The Berlin duo STEREO TOTAL has created a colourful and fascinating universe. Oscillating between the essential punk rock, disco and electro garage chanson and genious diletantism, the songs dazzle us for an instant (most of them not for longer than two minutes), leaving us stunned by their intensity.
At the beginning of this ever-expanding musical universe (pleasantly enough!): a woman, a man, and an inexhaustible, sparkling imagination. Françoise Cactus, (who was born Van Hove in Burgundy and has chosen Berlin as her home for something like a generation now) a writer, local diva, who has performed, among other things, as drummer and singer of the "Lolitas" in the eighties. Then there is Brezel Göring, an inexplicable mixture of the hyperspeedy "Grand Duduche" and the elegant, unobtrusive crooner, with a soft voice and a lively rhythm. Bent over his synthesizer, happy as a young boy, he reminds one of the hallucinated inventor Géo Trouve-tout.
To sum up STEREO TOTAL's short history, which began with the single "allo j'écoute", let us list the different elements characteristic of their musical art: a minimalistic production (in a positive sense), meaning a home-made-trash-garage-sound crossed with underground, authentic as well as amateurish, ironic as well as effective, pop as well as...political. An untiring creative energy, as if it could never suffice, "Oh, but you haven't heard this one!" and wop! here we go again, hardly leaving time to draw a deep breath. A brilliant sense of composition as well as for covering other's material, whatever the source, combined with an excessive love for French chanson (the main weak spot being an evident admiration for the master Gainsbourg). A mystery of words resulting from the French-German/ male-female bilingualism, words in which accents are merrily blended and become more and more exotic from album to album (Japanese, Turkish, Spanish, English). And finally, an explicit and surprising sensitivity for electronic effects and a thrilling beat. A gift of pop music and its everlasting history.
The unexpected combination of two traditions - French chanson and German electronica (which not only relates to Kraftwerk, but also to the uniquely German sound of "Neue Deutsche Welle", popular in the eighties, and the emergence of electrogroove, a sound which has flourished over the past ten years in numerous clubs in Berlin is again at its best, enchanting its listeners.
Just as the German audience adores Françoise Cactus charming French pronunciation of the German lyrics, her French collection of texts, poetic and playful, solemn and cheeky, anarchistic and light, makes her the most unknown composer and singer of French chansons - and it is high time that she be discovered. Fragile and irresistible, she stands behind her tiny drum kit and hammers the songs to a sequence in a devilish rhythm. In a matter of seconds she passes from a romantic ballad (No! Do not listen! It's a sad song!) to pure and simple rock, animating Brezel Göring (as well as the crowd) to leap. Indefatigable accomplice and perfect entertainer, Brezel Göring is at her side, stepping on the gas, his fingers working the knobs of his machine or the cords of his rectangular guitar.
Exakt neutral
Stereo Total Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Exakt neutral
Nicht depressiv, nicht aggressiv
Exakt neutral
Keinen Freund, keinen Feind
Exakt neutral
Ohne Höhe, ohne Tiefe
Exakt neutral
Niemals leise, niemals laut
Exakt neutral
Ohne Ruhe, ohne Stress
Exakt neutral
Nicht zu heiß, nicht zu kalt
Exakt neutral
Tag für Tag, Nacht für Nacht
Exakt neutral
Kein Mensch, kein Tier
Exakt neutral
Ohne Liebe, ohne Hass
Exakt neutral
Kein Gefühl, kein Gefühl
Exakt neutral
Kein Gefühl, kein Gefühl
Exakt neutral
The lyrics of Stereo Total's song "Exakt neutral" describe someone who is completely devoid of emotion and passion. The singer declares that they have no tension before relaxation, no highs or lows, no friends or enemies, and no love or hate. They are "exakt neutral" – precisely neutral – and exist without any sort of feeling or intensity. The singer repeats this phrase throughout the song, emphasizing their total lack of emotion or affect.
The lyrics can be interpreted in a few different ways. One possibility is that the song is commenting on the idea of living an emotionally detached life. Perhaps the singer is tired of feeling overwhelmed by intense feelings of joy, sadness, love, or anger, and has decided to opt out of the entire emotional spectrum. They have retreated into a state of neutral apathy, where they can go through the motions of life without any sort of turmoil or upheaval.
Alternatively, the song could be seen as a critique of society's expectations regarding emotional expression. We are often told that we should strive for emotional balance and stability, and that experiencing too much excitement or sadness is unhealthy. The singer of "Exakt neutral" takes this idea to its logical extreme, rejecting all emotions entirely in favor of robotic neutrality. The repetition of the phrase "exakt neutral" throughout the song highlights the singer's single-minded focus on this goal, and the eerie detachment of the lyrics may be meant to highlight the potential dangers of pursuing emotional suppression to such an extreme degree.
Overall, Stereo Total's "Exakt neutral" is a complex meditation on emotional detachment, societal expectations, and the costs of rejecting our feelings. Through its repetitive and minimalist lyrics, the song creates a haunting portrait of someone who has chosen to live a completely neutral existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Keine Spannung vor der Entspannung
No anticipation before relaxing, immediate neutrality
Exakt neutral
Precisely and completely neutral in every aspect
Nicht depressiv, nicht aggressiv
Not depressed, not aggressive, perfectly balanced
Keinen Freund, keinen Feind
No friends, no enemies, indifference towards others
Ohne Höhe, ohne Tiefe
Without highs or lows, steady neutrality
Niemals leise, niemals laut
Never too quiet or too loud, constant neutrality
Ohne Ruhe, ohne Stress
Without calmness or stress, neutral in all situations
Nicht zu heiß, nicht zu kalt
Not too hot, not too cold, perfectly neutral
Tag für Tag, Nacht für Nacht
Every day and night, consistent neutrality
Kein Mensch, kein Tier
No human, no animal, complete detachment
Ohne Liebe, ohne Hass
Without love or hate, complete neutrality in emotions
Kein Gefühl, kein Gefühl
No feeling at all, complete emotional neutrality
Kein Gefühl, kein Gefühl
No feeling at all, complete emotional neutrality
Contributed by Nora F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
nico haupt
RIP Klaus Schulze aka "godfather of techno", living krautrock, new age and electronic musician legend, also "Wegbereiter der Berliner Schule" (74) ;-( Klaus was a solo artist responsible for over 60 (!!) albums, among them such celebrated works as 1975's "Timewind" and the following year's "Moondawn" as well as "Dune", with Arthur Wilton Brown (79) on vocals, in 1979. Schulze started out as a drummer for "Psy free" in 1969 and played drums on "Tangerine Dream"'s 1970 debut album "Electronic meditation". After leaving Tangerine Dream in 1971 he then formed Krautrock band "Ash Ra Tempel" along with Manuel Göttsching (69, "Ashra", "Cosmic jokers sessions" etc.) and Ashra's bass guitarist Hartmut Enke (d. 2005), but again chose to depart after only a year, this time opting to go solo. He released his debut solo album "Irrlicht" in 1972. My friend and former influential "BBC"-dj John Peel (d. 2004) named Tangerine Dream's "Atem" as his album of the year for 1973, but when he recorded two sessions (21 February 1974 and 11 April 1974) with this band, Klaus was already 2 years gone : "Tangerine Dream… are a band I think deserve at least more credit than they generally get. I mean, it's always Can that everybody cites as an influence and yet when you listen to the records, you think, 'I suspect you've heard one or two Tangerine Dream records as well down the line'." In 1976 Klaus joined japanese percussionist and composer Stomu Yamashta aka Tsutomu Yamashita (山下勉)(75), in his supergroup "Go", which also featured Albert Laurence Di Meola (67) and Stephen "Steve" Lawrence Winwood (73, "Spencer Davis Group", "Traffic", "Blind Faith"). Klaus also released several albums under the pseudonym "Richard Wahnfried" He would also work with krautrock supergroup "The cosmic jokers", "Alphaville", Lisa Gerrard, artists Ernst Fuchs, Marian Gold and movie composer Hans Florian Zimmer (64). Famous musicians David Bowie (d. 2016) and Brian Eno (73) praised him, Hollywood directors such as Michael Mann and Sofia Coppola used his music for their films. His final album "Deus arrakis" was supposed to come out in June 2022 etc. ! Klaus Schulz aka Richard Wahnfried, "Schulzendorfer Groove Orchester", Claus Schultze, "Klaus Quadro Schulze", aka Schulze (ex-"The dark side of the moog", "Din a Testbild", "Galactic Supermarket", "Software" and "Stomu Yamash'ta's Go"), was sampled 17 samples and twice covered ! The list of sample hommages does include Location Remote by Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist (2018), 900k by DJ Muggs and Mach Hommy (2019), We Started Everything by D.I.T.C. feat. A Bless and A.G. (2016), The Last Stand by J Dilla (2002), Marvel by french hip hop group IAM (2013), Exit by Graphwize (2014), Omnipresence by The Future Sound of London (1994), Enemy Lines by DJ Shadow (2011), Enemy Lines by DJ Shadow (2011), Dream on the Moon by Snap ! (1994), Roswell by Marteria (2017), MOS 6581 (Live Version) by Carbon Based Lifeforms (2016), Carole Baskin by Animoss feat. Fly Anakin and Monday Night (2020), Exhumed by 18 Carat Affair (2016) and White Skies by Sunscreem (1996). Exakt Neutral (1982) by Deo, produced by Klaus Schulze, was covered as Exakt Neutral by Stereo Total (2001) ! damn, damn, damn, my hero from the 70s vacations @ "Pferdereithof Hullersen, Einbeck", thx to my kwl friend Helge Becker, who first introduced me to him !! Gute Reise, Klaus ;-(
Sascha Pallenberg
the original is from 1981. DEO!
nico haupt
RIP Klaus Schulz aka Richard Wahnfried, "Schulzendorfer Groove Orchester", Claus Schultze, "Klaus Quadro Schulze", aka Schulze (ex-"The dark side of the moog", "Tangerine Dream", "Din a Testbild", "Galactic Supermarket", "Software" and "Stomu Yamash'ta's Go")(74) ;-(
Xtina Arnold
Very Cars-esque!
Solimara
ohne Liebe... ohne Hass...
barfuss2007
exakt neutral. Hattest du Liebeskummer?
Niklas Wejedal
Reminds me of Bal Paré
Gordillo solo el Apellido
RIP Francois
Mr Forza
2020???
Vera Armeni
yes