Hong Kong Syndikat
Hong Kong Syndicat | |
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Origin | West Berlin, Germany |
Genres | |
Years active | 1981–1989 |
Hong Kong Syndikat was a German synthpop music group of the eighties.
History
Hong Kong Syndikat formed at the beginning of the eighties when the decorator and disc-jockey Bruno Grünberg, the graph designer Hartmut Möller and Gerd Plez, all from Bremen, met in West Berlin. They were signed for a contract soon after and in 1982 they released their debut album, Erster Streich.
The first single, Berlin Bleibt Doch Berlin, contained quotes from US President Ronald Reagan. This first album was still recorded mainly in German; from the next one the group started to sing in English for commercial reasons.
The switch to the English language was successful: in 1984 Hong Kong Syndikat held their first concert in New York City; in the same year, in August they recorded in London their second album, Olympia, produced by Rusty Egan, un membro dei Visage. In questo album, tra gli altri, alla batteria figurava Curt Cress (apparso anche in album di Scorpions, Freddie Mercury, Elio e le Storie Tese and others).
Major success came in 1985 with their third album, Never Too Much, from which three singles were released: Too Much, Concrete & Clay and Girls I Love.
Afterwards, Hong Kong Syndikat were not able to repeat their previous success : Des Teutons Pas Nippons (1987) was a flop and two years later, in 1989, the band dismantled. Gerd Plez was then writer for Austrian singer Falco.
Members
- Bruno Grünberg jr. (* 04/01/1956) (voice, synth)
- Gerd Plez (* 10/04/1956) (voice, synth)
- Hartmut Möller (* 05/09/1952) (guitar)
Discography
Singles/Maxi
- Sugarcane
- Unusual
- 1982 · Berlin Bleibt Doch Berlin (album Erster Streich)
- 1984 · Berlin (album Olympia)
- 1984 · Samba Olec (album Olympia)
- 1985 · Too Much (album Never Too Much)
- 1986 · That's Jungle / Loosin' Winnin' (dall'album Never Too Much)
- 1986 · Concrete & Clay (album Never Too Much)
- 1986 · Girls I Love (album Never Too Much)
- 1987 · No More Sorrow (album Des Teutons Pas Nippons)
- 1989 · Real Men Don't Eat Gummibears (album Des Teutons Pas Nippons)
- 1999 · Too Much '99 (album Des Teutons Pas Nippons)
Albums
- 1982 · Erster Streich
- 1984 · Olympia
- 1985 · Never Too Much
- 1987 · Des Teutons Pas Nippons
Further reading
- Graf, Christian: Das NDW Lexikon. Die Neue Deutsche Welle - Bands und Solisten von A bis Z. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-89602-529-5.
External links
- http://www.discogs.com/artist/40918-Hongkong-Syndikat|Hong Kong Syndikat on discogs.com