F.S.K. (''Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle'', German meaning "voluntary self control") is a German band that formed in Munich in 1980. The band has been associated with avant-garde fringes of ''

Neue Deutsche Welle Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW, , "New German Wave") is a genre of West German rock music originally derived from post-punk and new wave music with electronic influences. The term was first coined by Dutch radio DJ Frits Spits on the popular nationwid ...

'' (German New Wave) of the early 1980s and with techno and house music since the mid 1990s.

History

The band was formed in Munich in 1980 by Wilfred Petzi, Thomas Meinecke, Justin Hoffman and Michaela Melian, contributors to the underground magazine ''Mode & Verzweiflung'' (Fashion & despair). The band name is a reference to the German motion picture rating organisation ''

Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft The Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft (FSK, ''Self-Regulatory Body of the Movie Industry'') is a German motion picture rating system organization run by the '' Spitzenorganisation der Filmwirtschaft'' (SPIO, Head Organisation of the M ...

'', which uses the same acronym. From 1985 the band was championed by British disc jockey John Peel, recording six sessions for his BBC radio show, and were themselves strongly influenced by the independent British music scene of the time, such as by the unusual interpretation of

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

the Mekons The Mekons are a British band formed in the late 1970s as an art collective. They are one of the longest-running and most prolific of the first-wave British punk rock bands. The band's style has evolved over time to incorporate aspects of ...

. FSK records were released on Zickzack, a record label owned by German music journalist and punk rock advocate Alfred Hilsberg. F.S.K. frequently played with David Lowery of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker and recorded in his studio in Richmond, Virginia. In the mid-1990s the band recorded Techno and House music, recording in Uphon Studios in

Weilheim, Bavaria Weilheim in Oberbayern (English: 'Weilheim in Upper Bavaria') is a town in Germany, the capital of the district Weilheim-Schongau in the south of Bavaria. Weilheim has an old city-wall, historic houses and a museum. Local history Up to the 18 ...

. On their album ''First Take Then Shake'' they worked with Detroit producer Anthony Shake Shakir. The band members are active in the arts, Thomas Meinecke as a successful novelist, Michaela Melián as a professor at the

University of Fine Arts of Hamburg The ''Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg (HFBK Hamburg)'' is the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg. It dates to 1767, when it was called the ''Hamburger Gewerbeschule''; later it became known as ''Landeskunstschule Hamburg''. The main build ...

, Justin Hoffmann as director of the Wolfsburg Art Society and Wilfried Petzi as a photographer.

Lineup

*Wilfred Petzi - trombone, guitar, vocals, percussion *Thomas Meinecke - concertina, guitar, vocals, percussion *Justin Hoffman - electric piano, guitar, xylophone, vocals *Michaela Melian - bass, melodica, vocals *Carl Oesterheld - drums, percussion ''(joined in 1990)''

Discography

as ''Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle'': * ''Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle erz aus Stein', 1980, ZickZack ZZ 6 (7-inch EP) * ''Teilnehmende Beobachtung'', 1981, ZickZack ZZ 27 (7-inch EP) * ''Stürmer'', 1981, ZickZack ZZ 80 (12-inch LP) * ''Magic Moments'', 1983, ZickZack ZZ 155 (12-inch EP) * ''Ça c’est le Blues'', 1984, ZickZack ZZ 2001 (12-inch LP) * ''Goes Underground'', 1985, ZickZack ZZ 1789 (12-inch LP) * ''Last Orders (The John Peel Session)'', 1985, ZickZack ZZ 1066 (12-inch EP) * ''Continental Breakfast'', 1987, ZickZack ZZ 2532 / Ediesta CALC LP 16 (12-inch LP) ampler 1983–1985* ''American Sector'', 1987, Ediesta CALC 32 (12-inch EP) * ''In Dixieland'', 1987, ZickZack ZZ 1987 / Ediesta CALC LP 042 (12-inch LP / CD) D contains ''Magic Moments'' EP as ''F.S.K.'': * ''Double Peel Sessions'', 1989, Strange Fruit Records SFPMA204 (12-inch LP / CD) * ''Original Gasman Band'', 1989, ZickZack ZZ 8000 (12-inch LP / CD) D contains ''American Sector'' EP* ''Budweiser Polka / Cannonball Yodel'', 1990, Sub Up Records (7-inch single) * ''Son Of Kraut'', 1991, Sub Up Records SUBLP 12 (12-inch LP / CD) n some discographies erroneously referred to as ''Richmond'' (VA) where it was recorded* ''The Sound Of Music'', 1993, Sub Up Records subup25 (12-inch LP / CD) * ''The German-American Octet'', 1994, Return To Sender (Normal Records) RTS 8 (CD) * ''Bei Alfred'', 1995, ZickZack ZZ 1995 (2×CD) ampler 1980 - 1989* ''International'', 1996, Sub Up Records subup28 (2×12″ LP / CD) * ''4 Instrumentals'', 1997, Disko B 64 (12-inch EP) * ''Tel Aviv'', 1998, Sub Up Records subup31 (12-inch LP / CD) * ''Did You See Davidopoulos Hit That Ball'' (F.S.K.) / ''Landla'' ( HP Falkner & Cpt. Schneider), 1999, private pressing (7-inch single) * ''X'', 2000, Sub Up Records subup34 (12-inch LP / CD) * ''First Take Then Shake'', 2004, Disko B db123 (12-inch LP + 7-inch single / CD) * ''Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle'', 2008, Buback BTT 95 (12-inch LP / CD) * ''Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle ist ein Mode & Verzweiflung Produkt'', 2011, Disko B (3×CD) ampler 1980–2009* ''Akt, eine Treppe hinabsteigend'', 2012, Buback BTT 118 (12-inch LP + CD) * ''Ein Haufen Scheiß und ein Zertrümmertes Klavier'', 2017, Martin Hossbach (12-inch LP) * ''Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle/Teilnehmende Beobachtung'', 2021, A-Musik (12-inch LP) ampler 1980–1981

Compilations

* 2006 – "Silver Monk Time - a Tribute to the Monks" (29 bands cover

the Monks The Monks, referred to by the name monks on record sleeves, were an American garage rock band formed in Gelnhausen, West Germany in 1964. Assembled by five American GIs stationed in the country, the group grew tired of the traditional format ...

label play loud! productions

References

External links

Band information on publisher's siteMichaela Melian RBMA video lecture session
{{DEFAULTSORT:FSK German new wave musical groups Neue Deutsche Welle groups