Alphaville

Music style: Early on New Wave, then a blend of pop, rock, jazz and classical music.
Band members: Marian Gold, Bernd Lloyd (until 2003), Frank Mertens (until 1985), Ricky Echolette (1985-1997), Rainer Bloss, Martin Lister

The New Wave band from Münster, consisting of Marian Gold, Bernd Lloyd and Frank Mertens, made it big internationally with their very first single "Big in Japan" in 1984. The fact that Ricky Echolette replaced Mertens shortly thereafter did nothing to hinder their further success. Hit singles from the same Forever Young LP as well as from their second album Afternoons in Utopia followed "Big in Japan" into the charts.

The band's third LP The Breathtaking Blue (1989) marked a change in their musical style to include a blend of styles from the rock, classical, and blues traditions. Five years later, they once again diversified their musical sound with Prostitute, whose songs show more sophistication and maturity than their earlier works.

After several studio successes, the band went on their first world tour in 1995. By 1997, the band was down to two members, Gold and Lloyd, but they continued to release remixes, remakes, and previously unreleased titles, producing both the music and cover artwork themselves.

In 2000, Alphaville began publishing a new song on their website each month that would later appear in their multi-volume colossal work Dreamscapes. In 2003, Lloyd left the band to work on his solo career. Rainer Bloss, who had been co-composing the band's music since the early 90s, and musical director Martin Lister joined Gold in carrying on the band's work. The new group performed with a string string quartet on the occasion of its 20th anniversary in 2004. Upcoming projects include a new album and a musical play.