Nostalgie Éternelle - Reaching The Elevation
released on tape on 16th February 2026
on Industrial Complexx in Valencia, Spain
https://industrialcomplexx.bandcamp.com/album/reaching-the-elevation
https://www.discogs.com/de/release/36620581-Nostalgie-Eternelle-Reaching-the-Elevation
A1 - Amnesia
A2 - Boundary
A3 - A Perfect Situation
A4 - Caama
A5 - Reaching the Elevation
A6 - Cold Sweat
B1 - Indelible Remembrance
B2 - Tiny Hands Are Killing
B3 - Go and Boil Your Head!
B4 - Attention
B5 - Von mir weg
B6 - At the Zenith
digital bonus track no. 1 - Amazement
digital bonus track no. 2 - Generous With Pity
all tracks were recorded by Dieter Mauson and Stefan Heinze between 1988 and 1990
mastering: Martin Bowes (Attrition) at Cage Studio, Coventry in 2025
statement of the label:
"Nostalgie Éternelle reappears on the Industrial Complexx label after three years with an album that allows us to trace the DNA of the style of a band formed in the mid-80s from the mists of Germany's industrial northwest. Their sound, which defies categorization into a single genre, emerged as a dark electronic collage where the rhythmic rigor of post-punk, electronics, industrial pop, minimal-wave, and electro-punk converged. Their first period (1986-1992) was brief but intense, leaving a trail of cassette recordings, some of which have been recovered for this new work.
Reaching the Elevation is the purest testament to their origins. This album compiles twelve essential tracks, recorded during the fertile period between 1988 and 1990, which had until now remained scattered across limited cassette editions and are given new life through remastering. It is a sonic document that certifies how a raw, timeless, and profoundly human beauty was germinating.
The sonic character of these tracks physically embodies the experimental and creative landscape of the late eighties, a period in which pure inventiveness and expressive urgency more than compensated for technological precariousness. Reaching the Elevation allows us to hear that creative miracle with renewed clarity. It reminds us that during that era, music arose from a tangible struggle with sonic matter."
A1 - Amnesia
The track was recorded in Leer in 1988 and released on the split-tape with Maeror Tri titled ,Somnia Et Expergisci’ on lrre Tape, Germany in 1990.
A2 - Boundary
The track was recorded in Mainz in 1989 and released on the split-tape with Brain Ink titled ,Experiments from the Laboratory‘ on ZNS Tapes, Germany in 1989.
A3 - A Perfect Situation
The track was recorded in Leer in 1989 and released on the double-cassette compilation ,Voices in the Dark Room‘ on Honeymoon Production, Netherlands in 1989. This compilation was re-released on CDr on Bake Records, Netherlands in 1999. The track also appears on our double-cd album ,Twee Keerlkes Kwamm Van Leer / Ostfreesland released on Infrastition, France released in 2012.
A4 - Caama
The track was recorded in Leer in 1988 and released on the compilation-tape ,Dopo No.5‘ on Megamagomusic, Italy in 1988.
A5 - Reaching The Elevation
The track was recorded in Leer in 1988 and released on the split-tape with Treble Kind titled ,Let Me Out‘ on Mindscan Tapes, UK in 1988.
A6 - Cold Sweat
The track was recorded in Mainz in 1989 and released on the split-tape with Maeror Tri titled ,Somnia Et Expergisci’ on Irre Tape, Germany in 1990.
B1 - Indelible Remembrance
The track was recorded in Mainz in 1990 and released on the tape ,Courage and Despair‘ on One Last Dream, Germany in 1991.
B2 - Tiny Hands Are Killing
The track was recorded in Leer in 1988 and released on the double-cassette compilation ,Synthex Vol. 2‘ on Brainstorm Studio, Germany in 1988.
B3 - Go And Boil Your Head!
The track was recorded in Mainz in 1989 and released on the split-tape with Maeror Tri titled ,Experiments from the Laboratory’ on ZNS Tapes, Germany in 1989.
B4 - Attention
The track was recorded in Leer in 1988 and released on the compilation-tape ,In the Shadow of the Cross’ on Dachau Productions, UK in 1988. The track also appears on the double-cd album ,Twee Keerlkes Kwamm Van Leer / Ostfreesland released on Infrastition, France released in 2012.
B5 - Von mir weg
The track was recorded in Mainz in 1990 and released on the cassette-compilation ,And the Trees Are Waiting - Und die Bäume die warten‘ on NG Medien, Germany in 1990.
B6 - At The Zenith
The track was recorded in Leer in 1988 and released on the split-tape with Radical change & T.T.T.F. titled ,Death of the Pop Noise‘ on Minus Habens Records, Italy in 1988.
digital bonus track no. 1: Amazement
The track was recorded in Leer in 1987 an released on the compilation-tape 'Tape Rebel no. 3' on Weed Music, Germany in 1987. The track was also released on the cd-album 'Notre Debut' on Final Muzik, Italy in 2011.
digital bonus track no. 2: Generous With Pity
The track was recorded in Leer in 1988 and released on the split-tape with Maeror Tri ,Experiments from the Laboratory’ on ZNS Tapes, Germany in 1989.
loop.cl (música marginal) from Concón, Región Valparaíso, Chile
"Nostalgie Éternelle (N.E.) was formed in 1986 by Dieter Mauson (aka Occupied Head) and Stefan Heinze (aka Inox Kapel), both from Leer, a city in northwest Germany.
In 1979, they listened to German electronic music and krautrock, and a year later they began to discover the New German Music (Neue Deutsche Welle), including bands like Palais Schaumburg, Geisterfahrer, DAF, Malaria!…
The spirit of that time is captured on Loop’s May 2023 interview with N.E. (https://loop.cl/nostalgie-eter nelle/) in which Mauson comments:“… These bands were singing in German and their music was dark and monotonous. For me it fitted with the ‘Zeitgeist’ (the spirit of time). Thinking about the cold war and a still divided Germany. I remember this as a very melancholic and gloomy time.”
Dieter Mauson is also one half of 7697 Miles, alongside Chilean musician Cristóbal Rawlins (Raw C). Whereas, Stefan Heinze also works under the moniker of Kind Im Garten and plays in groups such as Biopuls and Die Milchstrasse Flockt, among others.
‘Reaching the Elevation’ is a compilation of twelve tracks, recorded between 1988 and 1990, originally released on cassette in limited editions and subsequently remastered. These songs have thus become a historical document that remains relevant today. Pure post-punk with doses of industrial music reminiscent of groups like Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, Fad Gadget, Malaria!, SPK, and DAF, is what pervades this compilation.
Mauson and Heinze, handling vocals, synthesizers, and recording, create an atmosphere that reflects the Cold War context of that era. Dark, introspective, and experimental in nature, resulting in altered, deep, and monotonous vocals, a drum machine based on monotonous beats, and melancholic melodies.
In ‘Boundary’ and ‘A Perfect Situation,’ the influence of Genesis P. Orridge is evident in the mellow vocal style. The dragging guitar riff on ‘Caama’ gives way to the title track, which adopts abstract and dissonant forms. ‘Indelible Remembrance’ showcases pulsating bass and danceable rhythms. On ‘Go And Boil Your Head!,’ nostalgic melodies and staccato rhythms are layered with recorded vocals, while the gray atmospheres of ‘Von mir weg’ are enveloped by a silky, shadowy voice.
The whiplash rhythm of ‘Generous with Pity’ closes this album that reveals creativity, without commercial concessions and an open, risk-taking, and avant-garde spirit, showing at the same time a dark era, which, moreover, is not so different from nowadays."
"Nostalgie Éternelle (N.E.) se formó en 1986 por Dieter Mauson (alias Occupied Head) y Stefan Heinze (bajo el seudónimo de Inox Kapel), ambos provenientes de Leer, ciudad al noroeste de Alemania.
En 1979, escucharon música electrónica alemana y krautrock y un año más tarde comienzan a conocer la nueva música alemana (Neue Deutsche Welle), incluyendo bandas como Palais Schaumburg, Geisterfahrer, DAF, Malaria!…
El espíritu de aquel tiempo se recoge en la entrevista de Loop de mayo de 2023 a N.E. (https://loop.cl/nostalgie-eternelle/) en la que Mauson comenta: “…Estas bandas cantaban en alemán y su música era oscura y monótona. Para mí encajaba con el ‘Zeitgeist’ (el espíritu del tiempo). Pensando en la guerra fría y en una Alemania aún dividida. La recuerdo como una época muy melancólica y sombría”.
Dieter Mauson también es la mitad de 7697 Miles, junto al músico chileno Cristóbal Rawlins (Raw C). En tanto, Stefan Heinze también trabaja bajo el seudónimo de Kind Im Garten y en grupos como Biopuls, Die Milchstrasse Flockt, entre otros.
“Reaching the Elevation” consiste en una recopilación de doce temas, grabados entre 1988 y 1990 que se publicaron en casete en ediciones limitadas y que fueron remasterizadas. Así, estas canciones se transforman en un documento histórico que aún se encuentra vigente en nuestros días. Post-punk puro con dosis de música industrial que evocan a grupos como Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, Fad Gadget, Malaria!, SPK y DAF, es lo que se cierne sobre este recopilatorio.
Mauson y Heinze a cargo de las voces, sintetizadores y grabaciones, crean una atmósfera que da cuenta del contexto de la Guerra Fría de aquel entonces; oscura, estética introspectiva y de carácter experimental, lo que se traduce en voces alteradas, graves y monocordes, caja de ritmos basada en beats monótonos y melodías melancólicas.
En “Boundary” y “A Perfect Situation” se puede apreciar la influencia de Genesis P. Orridge por la forma melosa de cantar. El riff arrastrado de la guitarra en “Caama”, da paso a la canción homónima que adopta formas abstractas y disonantes. “Indelible Remembrance” muestra bajos palpitantes y ritmos bailables. En “Go And Boil Your Head!” las melodías nostálgicas y ritmos entrecortados se ven cubiertos de voces grabadas, mientras los ambientes grises de “Von mir weg” están envueltos de una voz sedosa y ensombrecida.
Los latigazos y el ritmo marcado de “Generous with Pity” cierra este álbum que devela creatividad, sin concesiones comerciales y un espíritu abierto al riesgo y vanguardista, mostrando al mismo tiempo una época sombría, que por lo demás, no es tan distinta a la actual."