Born on January 12: Blixa Bargeld (Einsturzende Neubauten) is magnificently insatiable

Ask around you. Very few people know the stage name of this brilliant exentric born in Berlin in 1959. And even fewer know his real name: Christian Emmerich. But those who do appreciate him often worship him relentlessly...

Let's linger over the pseudonym for a moment, which is neither accidental nor trivial. Adopted in homage to Johannes Theodor Baargeld, one of the leading figures of Dadaism, it also means “cash” in German.

In 1980, a few months after David Bowie had completed his Berlin trilogy, Einstürzende Neubauten was born in a city still scarred by the wall separating East and West. The band's name could be translated as “new collapsing buildings”. And indeed, a few months after the band's first performances, the roof of Berlin's Palais des Congrès (a symbol of American aid for the country's reconstruction) collapsed. This brought the band unexpected attention and, with its slightly terrifying look, Blixa was soon seen as an evil oracle. Voluntarily noisy and fundamentally dissonant, the Neubauten's music taps (literally) on everything within its reach: metal plates, construction tools and various objects. Forty-five years on, the group still doesn't seek to seduce at any price, but their heterogeneous sonic alchemy is now more reminiscent of avant-garde jazz without blinkers. Released in 2024 and subtitled “alien pop music”, their latest album “Ist Ist” is masterful proof of this. Or how to seduce while refusing to compromise...

Team leader of the Neubauten with a discography as plethoric (some fifteen albums) as it is capricious, Blixa Bargeld also lives an indeterminate number of other artistic existences. If you're a Nick Cave fan, you may recall that he was guitarist with the Bad Seeds between 1983 and 2003. His touch can be heard on the album “Your Funeral, My Trial”. He has also collaborated on several occasions with Italian artist Teho Teardo (from the band Melthead), and it's a pleasure to hear Blixa chant “Mi scusi” or “Bisogna morire” in the language of Adriano Celentano. The two artists also recorded the beautiful “Christian & Mauro” (their two real first names) in 2024.

But as Blixa can't stay still, we also find his sound imprint on video installations and plays. “Flammenwerfer”, the latest, also in 2024, recounts the life of Swedish artist Carl Frederik Hill. Insatiable and as exciting as ever at the venerable age of 66, Blixa Bargeld has no intention of retiring anytime soon. And, as he's not devoid of a sense of humor, he's even lent his voice to an advert for German DIY store Hornbach!

(Stéphane Soupart - Tr.: MH - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)
Photo: Blixa Bargeld (left) with Einstürzende Neubauten at Les Halles de Schaerbeek in Brussels (Belgium) on February 20, 1986.