Nadagen was formed in the first half of 1982 under the name Doheo’s Nadagen, consisting of founding members Marc Josten (who preferred to be referred to as a Chanteur), bassist Peter Simons, and guitarist Rob Besjes. The trio, all students with origins in the darker regions of southern Netherlands, began their musical journey in Rob’s modest two-room apartment in a narrow street near Amsterdam's city center. Initially, their aim was simply to enjoy the creative process, though the volume of their rehearsals soon became a nuisance to the neighbors. To maintain peace, they agreed to limit their sessions to one night a week for two hours. To their surprise, within a few weeks, the three had composed enough material to fill an hour-long set, drawing more inspiration from New Wave bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s than from Punk.

Nadagen made their live debut in the spring of 1982, performing at a friend's loft party attended by around eighty guests. They played two sets of 45 minutes, accompanied by the simple beats of a borrowed Dr Rhythm drum machine they hastily programmed the day before. The following day, they accepted an invitation to use this space as their rehearsal studio.

By the end of spring 1982, they were introduced to Lex van Moorsel, who brought a synthesizer to the group. Lex's diverse musical background, along with ownership of a guitar, amplifier, and a driving license, added depth to Nadagen's sound. The group then made a significant investment in their musical evolution by acquiring their own Dr Rhythm drum machine, solidifying their line-up as a four-piece band. They began to perform regularly in and around Amsterdam and, in September 1982, recorded a demo tape at a small semi-professional studio in the Amsterdam Punk-dome Oktopus. This demo featured six songs: “Wachten,” “Oorlog,” “Rusteloze,” “Nachtbraker,” “Zondagmiddag,” and “Steden.”

The demo’s success led to more performance opportunities, and Marc grew increasingly confident in his musical endeavors, even investing in his own microphone and amplifier setup. The income from their gigs allowed the band to replace one of their Japanese investments with a Roland TR606 drum machine, further enhancing their creative output.

Towards the end of 1982, Nadagen met Guus Bauer, an ambitious figure in the publishing world who also aspired to be a celebrated drummer. Guus sought to record one of his unique beats and needed a song to accompany it on a 7” vinyl release. He took particular interest in Nadagen's song "Kult." In early 1983, Guus and Nadagen recorded sessions at Nite Flite Studio in Amsterdam, resulting in the songs “Kult,” “Fin De Siècle,” “Staccato,” “Onder 4 Ogen,” “Binnenstad,” and “Buitenwijk.” These tracks were subsequently released on two 7” records before the summer of 1983, with Guus officially joining Nadagen prior to the launch of their first single featuring "Kult" as the A-side and "Fin de Siècle" and "Buitenwijk" on the B-side in March 1983.

Despite their efforts, other recorded songs like "Gordijn" and "Gelijkspel" did not make it to vinyl due to the cancellation of a planned 12” record after "Kult" failed to achieve expected radio play. Shortly after this setback, Marc decided to leave Nadagen, feeling that his limitations as a singer were holding the band back. Following his departure, Nadagen struggled to maintain momentum, and ultimately, all members pursued separate paths in music and life.