The Klaus Renft Combo is a veteran Germanrock band, formed in Leipzig in what was then East Germany, in 1958. Founded by Klaus Renft [de], the band enjoyed significant success in East Germany until banned by the authorities in 1975. The band was reunited in 1990.
Ban
The group was very successful, but seen by the Stasi as far too radical. In September 1975, Renft were asked to play for the Ministry of Culture in order to have their license (a document necessary for any working musician or musical group) renewed. Klaus Renft decided to conceal a cassette recorder behind his guitar to preserve their session. However, the woman in charge of their meeting, Comrade Oelschlägel, informed them that they would not be performing because their music was insulting and libelous, and further told them that they "[didn't] exist anymore." She explained that it was not that they were banned, but that they simply did not exist any longer "as a combo."[1]
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