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Abwärts

Abwärts (German for "downward") is a German post-punk band from Hamburg, notable in the early 1980s German underground. Formed in the late 1970s, Abwärts developed a spare, angular sound that combined guitar, bass, and drums with terse, ideologically charged lyrics in German. Their music reflected the influence of international post-punk and synth-based experimentation, placing them among the early contributors to the German independent music scene that would influence later movements such as Neue Deutsche Welle and the broader German alternative scene. The band released several singles and EPs on independent labels, compiled later on reissues, and performed extensively in Germany and nearby countries.

Over the years, Abwärts underwent lineup changes and ultimately ceased activity in the mid-1980s, though members

continued
to
work
on
related
projects
in
the
independent
and
experimental
music
spheres.
In
the
years
since,
the
band
has
been
cited
by
scholars
and
music
historians
as
an
example
of
early
German-language
post-punk
and
as
an
influence
on
later
German
underground
bands.
To
English
readers
Abwärts
translates
as
"downward"
in
German,
and
the
name
has
appeared
in
other
media
contexts
as
well.