"The annual Berlin Atonal festivals from 1982-1986 (although not exclusively featuring ‘atonal’ music, in spite of the name) quickly became the local forum for tracking the developments in this culture. Footage of past ‘Atonal’ festivals, if nothing else, at least displays the potential for bracing volume and bewildering abstraction to be used in a number of different ways. The group Non-Toxique Lost, performing Ich Sah Hanoi Sterben at the 1983 edition of the festival, offer a fine introduction to the “Berlin Atonal” aesthetic: a propulsive and emotive attack guided by enraged shouts from the curiously named Sea Wanton, and with the ironically placid, bespectacled Achim Wollscheid generating guitar noises that bring to mind radioactive worms quivering on a steel floor..." (Thomas B.W. Bailey, how gray was my 'mauer': the nostalgia for berlin aesthetics)

...retrospective Berlin Atonal 2 festival, 83 2.12.83 (story by Sea Wanton)

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Left (Mainz) at 8:30 a.m. (Arrived) at 1 o'clock p.m. at the borderline of "Helmstedt". 
BERLIN ATONAL 2  (from the private archive of Manfred Weiss, thanks to manfred)

reached the "Pankehallen" at 5 o'clock p.m., approximately.  It's cold in the big hall. 
A huge P.A. and everybody is very busy. "Where is Dimitri (HEGEMANN)". "The guy at the stage,
over there". "Hello, this is NON TOXIQUE LOST". "Nice to meet you. alright, 
you are the first to play. Put your gear behind the stage. 
Complimentary tickets and everything else will be available from 'Kaspar'. Your soundcheck will be the last". 
Above. Backstage. There, it's warmer and there's some catering. Unknown faces are smoking their joints
and the disgusting smell will be everywhere in the hall, afterwards. After having a snack, I go downstairs behind the stage 
to set up our stage-equipment. it's still very cold. at 8 o'clock p.m. the soundcheck starts.
The main-mixer calls T.Poem (aka Steffen): "Hey, you violin-man !" That's why he gets some feedbacks, which produce some confusion. 
"KRIEGSTANZ" is played (on sound-check) with tape, guitar, vocals, synthesizer and violin. NOISE. 
Above, backstage, the disgusting smell is permanently alive. We meet HEINO (support SCHEISSLADEN !),
who is to announce the bands. At 9 o'clock p.m.: the performance starts. Bullshit. Fortunately, our tape recorder is out of order
already at the first song: no rhythm- or backgroundtape available. We must stop. The mixer lends us his tape-recorder (thanks, tanx, TANX !). 
The whole affair has doubled our nervousity, but we must start. Besides tape, synthesizer and my
own vocals I don't hear anything. And, starting to sing, the stagebox at my left beats 
the lyrics with the power of a steamhammer on my left ear. But alright. We start with "MSEQ". Steffen plays on the
steeltubes, which are hanging in a 'steelcage', which is set on the podest of the drumset (see image above). Achim Wollscheid
is positioned right to this and I can realize, that he's playing his guitar. But I can't hear anything of it. The rhythmtape is playing and 
I'm partly recognizing the loops of the sequencer. Then, we play "KRIEGSTANZ" and BLIXA "Falschgeld" (BARGELD) is
told to have simulated some vomit-gestures. The industrial-rhythm by the tape is not sounding very well and at the end, there
is the audience's reaction: "Fall apart" -  and there must have been some "hippie"-insults, but these were likely more addressed
to me than to the others !). Thus, Steffen leaves the stage and Achim and me play "MIGHT IT BE SAILING?" 
I don't hear ANYTHING of Achim's guitar, and enraged, I scream my words throught the
microfon, and, later, I learn, that they could not understand ANYTHING. 

Sea Wanton, image taken from the "ATONAL 2" VHS-video

"Bullshit - Bullshit", some voices 
out of the audience shout. Seems not to be very agreable for their eyes, if actors on the stage don't move as the rock-cliche 
demands it (especially in the sense of 'body movement'). no KRAFTWERK - no GABI (DELGADO-LOPEZ) "Freundschaft". 
no liver and no cow-stomach. No show: NO: THE SHOW MUST GO ON. Cool and dissociated we offer "GA LESCHI GAMBI".
I had planned to play some trumpet in it, but hearing the rhythmtape only indistinctly, I decide to avoid it. 
My mood is 'on ground zero' and at "NACH DER ARBEIT" my voice is detuned, too. Steffen is working
with his violin and I am only experiencing some silent sounds. But I'm not willing to walk to the stagemixer 
all over the stage. No wonder, that we fail at "ICH SAH HANOI STERBEN". There are some difficulties for me with the
rhythm and only at "ICH KANN - ICH WILL" everything's ok. The song is applaused and I will come
to an end, finally. That's why my vocals at "WER KEINEN SCHMERZ MEHR SPÜRT" are far too cool. 
Finally: our last song. "MIT RITA ÜBER DIE GLEISE". Suddenly, the rhythm of the tape isn't correct anymore, but all 
hold it out to stay on stage. Done. We remove our gear and while carrying the instruments from the
stage, "Graf Haufen" (MR. SLUT) approaches and declares, that the performance hast NOT been convincing. frust(ration). 
Again, we go upstairs to the 1st floor and I get us the cash (400,- DM fee and 100,- DM for gas) and 
Dimitri (HEGEMANN) says, the show has been very fine, 
and some SPEX- and TIP-guys do have the same opinion. I can't agree to this.
The shepherd's dog in the organizer's bureau smells my (west-german) dog and is sniffing wild at me. 
 
end of the NTL-story (part II)

...retrospective Berlin Atonal 2 festival, 83 2.12.83

click here to read more (NTL story part III - live at the KLANGBAD festival, 2008)