Faust

Faust (German: [faʊ̯st], English: "fist") are a German rock band from Hamburg. Formed in 1970 by producer and former music journalist Uwe Nettelbeck (1940 - 2007), the group was originally composed of Werner "Zappi" Diermaier (b.1949), Hans Joachim Irmler (b.1950), Arnulf Meifert (b.1943), Jean-Hervé Péron (b.1949), Rudolf Sosna (1946 – 1996) and Gunther Wüsthoff, working with engineer Kurt Graupner. Their work was oriented around dissonance, improvisation, and experimental electronic approaches, and would influence subsequent ambient and industrial music. They are considered a central act of West Germany's 1970s krautrock movement.

Since 1990, the band's members have reunited in various formations to tour and record as Faust, often with different versions of the band existing simultaneously. As of 2026, Diermaier, Irmler, Péron and Wüsthoff all lead separate versions 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.