Propaganda was formed in Dusseldorf, West Germany, in 1982, by Ralf Dörper, as a trio, with artist Andreas Thein and vocalist Susanne Freytag. The group made initial recordings in Germany which were destined for future release in the UK, where Ralf Dörper’s early experimental recordings had received critical acclaim by radio DJ John Peel and journalist Chris Bohn. With the inclusion of classically trained musician and composer, Michael Mertens and singer Claudia Brucken, they signed a recording contract with ZTT Records.
The group relocated to the United Kingdom and released the single “Dr. Mubuse”, named after the fictional character made famous by filmmaker Fritz Lang. The single reached the Top 30 in the UK, and the Top 10 in Germany. The group appeared on various TV shows in the UK, including Channel 4’s The Tube. Here, as well as performing “Dr. Mabuse”, the group also gave one of its few performances of a cover version of Throbbing Gristle’s song “Discipline”.
Before the year was out, Thein was asked to leave the band due to musical differences. With Mertens now filling the gap left by his departure, the band forged ahead with recording its follow-up single and debut album. It’s release was delayed until the first week of July 1985. ‘A Secret Wish’ was written by Mertens and Dörper. After receiving considerable critical acclaim and some commercial success, it reached number 16 on the UK Albums Chart. The album was followed by another single, “p:Machinery”, in August 1985, which only reached number 50 in the UK, but becoming a bigger hit in Italy, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland and even being used in the hit US TV Show Miami Vice.
The year 1986 started positively—the single “p:Machinery” gained the number 1 chart position in Spain (for one week)—but ended in disaster. A lawyer explained to the group members that under their current contracts with ZTT, they could go on making records for the rest of their lives and never make any money from them. After a protracted legal battle, which saw the remaining members of Propaganda under an injunction by ZTT for fourteen months, they were finally released from their contract to ZTT in a hurried out-of-court settlement in the summer of 1987. In 1988, the band signed to Virgin, and began recording new material. Alongside Michael Mertens was the new line-up of American vocalist Betsi Miller, with bassist Derek Forbes and drummer Brian McGee who had both actually joined the band following their split with ZTT in 1986. The result was a new album, released in 1990 called 1234.
The first single from the album, “Heaven Give Me Words”, was co-written with 1980s synth-pop star Howard Jones and reached the UK Top 40. The album was not as successful as A Secret Wish, only peaking at number 46 in the UK. A second single, “Only One Word”, stalled at number 71 in the UK. In 1998, Mertens, Brücken, and Freytag reunited, signed an options deal with East West, and began working on new material. Several tracks were completed, however, no album materialized. The duo of Brücken and Freytag appeared on some retro festivals across Europe and did some shows performing “A Secret Wish” in Germany using the name ‘Duel’, whereas in the UK the name ‘xPropaganda’ was used. In May 2022, the xPropaganda album titled The Heart Is Strange by Brücken, Freytag and Lipson was released in various formats by Universal Music. The album peaked at no. 11 in the UK, higher than any of Propaganda’s previous releases.
