When you think of German minimal scene, you probably mean Paul Kalkbrenner (one movie can do miracles to your popularity, right?) but then you realize that you have heard of Ellen Allien (who is actually the founder of the label which released Paul’s first tracks under his real name) and just then you start digging deeper and deeper into this topic and you find the endless list of artists (probably with Sascha Funke, Marek Hemmann, Oliver Koletzki and Dominik Eulberg at the top of it).
Silvia definitely doesn’t match the names mentioned above. In fact, the song I present, dates back to 1982 (Paul Kalkbrenner was five then!), the times of NDW (Neue Deutche Welle). But, but, but. In German electronic music it all started with… Kraftwerk. They were (and still are) inspiration for generations of artists from 80s to 00s, not only in Germany. Sylvia and guys from the first paragraph are no exceptions. The difference is – Sylvia’s songs are more into synthpop, but that was the way things were done at that time. However, when you listen to Zuerst Ich, you may notice that the melody is actually – well – minimal. It is charming yet cold, mysterious yet expressive. And still, there’s this vocal. Melodic and unobtrusive. Compare the whole thing to Quiet please by Sascha Funke. You may have similar feelings.
