*Dr. Nachtstrom uploads the brain universe that compressed the acidHUMANIX infectious disease of a chemical=anthropoid to the biocapturism corpse feti=streaming circuit of this abolition world.*
Kenji Siratori, author of *Blood Electric*
In 1995 it all started to change: Somehow he lost the ability to sleep at normal times and so friends gave him the nickname *Dr. Nachtstrom*
(in german, *Nachtstrom* describes the electric circuit working in the night), and around the same time he bought an Amiga 500 plus lots of discs with samples & tracker software and started to fill the endless hours till dawn with musical experiments.
The year before, Nachtstroms brother Gert (known as *Vger* then) had started to jam with his friends, and theses drug- induced sessions slowly evolved into the anarcho-glitch-punk project *Farmers manual*, which soon had the first of a series of groundbreaking releases on viennas then forefront experimental label *Mego*. Vger introduced Nachtstrom to the Mego label bosses Pita and Ramon Bauer and in 1997 ( after having released several tapes on his own label *Innerlodge records*) they asked him to join for a release .
*17 songs after midnight* came out on vinyl in 1999 and was the first beat-oriented record on Mego, which had a strictly experimental, ambient output till then. The years after that first release were filled with many live- performances, Nachtstrom played at festivals like *Batofar* in Paris, *Exit* in Norway (as part of *Cube & Sphere* with Hans Platzgumer and G.D. Luxxe), the *Phonotaktik* in Vienna and at the *Austrian Cultural Forum* in New York, but also at clubs in Denmark, Germany and in his home country Austria. Dr. Nachtstrom always had a strong affinity to movies, and in 1998 he composed new tracks for Charlie Chaplins *Goldrush* and presented the music live with screenings of the film in movie theaters in his hometown Graz; he also organized two *A/V collision* events, which specialized in the *anarchic crash of the visual and acoustic* and hosted many very exiting live meetings of artists like Holger Hiller, Chicks on Speed, General Magic and more with local video artist groups.
In the years since 1999 Dr. Nachtrom had contributed several tracks to compilations and also had done remix work (for Fetish 69s *Dysfunctions & drones* and more).
2002 saw the second Mego- release called *Leidenschaft* (german for *passion*), this time on cd, with collaborations by *Fetish 69*- Singer Christian Fuchs and G.D Luxxe.
The remix cd (*n8.strom remixed*) followed soon on an Austrian (short-lived) label called *Park* with contributions from Hans Platzgumer, Didi Bruckmayr (Fuckhead), Boutique Meteor, Vger, Tomoroh Hidari, Binder & Krieglstein and more. In this year Dr. Nachtstrom also wrote the music to the experimental movie *Im Anfang war der Blick* of Luxembourg filmmaker Bady Minck.
In 2004 *Rhythmic fission- digital revisions of classic trax* was released on the american label Bluebird (BMG); it was an unusual attempt to squeeze new life out of classical music; besides artists like Dan the Automator, Tracy Young, Sofa Surfers and others, Dr. Nachtstrom had five tracks on that sampler with remixes of Edgar Varese, Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Alban Berg and Max Brand.
In 2005/6, after financial wrong decisions and lots of quarrels, Mego finally went to the gallows. Dr. Nachtstrom found a new home at the Graz- based Label Nocords, founded by electronic artist Marufura Fufunjiru. His first release there was *Flush* at 12/05.
Since 2005 Dr. Nachtstrom hosts a weekly Podcast called "Ueberklang" which covers all aspects of Electronic Music, Doom, Krautrock, Experimental and Outsider Music. With the help of his brother this evolved into a Portal, which you can reach at www.listening.at. In 2007 the brothers founded a Netlabel for Free Music, hosted at www.bruit.at.
So what about Dr. Nachtstroms music? Since the raw cut-up punk- philosophy of *17 songs after midnight*, the sought- after vinyl debut on Mego, things have surely changed. *Leidenschaft* in 2002 ( also Mego) had song- structures (and a coverversion of Soft cells *Youth*) mixed with irritant, strange noises and cut- up techniques. *Flush*, the 2005 release of Dr.Nachtstrom on Nocords, leans more on heavy drone- like structures with elements of Dark Ambient, Neofolk ( there are two more cover versions on it, *Weve got the gold* from late goddess Nico, and *Golden hair* from Syd Barrett) and Krautrock- Psychedelia, but to the greatest part consists of Free Rock/Jazz/Freakout- Structures inspired by the music of bands like Acid Mothers Temple, Boredoms, Gong or Sunburned Hand Of the Man.
Tom Sekowski from *Gaz-eta* wrote of *Flush*: *Nachtstrom is an Austrian abnormality. He's been making music for the past decade. If any moniker was to fit this musician, it would have to be drone-ambient with a gallon of black paint thrown in for good measure. The tracks on his latest CD-R release "Flush" are austere, chillingly frightening and always rely on the repetitive drone to fuel their forward motion. One sounds more creepy then the next. Is Nachtstrom trying to scare us or is he just a deranged individual? Don't get me wrong, this guy knows his music. When he's playing incessant percussion on most of these tracks, he sounds like an obsessed madman. I mean, who blends off-the-wall and over-the-top solo drumming in with morose, howling wind sounds or peculiar, hollow creepy sounds? Maybe this is fucked-up music but certainly worth investigating.*
Another interesting mention comes from Berlin- based Phosphor Magazine:
*The Austrian artist Nachtstrom presents a nice atmospheric album.
*Flush*, as it is entitled, features ten tracks, of which two covers, one
from Nico and one from Syd Barrett, which fit the concept perfectly.
It's as if the calmer songs of The Young Gods have been combined with
psychedelic instrumental ambient rock tracks moving between Ash and Pink
Floyd. Great music when driving through lonely nights on empty highways.*
Dr. Nachtstrom vs Hans Platzgumer, Cantatus pro mortuum on Heimelektro Ulm
Dr. Nachtstrom EP on Zeiger Records
RELEASES:
17 songs after midnight - vinyl, mego 1999
Cantatus pro mortuum (with hans platzgumer) - vinyl, heimelektro ulm 2001
Leidenschaft - cd, mego 2002
Leidenschaft remixed - cd, park 2002
Rhythmic fission - sampler - ( 5 tracks) - cd, bluebird/bmg 2004 Nachtstrom EP - vinyl, zeiger 2004
Flush - cd-r, nocords 2005
Bunny Lake - The late night tapes - cd, monkey/ koehlermann 2005
Organicum (with vger) - cd-r, nocords 2006..
