Selig

In the latter half of the 1990s, Selig stood out as Germany's so-called "biggest small band," equipped with every element needed for enduring fame: a vocalist whose singular timbre stood apart, a genuine guitar virtuoso, songs substantial enough to match their striking appearance, and a fiercely energetic stage presence. Clad in a rigid dress code drawn from the 1970s, Jan Plewka, Christian Neander, Malte Neumann, Leo Schmidthals, and Stefan Eggers offered a sharp alternative to the prevailing grunge aesthetic, attracting the kind of media attention that rival bands—and even some German politicians of the era—would have coveted. Yet just three years after forming, that initial spark had already dimmed, prompting the group to dissolve mere weeks after issuing its third album.

Plewka and Neander first connected in a Reeperbahn bar in Hamburg during 1992, forging the creative spark behind both Selig's widespread popularity and its abrupt conclusion. Although grunge remained dominant, the pair sensed its appeal had begun to sour. Labeling their sound "hippie metal," Selig fused weighty guitar riffs with classic organs and pianos, finishing the mix with Plewka's introspective psychedelic lyrics. Lacking a major single, the self-titled debut still reached number 35 on the German album charts and number 12 in Austria in 1994, while MTV and the still-independent VIVA placed its videos into heavy rotation. Hier arrived in 1995, propelled by the hit single "Ist Es Wichtig?" and peaking at number 15.

Following a sold-out headline tour and a well-earned pause, Selig reconvened in New York City in 1997 to track its third album, Blender. Drawing from the electronic experiments of U2's Pop, main songwriter Neander and longtime producer Franz Plaza incorporated loops and samplers, a direction that clashed with Plewka and kept him increasingly absent from the sessions, pushing back both recording and release dates. When Blender finally emerged after prolonged friction, reviews proved uneven; many critics rejected the band's revised sonic direction and more polished image, while radio largely overlooked the lead single, "Popstar." The group's loyal audience remained undeterred, however, returning the album to the same chart heights as the debut.

Mounting friction between singer and guitarist could no longer be overlooked, and once the others realized Plewka had no plans to tour again, Selig dissolved quietly in 1999, only three years after its sudden ascent. Neander launched the new project Kungfu, while January Plewka joined Stephan Eggert in TempEau; nevertheless, the original lineup announced a reunion in 2008. They issued the single "Schau Schau" in spring 2009, followed by the album Und Endlich Unendlich, then Von Ewigkeit Zu Ewigkeit in 2010. Both releases were backed by extensive touring, and in 2013 the reunited Selig matched the productivity of its first run by delivering the sixth album, Magma. The next year brought the greatest-hits collection Die Besten, which gathered material from the band's first two decades alongside fresh tracks. Selig released its seventh studio album, Kashmir Karma, in 2017.