The development of German pop music represents a fascinating cultural mirror to the history of post-war Germany, reflecting sociological changes and political developments. While film studies is an already established discipline, German pop music is currently emerging as a new and exciting field of academic study.
This pioneering companion is the first volume to provide a comprehensive overview of the subject, charting the development of German pop music from the post-war period 'Schlager' to the present 'Diskursrock'. Written by acknowledged experts from Germany, the UK and the US, the various chapters provide overviews of pertinent genres as well as focusing on major bands such as CAN, Kraftwerk or Rammstein. While these acts have shaped the international profile of German pop music, the volume also undertakes in-depth examinations of the specific German contributions to genres such as punk, industrial, rap and techno.
The survey is concluded by an interview with the leading German pop theorist Diedrich Diederichsen. The volume constitutes an indispensible companion for any student, teacher and scholar in the area of German studies interested in contemporary popular culture.
Uwe Schütte, Berlin.
"Indeed,
German Pop Music: A Companion is aimed at (primarily anglophone) students and scholars in German Studies, providing a non-music-specialist introduction to the field of Popular Music Studies while also mapping the territory where popular music and German history intersect. [...] While each chapter can be read fruitfully as a stand-alone essay, there is also a narrative thread discernible throughout the book, with each chapter picking up where the previous one left off. [...]
German Pop Music provides an informative, accessible, and much-needed anglophone introduction to the field of German Popular Music Studies."
Luis-Manuel Garcia in: Modern Language Review, Vol. 113 (2018), Part 2, 449-451
