To Rococo Rot were a

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

-based band who combined

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

and analog elements to create instrumental

post-rock Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock instrumentation with ...

music.

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

described the band's sound as "unmistakably digital, yet 100% human." The group was composed of bassist Stefan Schneider and brothers

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

(electronics, guitar) and Ronald Lippok (drums, effects). The band's name is a

palindrome A palindrome is a word, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as the words ''madam'' or ''racecar'', the date and time ''11/11/11 11:11,'' and the sentence: "A man, a plan, a canal – Panam ...

, as it can be spelled the same both forwards and backwards. To Rococo Rot formed in 1995 and were active until 2014, releasing eight major albums and numerous collaborations, remixes, singles and EPs. They were known for their minimalist, musically engaging live show, and gave their final performance on December 17, 2014 via a

live-streamed Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...

Boiler Room "In Stereo" session.

History

While involved in the Cabaret Voltaire-inspired experimental outfit Ornament and Verbrechen, the Lippok brothers connected with then-

Kreidler Kreidler was a German manufacturer of bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles. Kreidler was originally based in Kornwestheim, between Ludwigsburg and Stuttgart. It was founded in 1903 as "Kreidlers Metall- und Drahtwerke" (Kreidlers metal and wire ...

bassist Stefan Schneider to make a one-off record project intended to accompany a gallery exhibition. The group's eponymous debut, recorded on an ADAT without editing, was released in 1995 in the form of a

picture disc Picture discs are gramophone (phonograph) records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or colored vinyl. Collectors traditionally reserve the term picture disc for records with graphics that extend at lea ...

, and subsequently issued on CD by

Kitty Yo Kitty-Yo is a German record label specializing in quirky pop music, pop and electronica. It was founded in 1994 in music, 1994 in Berlin by Raik Hölzel following the creation of an independent zine of the same name. The label began by publishing ...

in 1996. During the trio's early years, Schneider continued to play in Kreidler before leaving to focus on To Rococo Rot. Ronald Lippok simultaneously recorded with Tarwater. Robert Lippok has described To Rococo Rot's approach as "a very simple way of organizing music" that focuses on just a few musical elements at a time. To Rococo Rot rose to prominence with three critically acclaimed albums released by UK independent label

City Slang City Slang is an independent record label based in Berlin, Germany. History The label was founded in 1990 by former tour agent Christof Ellinghaus, exclusively to release The Flaming Lips' '' In A Priest Driven Ambulance (With Silver Sunshine S ...

. The band's sound continued to evolve following a move to Domino Records: '' Hotel Morgen'' (2004) emphasizes the group's electronic and IDM side, while ''Speculation'' (2010) was hailed for "capturing a more live sound and looser atmosphere." The band's last full-length album, '' Instrument'', was released in July 2014, and features

Arto Lindsay Arthur Morgan "Arto" Lindsay (born May 28, 1953) is an American guitarist, singer, record producer and experimental composer. He was a member of the pioneering 1970s no wave group DNA, which featured on the 1978 compilation ''No New York''. In ...

on three tracks. Commenting on the uncustomary inclusion of vocals, Robert Lippok said: "The melodies Arto sang were surprising... His voice is light and is flying over the music with turns and twists, but also it is brittle and has something almost fragile about it. It's like a delicate bird." Shortly after releasing ''Instrument,'' "a big gap of expectations" surfaced among members, and the band decided to split up. All three members have since gone on to release music through various projects. In 2022,

Bureau B Bureau B (sometimes quoted as ''Bureau-B'') is an independent record label, music publisher and booking agency from Hamburg, Germany, founded in 2005 by Gunther Buskies (B for Buskies) as a sister label to Tapete Records. The label releases variet ...

released ''The John Peel Sessions'', which collects the band's three previously-unreleased

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

Sessions, recorded between 1997-1999. Then on December 12, 2022, To Rococo Rot reunited for a special one-time appearance at the Lieblingsplatte ("Favorite Records") Festival in Düsseldorf, where the band performed the 1999 album ''The Amateur View'' in its entirely.

Discography

Studio albums

Commissioned Projects

EPs

Singles

Compilations

References

External links

To Rococo Rot at Domino RecordsBoiler Room 2014 "In Stereo" Session: To Rococo Rot's final performance (video)
* {{Authority control German electronic musicians German post-rock groups Kitty-Yo artists City Slang artists Domino Recording Company artists