IFA Wartburg

IFA Wartburg was a Swedish student band, created by Magnus Michaeli and Nils Lundwall under the aliases Rolf Kempinski and Heinz Klinger. The band was formed in 1984 in Upplands Väsby, and it was disbanded in 1999.

Named after the East German auto brand Wartburg as built by IFA, their lyrics are written in German and they evoke the vocabulary of the GDR in a playful tone. Many of their songs are often interpreted as satirical. Some song titles include Frau Gorbatschowa tanzt Bossanova (lit. 'Mrs. Gorbachev dances bossa nova'), Es ist nicht so schlimm auf der Insel Krim (lit. 'It's not so bad on the island of Crimea') and Agrarwissenschaft im Dienste des Sozialismus (lit. 'Agriscience in service of socialism').

Their music is eclectic in influence, ranging from bossa nova (Frau Gorbatschowa tanzt Bossanova) and pop/ska (Freie Deutsche Jugend) to jazz and swing (Spassjazz). The band itself stated that the genre of their music was 'Mauer Power' (a reference to the Berlin Wall) and 'Russian Roll', although this was likely a joke.

Günther Raubschaentze, who claims to be affiliated with IFA Wartburg, runs a YouTube channel and a website for the band. As of March 2024, the YouTube channel has amassed 1.72 million views and over 5800 subscribers. IFA Wartburg also have a Spotify account that, as of March 2024, has almost 45,000 monthly listeners.

Discography

 * Im Dienste des Sozialismus, CD Album, 1998
 * Der Berliner, CD EP, 1998
 * Im Dienste des Sozialismus, Vinyl LP (picture disc) with the faces of Erich Honecker and Queen Silvia of Sweden.

Im Dienste des Sozialismus
The only IFA Wartburg album published to date, Im Dienste des Sozialismus (lit. 'In the Service of Socialism') was released in 1998 on vinyl and CD. The two front-men of the band are credited with writing the album, and appear on the front CD sleeve. It is 56 minutes and 57 seconds long, and produced by the label Plattenmeister.

IFA Wartburg toured Im Dienste des Sozialismus in Germany and Switzerland from 1998–1999, attracting the attention of the German media.

An unofficial lyric and music video for the first track Freie Deutsche Jugend (lit. 'Free German Youth'), posted to YouTube by the channel Omnistar East, has accumulated over 5 million views as of June 2024.

Other media
Many IFA Wartburg recordings saw little commercial distribution, and some are now exclusive to the IFA Wartburg channel on YouTube. They include: In the aftermath of their sudden surge in popularity online, the band returned to YouTube again, uploading a complete live set from 1999 and the previously unheard songs Wenn IFA Wartburg Spielt and Wo ist mein Kassler?
 * Meine Möbeln in Köln, live
 * Sessel aus Kassel, RealAudio digital download, 1998
 * Wenn IFA Wartburg Spielt (1999), YouTube music video, May 2023
 * Das Mauer Power, YouTube music video, Nov 2009
 * Im Dienste des KGB, YouTube music video, Feb 2015
 * Wo ist mein Kassler?, YouTube music video, Dec 2023
 * Biologie und Pathologie des Weibes, YouTube music video, Dec 2017
 * Sorbisches Fischerlied, on Medikamentedose, 1999