...from where the putrid smell rises
(NTL)-story (part I) by Sea Wanton

Enraged, the singer hurls his slim body against the concrete-post. 
Is there a bone grinding? 
Loud noise, some bass loops and the throbbing rhythm of the sequencer driving behind the stage - into the flashing movie loops. 
Many well known faces, even in the huge crowd. 
At this concert, the idea for NON TOXIQUE LOST (NTL) is born. 
 

Kunsthofschule “Städel“, Frankfurt, Germany 10th November 1980, "TG+" - A Deluxe Boxed CD Edition IRCD38 (cd no 5), At 26 minutes this recording is interrupted by a member of the audience jumping onto the stage and pouring a bottle of wine onto Chris Carter ’s equipment... which resulted in a shorter than usual performance...  available at: MUTE http://www.mutelibtech.com/tg/tgplus.html

POGO (formerly member of "SUBURBAN PUNX") rips the microphon out of GENESIS P-ORRIDGE's 
hand and howls his "you need discipline". 

(video on Youtube)

Steffen Schütze (formerly member of "JEAN GILBERT") knows all the THROBBING GRISTLE 
takes anyway but prefers the sounds of WHITEHOUSE. 

festival ("ÄTZEND") poster of NO AID, P16.D4 and JEAN GILBERT (live in Mainz, 1981)

Achim Wollscheid (formerly member of "DIE EDELWEISSPIRATEN") has been experimenting 
with new movie and sound structures for a few years. 
Sea Wanton (formerly member of "MESSEHALLE" and "NO AID") bought a new synthesizer only yesterday. 
Thus, it may start immediately! 
The band is named "NON TOXIQUE LOST" (NTL). 
 (LOST is a chemical weapon). 
And while ever so many compact cassette distribution-companies are created in Germany and elsewhere, 
it's logic for the first product to be a compact cassette. 
Thus we move to POGO's 2 room flat and take over the bathroom (to use the fine reverb). 
Roger Schönauer (from P16.D4) turns on his 4-track reel-to-reel TEAC tape recorder, 
POGO whispers into the mike as much as it can take. 
Achim Wollscheid rips wild riffs on his electric guitar and then pushes 
them over flanger, phaser and distortion gears. 
Steffen Schütze now founds (together with Peter Klum) a cassette label, 
which is called "CAN CAN", a "cassette-only" label. 
("CAN CAN" is the name of a french dance, by the way). 
And this is where the first NTL product is released 
(mind the name "OHNE TITEL"= no title). 
Some days later, the "LOSTS" are already playing live. 
Steffen Schütze induces some deafening groans and shrill howls from his violin. 
Sea Wanton mistreats his syntheziser, sequencer and his tape machine. 
Achim Wollscheid thrashes on his 6-string "Fender" guitar and POGO sings along cynically, together with the excited audience: 
"we are satisfied...satisfied..." while pounding wildly in front of some punks with his black leatherboots. 
In the middle of the set the power is turned off ("disturbing the peace" the policeman says) 
and when he's right - he is right ! 
No doubt - there is now a need for a rehearsal room. 
A youth center is quickly found, the amps are turned on, the volume is pulled up to its limits and shortly thereafter the last 
few listeners are tormented ("...this is only noise, why don't you try to make some music?" ). 
Thus, again the equipment must be packed and moved off as fast as we 
can but as luck would have it, there is another room. 
Right above the department of pathology of the University of Mainz (Germany). 
Once again everything is set up and during the rehearsal you can see the strange carcases through the holes of the rotting floor 
from where the putrid smell rises. 
The volume is increased and POGO shouts, as if wanting to wake up those lying down there - 
but the dead cannot dance anymore! (excuses to "DEAD CAN DANCE" !) 
Someone from the university administration has "ethical" doubts and moves 
the "LOSTS" to a so-called "true" rehearsal room. 
And here, the next section of the "LOSTS" story starts ...

Sea Wanton at the "true" rehearsal room, 1983

further background informations 

It was Joachim Stender who started the whole thing, somewhen 
in 1981. He founded MESSEHALLE and pushed their name into the 
SOUNDS, a german music magazine. Some chaotic gigs established 
a small punk audience. While Gerd Neumann (aka Sea Wanton) 
played  bass with MESSEHALLE, they took part in the 
NEUE DEUTSCHE WELLE "NDW" (a german derivate of the NEW WAVE 
music development). Lot of own material and cover versions of 
S.Y.P.H., DER PLAN and MITTAGSPAUSE (to name a few of the best !).

listen ("Vorverstärker", mp3)
(vocals: J. Stender, guitar: P. Flügel, bass: Sea Wanton, drums: A. Szepanski)

Some of their songs were released on the "cassette-only" label
"NEUER FRÜHLING" (sometimes called "NOUVEAU PRINTEMPS").
"NOUVEAU PRINTEMPS" later became "CAN CAN".

Later on Joachim Stender quit to form P.D. (now called P16.D4.) 
to become more experimental. 

Joachim Stender, 1980, image courtesy of SELEKTION

Sea Wanton joined a so called 
"neo post punk" band named  "NO AID". Sometimes their sounds 
reminded at "HAWKWIND" or "AMON DÜÜL". Playing "KORG MS-20"
synthesizer, drums and (bass)guitars, they caused a lot of riot and 
laughter. But the public was not very interested in their 
aggressive and chaotic life-style. 

NO AID live at the "ÄTZEND" festival in Mainz, Germany 1981
plus "Pak" (mistreating the mike) on some tunes
from left to right: Sea Wanton, Pak, Axel, Renate, Alex

Thus, Sea Wanton created NON TOXIQUE LOST (short name: NTL). 
After all the quarrels about drug consum and hippie-behavior, 
he intended to build up a more political, a more social encouraged 
and sophisticated band. With strong links to the newest art movements 
and against the political stupidity of those "modern times". He had 
also been publisher of a so called fanzine, titled "HANDBOOK OF FUN". 
The magazine (call it simply a fanzine, which pretended to be a "fun-zine") 
was made of some fotocopies in black and white and only contained collages 
and band propaganda. Also, he worked for the german SOUNDS music magazine. 
POGO, the obsessed THROBBING GRISTLE fan, did the vocals (being on 
duty as frontman with the SUBURBAN PUNX., also). Achim Wollscheid 
and nowadays in guidanceof the SELEKTION label, an experienced 
guitar player and art student, was responsible for the distorted 
and echoed sounds. Steffen Schütze did some violin work and damaged 
the self-invented "steeltubes", while on stage (e.g. live at ATONAL 1983, Berlin). 
Peter Klum did some tape cuttings. 

Great stuff, than !! (for some days we have been friends !!) 

NTL gigged in some european countries as well. 
Besides PSYCHIC TV, ZOS KIA, BOURBONESE QUALK, or der PLAN they 
played only once. In 1986, NTL released their first album. The 
longplayer was called "WANTON" (label: "CAN CAN") and included some calm and cool 
(NOT CHILLIN‘ !) sounds. But the "LOSTS" (as their fans called 
them friendly) failed to place this product in the big music 
machinery (yes, I'm only kidding). They had to sell the lp while they they performed 
in Trier (D), Frankfurt (D), Berlin (D), London (UK), Amsterdam (NL) and Arnheim (NL). 

Although Cem Oral (at the moment enjoying success with 
JAMMIN‘ UNIT (and member of AIR LIQUIDE) and 
Heiko Wöhler (synthesizers and samplers)  helped out at two gigs in the
Netherlands (which had been promoted by STAALPLAAT), 
NTL disappeared from the stage of active, influential industrial 
groups, almost unnoticed by friends and foes. 

end of the NTL-story (part I)

...from where the putrid smell rises

more...(NTL story, part II)

to get to know the videos & cassettes & vinyls and anything else
(from 1982-)