Sometime during lockdown, I stumbled upon a movie called Decoder via Tubi and streamed it not knowing what to expect. By the time I reached the end, I wondered, how did I not know this film existed? Released in 1984, Decoder is a German sci-fi film with serious counterculture cred. It stars F.M. Einheit, then a member of Einsturzende Neubauten, and Christiane F. and also features appearances from Genesis P-Orridge and William Burroughs. P-Orridge composed the film’s main theme with Dave Ball of Soft Cell, whose song “Seedy Films” is featured prominently in the movie, alongside music from Neubauten, Einheit and The The.
The Decoder soundtrack, which was just re-released on CD via U.K. label Cold Spring, is killer, which one might expect with that caliber of contributors. The movie, though, is even better. In it, Einheit plays a young man who realizes that the muzak playing in the fast food restaurant is a form of mind control and that he can manipulate the sounds to elicit a completely different response from the public.
“When it came out in ’84 in Germany, it was really hard to find an audience,” says Klaus Maeck, who wrote Decoder, as well as produced and co-directed the film. “People didn’t really understand. They thought that it’s a weird story and a trendy, new wave-colored film.”
At the time that Maeck wrote Decoder, he was running Hamburg’s first punk shop, which also became a record distributor. A fan of William Burroughs, he took inspiration from the author’s 1970 essay collection, The Electronic Revolution to tell a story about weaponized music.
“Music as a weapon was always my subject, as in Decoder. Music is being used as a tool, as a weapon. At that time, we heard about military uses too,” he explains.
The easiest part of making Decoder, he says, was the casting. “We lived together in a commune, or Wohngemeinschaft, shared flat,” he says. Einheit was in the room next to Maeck’s. “This influenced the writing of the script, of course, because F.M. Einheit is basically playing himself, a sound freak who tries to look behind what else can be done, as he did with Einsturzende Neubauten and basically still does, treat music differently,” says Maeck.
Another flatmate was Christiane F., who had gained notoriety when her life as a West Berlin teen struggling with drug addiction inspired a series of magazine articles and then the book (and, later, movie) that bore her name. “She was on one side, this public figure, very prominent, pictures in all the magazines,” says Maeck. But, he adds, she was also a very private person. “That’s why we gave her two roles, this public role in a peepshow and a very private person who would rather be surrounded by animals than humans. She needs her privacy. This is how some parts of the script came together.”
Maeck had interviewed Burroughs a few years before Decoder. He had also organized the first Psychic TV concert in Hamburg, so he knew P-Orridge, who was caretaker for Burroughs’ archive.
Soft Cell came onboard for the soundtrack when Maeck had the chance to tell Dave Ball about the project. “We liked Soft Cell, but thought we could never get Soft Cell for this little independent film. We have no budget, but why not ask?” he says. “He’s like Burroughs, I like Burroughs. I’ll do it for free. I couldn’t believe it.” Ball collaborated with P-Orridge on several original compositions for Decoder. Later on, the two collaborated on Psychic TV’s compilation albums Jack the Tab and Tekno Acid Beat.
Decoder’s eventual U.S. release was limited, but it was warmly received. “In Germany, the critics didn’t like the film. In the States, and also in England, the reaction was much better in small circles,” says Maeck. “It didn’t go to cinemas, maybe some festivals, but, rather, it was played or screened in music clubs.”
One of the first U.S. cities where the film played was Los Angeles. “Stuart Swezey is a friend of mine. He was running Amok Bookstore and distribution and putting up concerts,” Maeck explains. “He put on the Decoder show.” In L.A., the film played at The Anti-Club, a now long-gone punk venue that was on Melrose Ave.
In the years that followed Decoder, Maeck founded a music publishing company. He also directed documentaries on Einsturzende Neubauten and William S. Burroughs and spent about a decade working with director Fatih Akin, first as a music supervisor on the award-winning film, Head-On, and later as a producer. “Music and film still is my favorite subject, a combination of both,” he says.
And, in recent years, Decoder has found a second life. “For many years, it was hard to get or only with very bad copies,” says Maeck. “Now, with modern technology, I’m surprised that the film looks better than the original.”
In 2019, Vinegar Syndrome released a DVD/Blu-Ray combo with bonus footage. More recently, Camera Obscura released the Blu-ray in Germany with a reprint of the original Decoder handbook, which features background information and essays.
The audience now is more receptive to the themes in Decoder as well. Sonic weapons are a part of our world, from the buzz of Israeli drones over Gaza to the long range acoustic devices and flashbangs that have been used by U.S. law enforcement at protests. Moreover, the idea of using music to control the masses isn’t so far-fetched when you’re living in an endless scroll of algorithmically-recommended “content.”
“This film is 40 years old,” says Maeck. Still, he adds, “In the last two or three years, it has more screenings than ever before.”
The soundtrack for Decoder is out now.
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Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Read her recently published work and check out her upcoming gigs or listen to the latest Beatique Mix. Follow on Instagram or Bluesky for more updates.
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