Herbst In Peking, named after Boris Vian’s novel, was formed by Rex Joswig in East Berlin in 1987. The anti-authoritarian stance and fierce criticism of the GDR regime of this punk band led to an official ban in 1989. While Rex Joswig ran his Grenzpunkt Null radio show from East Berlin after the GDR had collapsed, his band steadily assimilated influences from Dub, Industrial and Electronic Music. HIP’s line-up has changed over the years with Joswig as a constant member and their collaboration with Moloko Plus productive to this day. For ‘Der Letzte Schrei’ Herbst In Peking’s line-up consisted of Rex Joswig, King Snow (Torsten Füchsel) and Helmar von Brünn.
Der Letzte Schrei was recorded, mixed and produced by Helmar von Brünn. The 10-track album, beautifully recorded and mixed in Berlin between 2020 and 2022, has turned into a fine example of Herbst In Peking’s explorations and reworkings of various musical and literary influences. Songs and lyrics inspired by influences as varied as William Burroughs, Marilyn Monroe, Bob Dylan, Jörg-Michael Koerbl, Dubblestandart, Rote Gitarren and Ralph Möbius fuse naturally with Herbst In Peking’s own compositions and lyrics. Der Letzte Schrei is then a powerful and carefully balanced mix of dystopian lyrics and compelling beats: an irresistable shuffle into the void.