Burning The Ground Exclusive
Founded in Cologne in 1986 by Frank Schmitz (guitar, vocals) and Stephan Koch (keyboards, vocals, production), German synth-pop outfit State Of The Art came together with a clear vision: to shape their years of school band and local music experiences into a polished, professional project. In 1987, Stephan’s brother Georg Koch joined on drums, completing the trio.
The band’s first recordings took place at the V.A.M.P. Studio in Cologne, where early demo tapes were put together. These demos quickly caught the attention of A&R managers in Hamburg, and the group’s songwriting quality earned them a deal with Phonogram (Mercury/Polygram Records).
Their second single, “Love Will Keep Us Together,” was released in 1988 across Germany, France, Austria, and Switzerland. Produced by pop producer Ulrich “James” Herter (best known for his work with Two of Us) alongside publisher Karin Wirthmann, the track showcased a glossy, melodic synth-pop sound that felt perfectly in step with the era.
With bright keyboards, crisp programming, and a heartfelt vocal performance, the single had all the makings of a hit. It even found success in the media: State Of The Art performed the song on several German television shows, including appearances on the iconic Formel Eins, and a promotional video was produced for the music program.
“Love Will Keep Us Together” resonated strongly on German radio, climbing into the WDR Schlagerrallye, where it ultimately landed at #15 on the annual chart. The band also earned recognition in the Goldene Europa competition, taking second place just behind fellow German pop group Pur.
While it didn’t break internationally, “Love Will Keep Us Together” stands today as a quintessential Closet 80s single: a polished, heartfelt slice of European synth-pop that deserved far more recognition than it received at the time. For collectors and lovers of hidden gems, it remains a rewarding discovery.
SIDE A:
Love Will Keep Us Together (Extended Version) 5:32
Written-By – Georg Koch, Stephan Koch, Timothy Touchton
On Deaf Ears 3:24
Written-By – Ken Taylor, Matthew Peevers, Stephan Koch
Love Will Keep Us Together (Single Version) 3:41
Written-By – Georg Koch, Stephan Koch, Timothy Touchton
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Mercury – 870 177-1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: Germany
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic, Rock, Pop
Style: Synth-pop, Pop Rock
CREDITS:
- Artwork By [Cover] – Spot WA, Köln
- Producer – Ulrich Herter
NOTES:
Made in West Germany
Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND
THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 25 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!
Password: burningtheground
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Thank you for all the amazing 80s 12″ vinyls. I’ve been going through your site and really love that you focus on this particular selection. There was such a wealth of 12″ remixes in the 80s that are seemingly lost, because most of them were never released digitally! And the European vinyls are even harder to find (and less likely to ever appear on any of the streaming services). Keep up the excellent work!
Hey Paul, thanks for showcasing these guys this week! They absolutely have the catchy dance pop magic many of us groove to. It was refreshing to see this track wasn’t a retread of the Neil Sedaka – Captain & Tennille hit.
This is exactly what I love about your site. I love finding these obscure, yet amazing dance tunes! And to top it off, they are always in the most pristine quality!
Thank you for cleaning out your closet and sharing all 3 singles by this outstanding band!
Maybe I’m a little late to the party. I don’t know the band, nor do I know the songs. I’ve listened to the last three posts and was pleasantly surprised. Thank you for giving lesser-known songs a platform here. My favorite is the extended version of “Shout and Run.” And as always: perfect quality. Thank you Paul.
I just listened to the 3 postings by this band and now I’m so sad that’s all there is! Fantastic stuff and so sad there isn’t a parent album!!! I guess I’ll have to listen on a loop 🔁
Ing, I burned a copy for my car, but I rearranged the order: I added each single version followed by its B-side and then tacked on the remixes to the end. So, it’s almost like listening to an album. 🙂
😃 I did the opposite with the playlist on my iPhone. I did the long versions first, b-sides next and the rest last!
Works too! Either way, it’s as close as we’ll ever get to having a full album by this amazing band!
I agree with all the comments below. It’s not unusual that excellent bands sometimes get overlooked, but a band of this caliber? And obviously, the label cared about them, if they put out 3 12″ releases with remixes. Crazy! We are fortunate to have you to restore and share these types of releases! Thank you, Paul!
You’re so right, Emily — it really is surprising that a band with this much talent and label support didn’t break wider. The fact that Mercury invested in multiple 12″ singles and remixes shows they saw real potential. I’m just glad I can help shine a light on these overlooked gems and keep them alive for anyone who wants to discover (or rediscover) them. Thank you for the kind words and for being part of this little community that appreciates the hidden corners of the ’80s!
Hello Paul,
Just to thank you for the three singles of “State of the Art”.
I did not know this band, it’s very nice german Synthpop. as a Camouflage fan, I feel at home here.
Thank you very much again.
Hello Amaud,
I’m so glad you enjoyed discovering State of the Art! They really are a perfect fit if you’re a Camouflage fan — that same polished German synth-pop vibe, but with their own twist. It’s always rewarding to help shine a light on these lesser-known bands. Thank you for listening and for your kind words!
Absolutely mind-blowing how excellent all 3 singles are (as well as the B-sides). You are amazing, Paul! THANK YOU!!! The more I listen to these songs, the more I can’t understand they were bigger. I really appreciate you taking the time to meticulously restore these vinyls and share them with us. I seriously hoe you find more gems like these in your closet, but this will be hard to top.
Thank you so much, Axel! I feel the same way — every single and B-side from State Of The Art holds up incredibly well, and it’s hard to believe they didn’t reach a bigger audience. I really appreciate your kind words about the restorations; it makes the time spent worthwhile knowing others enjoy them too. As for more gems from the closet… I’ll definitely keep digging!
Paul, I discovered that the follow-up band you mentioned, Boys On Parade, actually released one song on a compilation: 5 Jahre Blue BoxIt appears that all these bands were produced by the same guys (who found great success themselves as “Two Of Us”). These guys were apparently quite prolific in the NDW scene (as KIZ and Hubert Kah) and ended up producing artists like SANDRA. So, maybe they were just too busy to really promote State Of The art.
You should definitely check out that compilation. The other notable band on here is Bamboo Industry, whose only album was produced by Heiko Maile (Camouflage) and Gareth Jones (Depeche Mode producer at that time).
The CD is worth checking out! Definite Camouflage vibes! It would be awesome if you had some of their remixes in your closet. 🙂
I think I will be spending the next few years looking for those remixes and for that Boys On Parade track … lol
I love the shimmering keyboards! This group had such potential. It seems they were lost in a sea of exceptional music all around. Lucky us the beneficiaries! Especially the beneficiaries of your TLC in sharing these vinyl gems. Thank you so much Paul for completing the puzzle of State Of The Art releases!!
I couldn’t agree more, Retro Hound — the shimmering keyboards are such a highlight, and they really showed how much potential this band had. You’re right, the late ’80s was packed with so much quality music that some real gems slipped under the radar. I’m just happy to help piece together the puzzle and share these overlooked releases with fellow fans who appreciate them. Thank you for the kind words!
Hello, I hope you’re well. I’d like to ask for your help. I don’t know exactly where you live, but my question is something like this. Were these songs heard where you live? Were they played in clubs or did you use them as a DJ? Or are they something you definitely don’t know? If you could help me, because where I lived they were heard on the radio and in clubs, but it’s almost impossible for them to be released on CD because I don’t think they made it into the top 10. Thank you very much 1.- laurie… Read more »
Hi Richard, I’m doing well, thanks for asking! That’s a great list you’ve put together. From my experience, a few of these definitely had some traction, though maybe not consistently everywhere. Eight Seconds – “Kiss You (When It’s Dangerous)” was the one I remember getting the most exposure, especially in clubs and on alternative/dance radio at the time. Secret Ties and Sam Harris (UK Remix) were more underground and tended to pop up in certain DJ sets, but not widely. Laurie Beechman and Jon Astley were more niche — heard occasionally, but not really heavy club staples where I lived.… Read more »
Thank you very much for clearing up my doubt, and thank you for responding, I don’t know many of the songs you publish, but I gave some of them a chance and they sound good, my doubt came because I live in a country where not much music arrived in remix versions, most of it was heard on the radio and 7 inch versions, and what most arrived in clubs was the most trite and that they edited with kicks and danced until they dropped like alphaville – big in japan or peter brown – the only come out at… Read more »
Thank you so much Paul for posting all the 3 singles. I was waiting especially for Love remains a rebel. This was only released digitally on a russian bootleg compilation CD which I own. Your rip is far better.
You’re very welcome, Daniel! I’m especially glad you enjoyed Love Remains a Rebel — that one was tricky to track down in good quality, so it means a lot to hear my rip tops the bootleg version. It’s always rewarding to make these songs sound the way they deserve. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm!
Hi Daniel,
It’s been so nice to have you drop by lately. I can tell that I love your taste in music. You’re great!!
Jeff
Thank you Jeff for your kind words. It’s always nice to read your comments. You’re great too!!
State Of The Art is completely unknown to me. Thank you Paul for introducing me to these goodies. Seems they only released three singles ? I hope you can post “Shout And Run” at some point. Thanks again, and many best wishes to you and your loved ones.
Hi Jay, I posted “Shout And Run” last Friday. I believe.
Lol. So I see. Silly me 🙂
I really enjoy these sounds which i ‘missed’ first time around. I’ve been listening to German songs since i was a child. And when the era of NDW (both German and English language) came along, many of their contemporaries charted where i reside and i became familiar with those, but there was so much cool music at that time, many great tunes in all genres and tongues fell between the cracks as it were. Luckily your fount is well deep! And it seems your generosity knows no bound, Paul. So thank you very much for sharing these State of the… Read more »
Thank you, Don! I know exactly what you mean — the NDW era opened the door to so many great German bands, but with so much incredible music coming out at the time, it was inevitable that some gems slipped through the cracks. I’m really glad to be able to help bring some of those overlooked tracks back into the light. Your kind words mean a lot — and I’ll keep digging into the well for more to share. Peace to you too!
Great single! Listening to “On Deaf Ears” now…wow, he really leaned into the Dave Gahan voice haha!
Haha, yes Tim — “On Deaf Ears” definitely has that strong Dave Gahan vibe going on! You can really hear the Depeche Mode influence, but they still managed to give it their own twist. Glad you’re enjoying it!
Paul, heaps of praise for sharing these singles with us! I love their sound and I’m happy that it was you who got to share the records to my ears first. What a fabulous find!!
Jeff
Thanks so much, Jeff — I really appreciate that. I’m thrilled these records found a good home with you — that’s the whole point of digging them out and restoring them. I’ll keep hunting for more gems, and I’m glad I could share this little find with you first. Enjoy the listening!