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P16D4 was a German band whose music bordered on the industrial and on the
cacophonous.
On their debut album Kuhe In 1/2 Trauer (Selektion, 1982) they managed
to fuse the playful irrationality of dadaism and the oppressive tones of
expressionism. Ralf Wehowsky, Roger Schonauer and Ewald Weber focused on an
austere art and technique of loop and tape manipulation.
Stefan Schmidt joined the ensemble on
Distruct (Selektion,1995), a deconstructing remix of sound sources
provided by friends of the industrial scene.
The double album Nichts Niemand Nirgends Nie (1985), a collaboration
with Achim Wollscheid,
delved into
musique concrete and electronic improvisation but, like the previous ones,
ended up sounding more theoretical than emotional stuff.
Tionchor (Sonoris, 1987) collects revised rarities, and is probably their most
successful albums, precisely because it offers a variety of ideas instead of
an obsessive analysis of one idea.
Acrid Acme (Selektion, 1989)
1/2 Cut Cows
Ralf Wehowsky has released the solo works Acht (1992), the manifesto of his electronic and computer music, 14 (1992), that collects unreleased material of the last decade, Revu et Corrige` (Trente Oiseaux, 1995), When Freezing Air Stings Like Ice I Shall Breathe Again (Streamline, 1995), and the mini-album Nameless Victims (Metamkine, 1996). They explore the technique of having musicians exchange sound material and re-composing it. By pushing the concept to the extreme, the monumental (five CDs) Tulpas (Selektion, 1997) is virtually an essay on his work compiled by other musicians. Pullover (Table of the Elements, 1998), which uses voice as its source material, L'Oeil Retourne/Vier Vorspiele (Selektion, 1998), with Walter Marchetti, Yang-Tul (Anomalous, 1999), with Andrew Chalk, Cases (Selektion, 2001), with Kevin Drumm, simply refined the technique taking advantage of computers. In the new century Ralf "RLW" Wehowsky refined a strategy of blending musique concrete, computer music and improvised music via Views (Anomalous, 2004), probably his most conceptual and accomplished work, and also his first true "solo" album, Points Of Reference (Perdition Plastics), I.K.K. Purpur (Sirr), Pullover (Table of the Elements), etc. RM74/RLW's Pirouetten (2006) was a collaboration between Ralf "RLW" Wehowsky (gamelan, sitar, paper, guitar, trombone, chimes, field recordings) and Reto "RM74" Mader (organ, accordeon, piano, cello, bass, harmonica). |
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