ABSTRACT
Propaganda was a German group made up of Michael Mertens, Suzanne Freytag, Claudia Briicken and Ralf Dorper. Unlike many European pop musicians, Propaganda made their nationality something of a feature both within their music and as part of their image. From the very first shouted count-in which is so reminiscent of punk, 'Jewel' presents a driving, aggressive sound dominated by the almost incessant quavers of the backbeat. The drum sounds are bright and highly unnatural in terms of timbre, with a strong sense of presence and a dark, claustrophobic reverberation. 'Duel' presents a stark contrast to 'Jewel' with its extensive use of bright, 'clean' and often sustained synthesized timbres. 'Jewelled' is perhaps the least satisfactory of the three versions timbrally, since it attempts to combine the violence of 'Jewel' with the sweetness of 'Duel'. Increasingly, the technology used to create pop music defines aspects of the finished artefact.
