Kollektion 03 Compiled By Holger Hiller

Kollektion 03 Compiled By Holger Hiller was released by the Hamburg-based label Bureau B in 2015 as part of their ongoing series documenting the experimental post-punk and avant-garde landscape of West Germany in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Holger Hiller, a key figure in the Neue Deutsche Welle movement and a founding member of the influential group Palais Schaumburg, curated this selection to highlight the unconventional, tape-manipulation aesthetic that defined his early creative circle.

The compilation centers on the output of Populäre Mechanik, the project Hiller led alongside Thomas Fehlmann and others, which sought to strip away the artifice of traditional rock instrumentation in favor of cut-up techniques and rhythmic minimalism. The design reflects Bureau B’s characteristic archival approach, utilizing stark, minimalist typography and monochromatic photography to mirror the clinical yet playful spirit of the original recordings. Upon release, the compilation was received as a vital retrospective of the Hamburg underground scene, praised for its preservation of transient, experimental tracks that had previously been difficult to source.