Rheingold

The German new wave band Rheingold were one of a number of bands who emerged from the city of Düsseldorf in the early 1980s playing a brand of electro-pop which featured a distinctive German influence. Their peers included bands such as Kraftwerk, Propaganda, Fehlfarben and La Düsseldorf and they typified a brand of German pop music which built up a global fan base and influenced bands from all over the world. The band comprised of frontman Bodo Staiger on guitar and vocals, and keyboard players Brigitte Kunze and Lothar Manteuffel. They had a very short career which lasted just four years and resulted in three studio albums and three hit singles, their most successful being 'Triad Dimensions' which reached number 17 in the German Singles Chart.

Staiger starred in the German cult film 'The Fan' (1982), and after the band split up, he established Rheinklang Studios which he still runs to this day. Manteuffel founded the band Elektric Music in 1992 along with Karl Bartos.

Rheingold have become synonymous with what became known as the Düsseldorfer Schule and their music has appeared on numerous compilations featuring electronic music from that period.