Berlin-based drummer Wolfgang Seidel left influential '70s German band Ton Steine Scherben after becoming disillusioned with rock & roll. He collaborated with Conrad Schnitzler at his Zodiak Free Arts Lab, and sought out musicians who were similarly interested in a free approach to creating music. The group, dubbed Populäre Mechanik, took inspiration from new wave bands such as Devo and XTC, and weren't interested in punk's aggressiveness. Instead, they created abstract post-punk heavily influenced by jazz and dub reggae, and released two cassettes and a 7" single in the early '80s. The group's material finally saw widespread CD and vinyl release in 2015, when Bureau B released Kollektion 03, a compilation of the group's material chosen by Holger Hiller of Palais Schaumburg. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi