Spex (magazine)
Spex is a bi-monthly music and pop culture magazine from Berlin. Main focus of the magazine deals with issues and works from the subcultural area.
History
Start-up phase (1980-1982)
In September 1980, brought a Publisher collective to Gerald Hündgen, Clara Drechsler, Dirk Scheuring, Wilfried Rütten and Peter Bömmels in Cologne, the first issue of the magazine out, which was first called 555, but then named after the British punk band X - Ray Spex been. Of the numerous fanzines of the time, the large-format booklet differed in that it was not copied, but printed and sold through a wholesaler not only in independent record stores, but also at stations. The first phase of this issue was determined by the cultural optimism of Punk and New Wave. Despite the proper knowledgeable reporting the texts of the authors recorded from a personal, conscious unprofessional handwriting.
Classical phase (1983-1992)
After the end of the music magazine Spex, the sounds developed into the leading German subculture- oriented music magazine. Spex often discovered trends, so that other media took up topics and discussions of the journal. In the Spex appeared for example in November 1983, one of the first German reports about Madonna. Important writers of sounds ( such as Diedrich and Detlef Diederichsen, Andreas Banaski, Michael Ruff, Xao Seffcheque and Olaf Dante Marx) changed to Spex, which the magazine thrived literary and theoretical. Diedrich Diederichsen worked from 1985 to 1990 as editor in chief; as co-editor he got in 1988 and remained so until 2000. 's concept to form an editorial team only so far that the authors are hardly any restrictions, led to an exemplary imaging mixture of essays, articles and subjective spellings. This Spex had also influential in the field of pop literature. Influential authors of the Spex were, inter alia, Ralf Niemczyk (also editors and co-editors ), Lothar Gorris (editor from 1985 to 1989 and co-editor ), Hans Nieswandt (editor 1990-1993 ), Sebastian Zabel (also Editor ), Manfred Hermes, Harald Hellmann, Markus Heidingsfelder, Mark Sikora, Olaf Karnik and Jutta Koether ( many years editor and co-editor from 1985 to 2000 ). Rainald Goetz and Joachim Lottmann also published texts in the Spex. Creatively coined Christoph splendor (owner of CCCP advertising agency) the magazine with a clearly structured layout.
Cultural Studies (1993-1999)
After the magazine had changed its subtitle of "Music at the time " to " magazine for pop culture ," it was political and handle increasingly less musical than academic trends. Above all, the name of the Spex - authors Mark Terkessidis (editor 1992-1994 ), Tom Holert (editor and co-publisher of 1996-1999), Sandra and Kerstin Grether and finally Dietmar Dath ( Editor in Chief of 1998-2000) were at this time for the so-called " Poplinke ". From 1993 to 1998 Christoph Gurk headed the Journal as editor in chief. 1995 Wolfgang Tillmans joined them as co-editor. Other major authors in this period were, inter alia, Marcel Beyer, Christian Storms, Christoph Twickel, Lars Brinkmann, Oliver von Felbert and Tobias Nagl.
Towards the end of the 1990s, a crisis began to emerge, both financial nature was as well as the substantive orientation of the sheet concerned. The differently -developing scenes and groups of readers found themselves in the articles of Spex less and less again. But new, partially free offered alternative publications led to a decline in circulation in the Spex. Dietmar Dath processes this phase of the journal in his novel " phonon state or no name."
Piranha Media and Uwe cattle man (2000-2006)
At the turn of 1999/2000 the Spex publishing company was sold to Piranha Media. Thus ended the hitherto practiced self editorship. The managing director of Piranha Media, the Munich publisher Alexander Lacher, was appointed editor of the magazine. Alexander Lacher made the integration of a fashion shoot as a condition for the continuation of the title. Much of the old staff left after the takeover the sheet. Uwe cattle man was appointed editor in chief and taught the Spex out in the changed market conditions. The Spex was printed from now on throughout in full color. As an addition to the book, a CD -ROM in the first two years settled, later an audio CD with a compilation of articles related pieces of music. Spex was accused of an uncritical attitude towards the advertising and music industries in this period on the one hand, on the other hand, the new course and the quality of the magazine but were confirmed ( Lead Award and ADC Award) by various prizes and awards.
Berlin Editorial ( since 2007)
A aspired by the publishing line moving from Cologne to Berlin failed in the summer of 2006 provisionally by the resistance of the editors. At the turn of 2006/2007, the move was, however, taken place. The entire editorial team including editor in chief Uwe cattle man opposed the move and was subsequently released by the publishing line. The relocation and the consequent dissolution of the Spex editorial was accompanied by numerous violent critical reactions and comments in the journalistic public.
Max Dax took over as the new editor in chief of the line of the object, and stood in the March 2007 issue of readership. The publication of the magazine was changed from eleven issues per year on a bi-monthly publication. Following on from the heyday of the Spex debates with the help of the official publications should again be able to develop Spex. Under the new leadership in-depth interviews will be printed, the narrative dimension of the article unfolds on more space, but also the visual aspects as detailed " weird" fashion spreads, large format photos and clearly structured design are emphasized. In theoretical terms the sheet follows an pragmatic- critical approach. Questions of socio - cultural change and responsibility are discussed for example in the series of articles " Digital Evolution". Artistic interests are in the area avant-garde and contemporary art. As influential authors occur inter alia, in appearance: Robert Defcon, Jens Balzer, Klaus Theweleit as well as the editorial staff in January Kedves and Wibke Wetzker.
In October 2010, January Kedves and Wibke Wetzker were after Max Dax gave to editors of the journal to items in the same month.
In April 2012 took over Torsten Large ( editor of Rolling Stone ), the position of chief editor. The editorial is completed since by Arno Raffeiner, Jacqueline Krause- Blouin and Jan Wehn, and Thomas Vorreyer as online editor.
2013 published the former editor in chief Dax and the journalist Anne Waak a book with texts from 33 1/3 years Spex who were selected according to document the change in the language of music journalism.