In the early to mid-70s, the band NEU! attracted attention in Germany when the band's drummer Klaus Dinger invented the Motorik Beat. Klaus didn't use this term himself, he simply called his style "Lange Gerade" (Long Straight): an almost endless, pulsating rhythm that seemed to never end and was particularly inspiring to musicians like David Bowie and Iggy Pop during their time in Berlin. NEU! was also in the orbit of the then equally up-and-coming band Kraftwerk, of which Klaus was also a member. And without realizing it, Klaus Dinger helped shape the original form of techno with his style of playing.
For our campaign shoot for the new Pfadfinder, we also went on a pretty "Lange Gerade". It was particularly the repetitive way in which Maxe mastered the entire route from Berlin to Litomyšl, while the 20 hours on the bike were almost impossible in the weather conditions in Eastern Europe at the end of March. It required a special concentration, a repetitive way of cycling and an inner calm in the middle of the emotional tunnel between night and day and night again. If the new Pfadfinder was a musical instrument, Maxe would probably have played it in a similar way to how Klaus once played his drums. Seemingly endlessly, while as a viewer or listener you are excited to see when the piece will end and when the destination will be reached. Klaus might have been inspired by Maxe’s ride and maybe such a ride is also a kind of art form of our time in its own very special way. The new Pfadfinder is our definition of the endurance bike and we believe Maxe interpreted it very well.
