German Democratic Republic

Ostrock is rock music that developed in the German Democratic Republic (DDR). Bands like Puhdys, Karat, and City defined the style by singing in German, as the state required, and releasing through the monopoly label Amiga. Despite strict censorship, many musicians managed to weave socially critical messages into their lyrics.

Puhdys were the most commercially successful band in the DDR, selling more than 18 million albums. They were the first East German band to tour West Germany in 1976 and received the DDR National Prize in 1982. For three decades they were East Germany's stadium rock band.

Punk was classified as hostile by the DDR state. The scene emerged around 1980 in East Berlin and Leipzig and survived in church basements and squatted houses under constant Stasi surveillance. Bands like Schleim-Keim, Feeling B, and Namenlos risked arrest and prison sentences for music that was classified as anti-state agitation.

Amiga was the state-owned record label of the DDR and the only label permitted to release popular music in the country. As a monopoly, Amiga controlled which music was produced and distributed. Despite these restrictions, the label released a surprisingly broad range, from Schlager and Ostrock to jazz and blues.

Several prominent musicians were affected by censorship. Wolf Biermann was banned from performing in 1965 and stripped of his citizenship in 1976, which triggered the largest artist-led protest in DDR history. Bettina Wegner had to leave the DDR in 1983. Manfred Krug moved to West Berlin in 1977. The Klaus Renft Combo was banned three times, the last in 1975 on Honecker's personal order. Nina Hagen left the country in 1976 after her stepfather Biermann was expatriated.