Behind thick steel doors the walls are isolated with foam-rubber. A sound deadening ceiling, plenty of synthesizers, computers, sequencers and a mixing console - that's Germany's newest hit factory. In the cellar of a 4-storied red brick house in the Westphalian town Münster, it's going round and round almost each night.

While the other inhabitants sleep deeply, singer Marian Gold and both keyboarders Bernhard Lloyd and Frank Mertens are turning buttons, pushing regulators, pressing keys and puzzling over new sounds.

Now, with their song "Big In Japan", the three have got their first hit. They call themselves Alphaville, according to the movie of the same name by Jean-Luc Godard.

"We are typical night men" they groan when we arrive to them at about 1 p.m. They don't open till we are ringing tomultuously. Bernhard appears as the first one. He is used to getting up "early". "At the moment I'm doing my alternative national service in Bielefeld, that's why I have to get used to regular working hours" he explains. Bernhard is taking advantage of his leave - each free day goes for photo-sessions, interviews or TV-appearances. Nevertheless, last night their schedule didn't include any music. "We went to Berlin to buy clothes. Here in Münster you can't find anything reasonable and progressive" Marian continues.

The story of Alphaville began also in Berlin. "We all come from Eastern Westphalia", Marian explains. "We went to Berlin to study. We met each other there.It happened 3 years ago". Then they decided to live together. "But in Berlin it's getting more and more difficult to find a flat for rent. Besides, the needed small change was missing", Marian reveals. Marian's girlfriend proved to be a friend in need. "My grandma owns a house here in Münster. She gave the roof-floor to our disposal - meanwhile the community grew to eight persons. At the beginning our friends thought that we were crazy. Out of Berlin - to the province - our friends' opinion was it couldn't lead us anywhere".

But it did work out. Alphaville went through barricades with the help of strong will. They found the name for the band in a sience-fiction-movie. And the hit "Big In Japan" might be the start of a bigger business. They think about crating a multimedia show with music, movies and photos. In order to make everything come true, Alphaville's girlfriends are contributing to the project.

Here, under the roof, the hottest ideas are going to be hatched - and in the cellar the ideas come true. Ulli, the technician, is involved, too. He designs and developes computers for Alphaville, by which the guys will soon produce sounds that haven't been heard before.