Conny Plank
Plank, via Bowie and especially Eno, in turn had a strong influence on many acts of the New Wave period in the late 1970s and 1980s. Neu!'s "Hero" is said to have been a major influence on John Lydon's work with his post-Sex Pistols group Public Image Limited. The earlier work of Australian band Hunters & Collectors also showed unmistakable signs of familiarity with Plank's production techniques, and they were one of many international acts who recorded with him.
Plank continued to work as half of the duo Moebius & Plank, recording four additional albums. Their second album, Material, was released in 1981. Their third album, the African influenced Zero Set, with Guru Guru drummer Mani Neumeier, was released in 1983. These two albums were early examples of the sound which would become techno and electronica. In 1983 Moebius & Plank also recorded the album Ludwig's Law using an Emulator, an early form of sampling keyboard that enabled them to duplicate other instruments without having to deal with the musicians who played them. Mayo Thompson of Red Krayola contributed vocals, mainly spoken monologues. The project was rejected by Sky Records and wasn't released until 1998. The final Moebius & Plank collaboration, En Route was recorded in Conny's Studio in 1986 but left incomplete as Plank's health deteriorated. It was completed and mixed in 1995, primarily by Dieter Moebius, and released that year.
During the eighties Plank remained in high demand with the new generation of electronic pop and New Wave artists, including Devo, Ultravox! (Systems of Romance, Vienna and Rage in Eden), Freur and The Tourists (Luminous Basement), Eurythmics (In the Garden). He also worked on pop and rock productions with artists such as The Scorpions, Clannad, Killing Joke, Play Dead, and Gianna Nannini (Latin Lover, Sogno Di Una Notte d'Estate, Tutto Live and others, also credited for music).
Plank's other production credits include Echo and the Bunnymen, Les Rita Mitsouko, Einstürzende Neubauten, Annie Lennox, Ástor Piazzolla, The Damned, Psychotic Tanks, DAF (including the classic single Der Mussolini) and Nina Hagen.
According to Rene Tinner and Stefan Plank in a radio documentary about the life of Conny Plank, it was Brian Eno's idea, that Plank should produce the U2-album "The Joshua Tree" instead of him. After being introduced to the band by Eno and after a short meeting, Plank turned down the job ("I cannot work with this singer").[1]
Conny Plank fell ill while touring South America with Dieter Moebius, performing music from Ludwig's Law. Some of Plank's last work, before his death in 1987 from cancer, was the recording of concerts on Eurythmics' Revenge tour, and samples used on the NED Synclavier on their Savage album.
His studio, at his home on the southern outskirts of Cologne, continued to be run by his widow Christa Fast and their son until, in May 2006, her failing health forced them to offer its contents for sale.[2] She died on June 1, 2006.[3]
[
Recordings
Plank was involved with the following chronological list of albums, either as a direct contributor or because his studio facilities were used.
|
1969
1970 1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
|
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
|
1985
1986
1987
Posthumous
|
Note that the dates refer to the year of first release.
[
Notes
- ^ Conny Plank - eine Produzentenlegende, NDR German Radio, 11 February 2006
- ^ http://www.vintage-music-equipment.de/connys-studio/about-connys-studio/
- ^ Conny Plank's studio
[
References
- Conny Plank credits at Allmusic
- Curry, Russ A Curious History of Cluster. Retrieved September 7, 2007.
- Forced Exposure Moebius/Plank/Thompson Retrieved September 28, 2007.
- Freeman, Steven and Freeman, Alan The Crack In The Cosmic Egg (Audion Publications, 1996) ISBN 0-9529506-0-X Retrieved September 7, 2007.
- Interlog Ludwig's Law description Retrieved September 28, 2007.
- Meyer, Bill Editorial Review: Ludwig's Law Retrieved September 7, 2007.
- Weiner, Matthew The Producers Retrieved September 7, 2007.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Plank, Konrad |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Planck, Conny; Plank, Conny |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | German musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 1940 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Austria |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 1987 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Cologne |
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