In German coming-of-age films like “Crazy” and “Absolute Giganten”, The Notwist have accompanied the moments in which the protagonists are at their most vulnerable with their fragile gems. “Pick Up The Phone” is perhaps the most beautiful of their whispered hymns, a song so profoundly sad that you would like to hide in the warm sound like Markus Acher’s voice.
Perfected by Martin Gretschmann’s recording machine electronics, The Notwist still make absolutely contemporary pop music today, and they can boast of being one of the country’s few indie export hits.
The band sounded completely different in its early days. Founded in 1989 as a noise punk band, their development into a state-of-the-art pop band wasn’t completed until around 1998. At the turn of the millennium, the press dubbed the mix of electronic and pop they had perfected “Indietronics,” and their Bavarian hometown of Weilheim was suddenly seen as the German equivalent of Conor Oberst’s Saddle Creek or even Kurt Cobain’s Seattle.
The Notwist had a global career
At least this much was true: a nucleus had emerged in the German hinterland in which artists could develop their potential undisturbed. Lali Puna, Tied & Tickled Trio, Ms. John Soda and many more emerged from this – always held together as a scene by Markus and Micha Acher and their band The Notwist.
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Without making any effort, the small town and its children also became known outside of Germany: After the successful “Neon Golden”, The Notwist’s albums were found in well-stocked record stores all over the world, and they even ventured out with the American hip-hoppers Themselves as 13&God an international collaboration.
They never listened to the German provinces; the principle “Think globally, act locally” worked particularly well with The Notwist.