German synth-pop group Alphaville was founded in Münster in 1982. The 1980s saw a rise in their popularity. Frank Mertens, Bernhard Lloyd, and Marian Gold were the founding members of the ensemble.

With the tracks "Forever Young," "Big in Japan," "Sounds Like a Melody," "The Jet Set," and "Dance with Me," they were successful on the charts. The sole surviving founding member of Alphaville is still Gold.

They got their name from the eponymous film directed by Jean-Luc Godard.