Klaus Dinger was a very short-lived member of Kraftwerk only having played on one song "Megaherz" from their debut album. Friend and bandmate Michael Rother didn't even record with the band but toured with them. When it looked like Kraftwerk were going to break up with Hütter leaving the band, Dinger and Rother broke off to form their own experimental group Neu! in 1971.
After forming, the duo went immediately to record at Star Studios with (again) Conny Plank. On what became their 1972 debut album Neu!, Michael Rother played guitar and bass. Klaus Dinger played drums, guitar, and a heavily manipulated Japanese banjo that can be heard on one of their staple tracks "Negativland". On this album, Dinger introduced the "motorik" drumming style, a driving and unadorned 4/4 beat that would be sonically associated with the krautrock scene for its prolific use. The album released on Brain Records but sold poorly. Despite the slow start, Neu's debut would stand out as a critical darling, one of krautrock's cornerstone recordings, and an incredibly influential recording on music scenes to follow from the UK punks to post-rock and modern EDM.
Here is the discography surrounding Neu!'s debut album:
Neu!
Neu! '72 Live in Düsseldorf (1972 rehearsal recording)
"Negativland" by Neu!
Pass the Headphones!!
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