Electra-Combo -

Electra-Combo was a German classical-rock band from Dresden that released seven albums between 1974 and 1987 on AMIGA. After their first album, they shortened the name to Electra.

Members: Bernd Aust (saxophone, flute), Wolfgang Riedel (bass, 1969-74, 1976-present), Ekkehard Berger (guitar, 1969-74), Peter Ludewig (drums, vocals, 1969-74, 1976-83, 2002-present), Karl-Heinz Ringel (keyboards, 1969-74), Michael Demnitz (bass, 1974-76), Hans-Peter Dohanetz (keyboards, 1974-76), Stephan Trepte (vocals, 1974-78, 1989-present), Peter Sandkaulen (guitar, 1974-76), Gisbert Koreng (guitar, vocals, 1976-89), Rainer Uebel (keyboards, 1976-85), Manuel v. Senden (vocals, 1978-89), Dietmar Stephan (drums, 1983-89), Andreas Leuschner (keyboards, 1985-present), Ecki Lipske (guitar, 1989-present), Volker Fiebig (drums, 1989-96)

Background

Electra-Combo formed in May 1969 in Dresden when saxophonist–flutist Bernd Aust teamed with bassist Wolfgang Riedel, drummer–singer Peter Ludewig, guitarist Ekkehard Berger, and keyboardist Karl-Heinz Ringel, fellow students at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber.

Aust trained as a toolmaker at VEB Feinmess in Dresden-Trachenberge, took accordion lessons, and studied clarinet with Dresden jazz musician Friwi Sternberg. He studied saxophone and clarinet at the Hochschule from 1965 through 1969, with additional courses in composition and instrumental pedagogy.

Riedel, born in Freital in 1949, learned concert guitar at a local music school, moved to electric guitar in his teens, and switched to bass during his studies at the Dresden Hochschule. Ludewig, born in Freital in 1941, learned accordion as a child and began his professional career as a tenor at the theater in Görlitz. He subsequently studied percussion at the Dresden Hochschule, where Berger and Ringel belonged to the same student circle.

Electra-Combo turned professional in 1969 and joined a DDR twentieth-anniversary package tour that provided money for improved instruments and amplification. The group also played dance halls and bars around Dresden with a repertoire of Anglo-American cover material. The musicians recorded early titles at the Dresden radio studios, then approached Berliner Rundfunk producer Luise Mirsch when her mobile unit visited the region in search of new performers. Mirsch produced an early radio demo and established a continuing broadcast connection with the group.

Electra-Combo met Stephan Trepte at a shared dance engagement in Pockau and recruited him in May 1972 as lead singer. Trepte, born in Biehla in 1950, trained as a machine builder, studied piano through the preparatory program at the Dresden Hochschule, and played with the amateur groups Quintanas, Crux, and STC. He made his first Electra recording on Bernd Aust and Kurt Demmler’s “Tritt ein in den Dom” at the Radio DDR studio in Leipzig.

The song reached the top position in DDR radio surveys, then disappeared from regular broadcast rotation after cultural officials objected to the cathedral text. Electra-Combo continued the piece in concert and recorded further original titles for DDR radio, several of which later supplied the debut album. The group received an AMIGA offer for a full LP at the end of 1972, with the program drawn from existing radio masters.

Discography: