 Both Schnitzler and Moebius had been students of Joseph Beuys at the Düsseldorf Fine Arts Academy in the 1960s.Schnitzler and Roedelius both participated in the founding of the Zodiak Free Arts Lab in Berlin in 1968 and had worked together in the avant-garde groups Gerausche (literally "Noises") and Plus/Minus.The trio joined met when Moebius was working as a steak chef in Berlin, and was invited to join a band by Roedelius and Schnitzler.