The 10 best NDW songs, according to Boys Noize

Last week (February 4th), German DJ Alex Ridha – better known by his stage name, Boys Noize – released 'Out Of The Black – The Remixes', an album featuring reworks and reinterpretations of his 2012 LP 'Out Of The Black' by the likes of MMM, Jimmy Edgar, Justice, Audion, and The Chemical Brothers.

To go alongside that release, we asked Ridha to put together a list for Dummy that would highlight a less expected side of his music tastes. While some will know Boys Noize as someone who tours the world playing high up on festival bills and collaborating with household names like Skrillex, others will know that he has a deep, intimate knowledge of his history. Amongst other things, he's proven himself to be a total fiend for 1980s German new wave bands – or NDW (Neue Deutsche Welle). Just listen to his all-vinyl Essential Mix from 2009, which moves from the techno of Speedy J and Modeslektor into German synth pop band Rheingold and back into Soundhack and Ben Klock, or his "Auf Deutsch" minimix for Annie Mac, which consists entirely of this sort of music.

With this in mind, Ridha has given us his 10 favourite '80s German jams. It's a bit of a left turn for what you might expect from him, and far more intriguing than your standard DJ chart. Tuck in below.

Neon – Neon

Boys Noize: "The most non-motivating Saturday night party record. He keeps saying, 'Saturday, it's Saturday again.'"
Grauzone – Raum

Boys Noize: "Everybody knows Eisbär, but this song is my favourite from Grauzone."
Weltklang – VEB Heimat

Boys Noize: "Maybe the first techno record ever."
No More – Suicide Commando

Boys Noize: "This was an underground theme song for a lot of '80s kids."
Stratis – Herzlos

Boys Noize: "A quite horrifying story about a guy that gets chased down and beat up. As the record gets faster and faster, the more stressful the chasing gets. Heavy!"
George Kranz – Din Daa Daa

Boys Noize: "Big, big track. I've played this lots of times in my DJ sets, too – the 'din daa daa' acapella always fits!"
ZaZa – Zauberstab

Boys Noize: "A feisty song. It's about the man's favourite thing – he likes to show the girl that he wants it."
D.A.F. – Als Wärs Das Letzte Mal

Boys Noize: "Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft!"
Pyrolator – Die Haut der Frau

Boys Noize: "I love this so much. The guy is so funny. The song is roughly about saying what you think."
Tone Band – Germany Calling

Boys Noize: "I always wanted to do a cover of this. It hasn't happened yet, but you never know…"