Strange as it must seem, the name ‘Nitzer Ebb’ was formed by an unexpected random selection of cut papers with written letters and words. One day, the members of the band put them in a hat and took out one by one, regrouping the pieces in a final word according to what they thought would look graphically aesthetic, and the word ‘Nitzer Ebb’ came out.
Influenced by the Expressionism and Dadaism movements, this electronic project settled a landmark on the Industrial-EBM dance scene through their bleeding, powerful songs combining devastating synth lines and fierce vocals. Though their lyrics seem meaningless for the ill-advised, they are lightly engaged, making use of political symbols - mostly of them about totalitarian dictatorships – in order to ironically criticize them and to defend a more humanistic perspective and the individual right to question the government’s actions.
That’s probably the reason why these extremist and conservative institutions (including the Church) became the main subjects on the band’s lyrics, even if Nitzer Ebb emerged on a much later period - at the end of the Cold War era, in the eighties. The use of specific symbols like industrial and farming tools, for example, is a testimonial that Nitzer Ebb was at the same time part of the Industrial-EBM movement and obsessed with all these icons of the socialism and fascism dictatorships.
During the tour of Fixmer & McCarthy of 2005 in Brazil, I spoke to Douglas about the times when he was part of Nitzer Ebb. He confessed that they were deeply influenced by other forms of art in their origins, such as John Hartman’s photomontages (for example the historical one of the family eating guns, an manifest against Goebbel’s speeches) – but not only him: George Grösz caricatures denouncing the fragile structure of the Weimar Republic and the extremism in the German society are references too, as well as Max Ernst’s paintings, another icon of the Expressionist movement.
Doug and Bon Harris started in the very beginning of the eighties with rudimental equipment, working on these so called experimental-early industrial sounds, just like did Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle. Since 1982, they started to compose their essential tunes and to perform their live-acts making a huge impact on the scene through songs like “Join In The Chant” and “Let Your Body Learn”. The band wouldn’t release any vinyl before 1984, though their main compositions occurred from 1982 to the two subsequent years.

A brilliant group. In time when Front 242 or Die Krupps sacrificed originality for pretentiousness, Nitzer Ebb at least admitted they had outgrown their electro-body music environment. Since 'Big Hit', their more guitar-orientated work, NE disappeared - the memory however was kept alive, not only by the fans who put the group's records on 'repeat', a series of excellent remixes helped it also. True originators of sound that merges furious energy and raw power. Equally sexy and repulsively devastating music, driven by sincerity in Douglas McCarthy's screaming paroles and mechanical twists in Bon Harris' drumming sequences. All of their albums are essential so there's no point of choosing anything particular. Just join - in the chant, of course...