„Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass ein 15/8 Takt tanzbar sein könnte“ (Musician)

„Well-honed marketing meets dada noise rock in Marzahn“ (Scene-Music-Blogger)

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