Grauzone (grey zone) was a music/art project started by brothers Martin Eicher, Stephan Eicher in Switzerland circa 1978. The duo used synthesizers, light effects and super-8 film projections in their act. Publisher of punk magazine “No Fun” Urs Staiger helped Grauzone in the studio and they began recording numerous singles & in 1981 they released their first & only full length title ‘Grauzone’.
MP3: Grauzone - Der Weg Zu Zweit
MP3: Grauzone - Raum
Undoubtedly, the groups most known track has to be Eisbaer, which literally means Ice Bear. It reached the top ten on the German charts shortly after it’s release. Over the years the song has been sampled & covered by numerous artists.
MP3: Grauzone - Eisbaer
In 1997 trance producer Frédéric De Backer released a tranced up version of Eisbaer under the moniker ‘Groovezone’ which quickly became a rave classic.
MP3: Groovezone - Eisbaer
If you listen closely you can tell that Ladytron samples the song on “Fighting In Built Up Areas”.
MP3: Ladytron - Fighting In Built Up Areas
Berlin based electro trashers Glamour To Kill cover the track.
MP3: Glamour To Kill - Eisbaer (Grauzone cover)
& Cut Copy used the song on Fabric Live 29.
Grauzone only released their one album but they released a series of 7 inch singles over the years & in 1998 a collective called ‘Die Sunrise Tapes’ was released on Play It Again Sam records which you can get here
EDIT: Thanks to everyone who wrote in letting me know that Grauzone was from Switzerland not Germany. My bust!
New Wave tuesdays are the best! Grauzone was the first familiar act so far, but they so deserve some replay!
Keep up the good work yo!
Nouvelle Vague covered Eisbaer as well recently, giving it their sweet coctail bossanova touch. Not that amazing though according to me…
Yay! Someone did some great homework. More Neue Deutsche Welle, pleez.
I forgot to say that Cut Copy used it on fabriclive 29 also.
www.myspace.com/nonamenofame
this band did an cover electro of eisbaer sounds crazy. worth listening.
HAHA, YOU POSTED GROOVEZONE…SIIICK!!!
Hahaha! OMG I’ve never heard that Trance mix of Eisbaer before! That’s truly classic!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Der Weg zu zweit is probably my favourite song of all time and I have been looking for ages for an mp3 (I only own the full length on vinyl). YAY