Abwärts -

Abwärts (Down) are a German NDW band that emerged with the 1980 album Amok Koma on ZickZack Records, followed by the 1982 Mercury title Der Westen ist Einsam.

Members: Frank Z. (vocals, guitar), Margitta Haberland [aka Ma Gita] (vocals, percussion, violin, 1979-81), FM Einheit (synthesizer, percussion, vocals, 1979-82, 1988-90), Axel Dill (drums, 1979-84), Joachim “Jocko Ono” Osiek (bass, 1979), Gisbert “Gibo” Kellersmann (bass, 1980), Mark Chung (bass, 1980-82), Raymond Watts (bass, 1984), Peter Horn (guitar, bass, 1987-89), Horst Siewert [aka Blank Fontana] (keyboards, drum machine, 1987-88)

Background

Abwärts formed in 1979 in Hamburg when percussionist Frank-Martin Strauß (FM Einheit) and bassist Joachim “Jocko Ono” Osiek recruited singer-guitarist Frank Ziegert (Frank Z.) and drummer Axel Dill.

Ziegert worked as a typesetter and formed Big Muff in 1978 with two art students. The trio played the June 1979 In die Zukunft festival at the Hamburg Markthalle, one of their two live appearances. Strauß and Osiek hailed from Bertha & Friends, a Bochum group led by singer Uwe Fellensiek. Osiek played bass under the name Jocko Malaga on the 1978 Beppo album Work of Art?. Strauß left school and moved to Hamburg, where he posted notices in bars seeking musicians. Dill studied for eight semesters at the Hamburg Conservatory and drummed in the Bremen punk band Blender.

Abwärts debuted on December 29, 1979, at Geräusche für die 80er, a festival organized by Alfred Hilsberg at the Hamburg Markthalle. The musicians performed a punk arrangement of “Caprifischer” alongside original material. ZickZack included two numbers, “Caprifischer” and “Punkte,” on the live festival compilation.

Osiek left in early 1980 and cleared out for Blender bassist Gisbert “Gibo” Kellersmann. Meanwhile, Dill invited singer-violinist Margita Haberland, a Blender associate who appeared with the jazz-rock ensemble Release Music Orchestra on the 1975/76 Brain albums Garuda and Get the Ball.

Ziegert helped Klaus Maeck operate Rip Off, a punk record store and independent distributor in the Karolinenviertel. In February 1980, Abwärts cut a self-financed five-track EP at Hafenklang Studio for a planned release through the Hanover label No Fun Records. Hilsberg instead issued Computerstaat as the second release on ZickZack. After a spring German tour, Kellersmann departed for bassist Mark Chung of the Hamburg Buschband. The revised quintet entered Hafenklang Studio in July–August with Maeck as co-producer for the ZickZack debut Amok Koma.

Discography:

Amok Koma (1980)
Der Westen ist Einsam (1982)
Abwärts (1987)
Ich seh die Schiffe den Fluß Herunterfahren (1990)

Sources:

References and notes

Abwärts — Bear Family Records. Detailed early history of Big Muff, the Bochum connection, the initial lineup, personnel changes, and the first EP. (Band biography)
40 Jahre später: Abwärts — Ox-Fanzine, 2019. Identifies the four musicians at the December 1979 debut, earlier groups, festival tracks, Buschband connection, and summer 1980 album sessions. (Historical retrospective)
FM Einheit — Goethe-Institut interview. Firsthand account of the move from Bochum to Hamburg, Rip Off, independent distribution, and the early Abwärts rehearsal space. (Interview)
Margita Haberland — Release Music Orchestra. Confirms her participation on the 1975/76 Brain albums Garuda and Get the Ball. (JazzRockSoul discography)
Bertha & Friends — Work of Art?, Beppo Records. Original album credits identify Joachim Osiek under the name Jocko Malaga. (Release credits)
Frank Z. interview — Ox-Fanzine, 2005. Firsthand account of the Rip Off distribution partnership with Klaus Maeck and early ZickZack dealings. (Interview)
Rip Off — Nukleus Karoviertel. Klaus Maeck recollections of the April 1979 record store, Hamburg festivals, and the distribution network around ZickZack. (Local historical archive)
Alfred Hilsberg interview — Ox-Fanzine. Original ZickZack catalog references confirm Computerstaat as ZZ 2 and Amok Koma as ZZ 10, both from 1980. (Interview and discography)