Faust

Faust is a German rock band from Hamburg. Formed in 1970 by producer and former music journalist Uwe Nettelbeck (1940–2007), the band was originally made up of Werner “Zappi” Diermaier (born 1949), Hans Joachim Irmler (born 1950), Arnulf Meifert (born 1943), Jean-Hervé Péron (born 1949), Rudolf Sosna (1946–1996) and Gunther Wüsthoff, together with sound engineer Kurt Graupner. Their work centered on dissonance, improvisation and experimental electronic approaches, and later influenced ambient and industrial music. They are considered a central act of the 1970s West German krautrock movement.

Since 1990, the band's members have reunited in various line-ups to tour and record under the name Faust, often with several versions of the band existing at the same time. In 2026, Diermaier, Irmler, Péron and Wüsthoff each lead a separate version of the band.

They have been cited as an influence by Radiohead, Swell Maps, Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, Stereolab, Simple Minds, Sonic Youth, Mark E. Smith, Nurse with Wound and Madlib.