To Rococo Rot were a

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

-based band who combined electronic and analog elements to create instrumental

post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...

music.

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

described the band's sound as "unmistakably digital, yet 100% human." The group was composed of bassist Stefan Schneider and brothers

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

(electronics, guitar) and Ronald Lippok (drums, effects). The band's name is a

palindrome A palindrome (Help:IPA/English, /ˈpæl.ɪn.droʊm/) is a word, palindromic number, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as ''madam'' or ''racecar'', the date "Twosday, 02/02/2020" and th ...

, as it can be spelled the same both forwards and backwards. To Rococo Rot formed in 1995 and were active until 2014, releasing eight major albums and numerous collaborations, remixes, singles and EPs. They were known for their minimalist, musically engaging live show, and gave their final performance on December 17, 2014 via a

live-streamed Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming media, streaming of video or Digital audio, audio in real-time communication, real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature ...

Boiler Room "In Stereo" session.

History

While involved in the Cabaret Voltaire-inspired experimental outfit Ornament and Verbrechen, the Lippok brothers connected with then- Kreidler bassist Stefan Schneider to make a one-off record project intended to accompany a gallery exhibition. The group's eponymous debut, recorded on an ADAT without editing, was released in 1995 in the form of a

picture disc Picture discs are gramophone record, gramophone (phonograph) records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or colored vinyl. Collectors traditionally reserve the term picture disc for records with graphics ...

, and subsequently issued on CD by Kitty Yo in 1996. During the trio's early years, Schneider continued to play in Kreidler before leaving to focus on To Rococo Rot. Ronald Lippok simultaneously recorded with Tarwater. Robert Lippok has described To Rococo Rot's approach as "a very simple way of organizing music" that focuses on just a few musical elements at a time. To Rococo Rot rose to prominence with three critically acclaimed albums released by UK independent label City Slang. The band's sound continued to evolve following a move to Domino Records: '' Hotel Morgen'' (2004) emphasizes the group's electronic and IDM side, while ''Speculation'' (2010) was hailed for "capturing a more live sound and looser atmosphere." The band's last full-length album, '' Instrument'', was released in July 2014, and features Arto Lindsay on three tracks. Commenting on the uncustomary inclusion of vocals, Robert Lippok said: "The melodies Arto sang were surprising... His voice is light and is flying over the music with turns and twists, but also it is brittle and has something almost fragile about it. It's like a delicate bird." Shortly after releasing ''Instrument,'' "a big gap of expectations" surfaced among members, and the band decided to split up. All three members have since gone on to release music through various projects. In 2022, Bureau B released ''The John Peel Sessions'', which collects the band's three previously-unreleased John Peel Sessions, recorded between 1997–1999. Then on December 12, 2022, To Rococo Rot reunited for a special one-time appearance at the Lieblingsplatte ("Favorite Records") Festival in Düsseldorf, where the band performed the 1999 album ''The Amateur View'' in its entirely.

Discography

Studio albums

Commissioned Projects

EPs

Singles

Compilations

References

External links

To Rococo Rot at Domino RecordsBoiler Room 2014 "In Stereo" Session: To Rococo Rot's final performance (video)
* {{Authority control German electronic music groups German post-rock groups German experimental rock groups German experimental musical groups Minimal music groups Kitty-Yo artists City Slang artists Domino Recording Company artists