Biography

Stereo Total was a Berlin-based multilingual, French-German duo which comprised Françoise Cactus (born Françoise van Hove and formerly co-leader of the West Berlin band Les Lolitas) and Brezel ('pretzel') Göring (aka Friedrich von Finsterwalde, born Friedrich Ziegler, ex-Haunted Henschel, Sigmund Freud Experience).

Stereo Total's social media accounts reported that Françoise Cactus died from breast cancer on 17 February 2021, aged 57. As of 17 February 2021, the duo's official Instagram page states: 'Stereo Total is a Berlin-based multilingual, French-German comprising Françoise Cactus & Brezel Göring'.Both Cactus and Göring sung and played multiple instruments. When they appeared on stage as a duo, Cactus frequently played drums while Göring played guitar and synth; at other times the touring band has included additional musicians such as Angie Reed.

Their early career was nurtured within Berlin's easy listening scene, and they frequently supported the DJ team Le Hammond Inferno, who went on to form Bungalow Records and sign Stereo Total to their label. Stereo Total became the most successful act on Bungalow, finding an audience not just beyond Berlin but also across Europe and eventually in Japan, Brazil and the US.