Hans Platzgumer

Hans Platzgumer (2014)

Hans Platzgumer (* 1969 in Innsbruck ; actually Johann Platzgummer ) is an Austrian writer , composer , musician and producer . His interdisciplinary approach is characteristic of his extensive works .

Life

As early as 1983 he played guitar and sang in Innsbruck punk bands like Funktaxi, Nylon, Capers, later KÖB (Vienna) or “Platzlinger” with Peter Hollinger (Berlin). After studying guitar at the Innsbruck Conservatory , he completed a diploma in electroacoustics in Vienna in the late 1980s and moved to West Berlin. In 1989 he moved with the bassist Frank Puempel (actually Andi Pümpel) to New York and founded the rock band HP Zinker there , which he ran with changing musicians as singer and guitarist until 1995.

Since 1999 he has been working increasingly in the fields of theater music and radio plays. Platzgumer tells in detail about his experiences between 1987 and 2004 in the autobiographical novel Expedition. An underground musician's journey in 540 KB . Since the 2000s, Platzgumer has been working as a writer alongside his composing activities. Today he lives mostly in Lochau near Bregenz with his wife and two children .

Literary works

Platzgumer found writing about his music for radio plays. In addition to magazine articles and contributions to anthologies, several novels, a novella and an essay have been published so far.

In contrast to Platzgumer's first novel Expedition , which was clearly autobiographical, his second novel Weiß is a fictional story. The book is about a dropout from the western performance society who is looking for inner peace in the Arctic . Platzgumer himself traveled to the Arctic to do research. At the same time, the radio play About 90 degrees , which describes three North Pole expeditions, was created. His third novel, The Elephant's Foot , set 25 years after the Chernobyl disaster , happened to appear on March 11, 2011, the day when an earthquake and tsunami in Japan led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster . The novel received special attention.

In the spring of 2012 the novella Trans-Maghreb (Limbus) was published, which describes a railway project in Libya that was shattered by the turmoil of the Arab Spring and the essay Music = Garbage , written together with Didi Neidhart . Trans-Maghreb was staged as an opera production at the Bregenz Festival in 2014 . In the same year the novel was published corridor world . Again Platzgumer took a real event - in this case the Northridge earthquake in 1994 - and told the fictional story of a street musician in Los Angeles against this background.

In February 2016, Am Rand was published by Paul Zsolnay Verlag in Vienna. The 42-year-old protagonist Gerold Ebner writes down his memories while sitting on a mountain. They should remain at the summit so that they can be found and read at some point, while Ebner wants to plunge into the depths after completion. The novel revolves around the question of the right action and the difference between right and lawful.

• Expedition. The journey of an underground musician in 540 KB . Innsbruck: Skarabaeus, 2005; ISBN 978-3-7082-3188-4
• White , Roman. Innsbruck: Skarabaeus 2008; ISBN 978-3-7082-3235-5
• The elephant foot . Innsbruck: Limbus 2011; ISBN 978-3-902534-43-9
• Trans-Maghreb: Novella by the developer Anton Corwald . Innsbruck: Limbus 2012; ISBN 978-3-902534-55-2
• Hans Platzgumer / Didi Neidhart: Music = garbage , essay. Innsbruck: Limbus 2012; ISBN 978-3-902534-65-1
• Corridor world , novel. Hamburg: Nautilus 2014; ISBN 978-3-89401-786-6
• On the edge , Roman. Vienna: Zsolnay 2016; ISBN 978-3-552-05769-2
• Three seconds now , Roman. Vienna: Zsolnay 2018; ISBN 978-3-552-05885-9
• Welcome to my reality! , with illustrations by Christoph Abbrederis, Milena-Verlag, Vienna 2019, ISBN 978-3-903184-43-5

music

Guitars (until 1995)

Platzgumer's first main musical phase was dominated by the guitar and rock music . In 1987 he released his debut album "Tod der CD!" The now out of print album was released on vinyl and was re-released as a download album on the Echokammer label at the end of 2007 . From 1989 to 1995 Platzgumer played in the New York based rock band HP Zinker .

Electronics (1995-2004)

After his return to Europe, Platzgumer turned to electronic music. During this phase he released numerous albums and maxi singles under his own name and under pseudonyms such as Aura Anthropica, Seperator or Fingerfood on labels such as Disko B , Cheap , L'age d'or , Hausmusik , Playhouse or Domino Records and began as a DJ to work in techno clubs.

He also formed several new bands and projects:

Queen of Japan (* 1999) was a trio with the singer Catriona Shaw (alias Koneko) and the bassist Albert Pöschl (alias Jason Arigato). Platzgumer himself appeared under the name Jo Ashito. The band became famous with their electroclash and mashups through the compilation CD “As Heard on Radio Soulwax Pt. 2 "(2manydjs) known. Queen of Japan have released several albums with covers of popular hits from the 1970s and 1980s in an ironic-trashy synthesizer-pop style, including songs like "I Was Made for Loving You" and "I Love Rock'n'Roll". In 2007 Queen of Japan was dissolved and re-established with a different line-up than King of Japan.

Shinto (* 1999) is a duo with the Japanese singer CaMi Tokujiro and is characterized by ethnological electronic pop music. The band has released five albums so far and claims to conceptually break up after ten years.

hp.stonji (* 2003) is a laptop duo with the German electronics engineer e.stonji and focuses on sound research / electronics as well as multimedia sound installations.

e: gum (* 2005) is an electropop trio with Catriona Shaw (Queen of Japan) and Jens Döring (e.stonji).

In addition, collaborations with musicians such as Gerhard Potuznik (Cube & Sphere) or Dr. Night electricity (Platzgumer vs. night electricity).

Platzgumer was not completely unfaithful to rock music during this time either. Since 1995 he has been a member of the Hamburg punk collective Die Goldenen Zitronen , on whose albums "Economy Class" and "Deadschool Hamburg" he played a major role, but has since played an inactive role.

Mixed forms (from 2004)

Platzgumer has been making guitar music and electronic music in parallel since the mid-00s . In 2002 he decided to pick up the guitar again. Instead of a revival from HP Zinker , which was suggested to him from many quarters, Platzgumer started again under the name Convertible . In 2004 the first album "Convertible" was released. "Frailty of Win - Strength of Defeat" followed in 2006 and "Convertible 3" in 2007 (with Polina Lapkovskaya / bass and Tom Wu / drums). Musically, Convertible moved further and further away from electronic influences until two more or less purely acoustic “unplugged” albums were released with “ALH84001” (2010) and “The Growing Of Things” (2013) (with Chris Laine on bass).

Since then, Platzgumer has only played acoustic guitars, as well as piano, mandolin, violoncello and an Irish bouzuki . He also publishes electronic music as Aura Anthropica, as well as with hp.stonji, e: gum, Shinto or under his own name. In 2015 he presented the instrumental, mostly acoustic solo album "Miniaturen", his conceptually last CD album, which he presented at the Donaufestival / Krems and performed live in collaboration with video artists such as Pipilotti Rist and Georg Gaigl. In interviews, Platzgumer states that, if at all, music will only be published as downloads in the future.

Soundtrack work

Platzgumer was already working on film music in Los Angeles in the early 1990s . Since 1999 he has been intensively active in the field of radio plays (among others for BR , SWR , NDR , ORF and Deutschlandradio ) and theater (among others for the Nationaltheater Mannheim , the Münchner Kammerspiele , the Residenztheater Munich and the Schauspielhaus Dresden ). He has music to texts by u. a. Marcel Proust , Henrik Ibsen , Albert Ostermaier , David Harrower , Roland Schimmelpfennig , William Shakespeare , Anton Chekhov , Theresia Walser , Kathrin Röggla , Falk Richter or Paulus Hochgatterer . These are mostly digital soundscapes with an atmospheric effect, but from 2005 there is also an increasing use of classical instruments such as piano, accordion, mandolin or guitar as well as exotic instruments such as oud or kora . Some of his more than 70 soundtracks have also been released on CD and have received awards. He has worked regularly with the author Albert Ostermaier, the video artist Georg Gaigl and the directors Ulrich Lampen and Burkhard C. Kosminski .

List of theater and radio play works (selection)

• Tief Abben (Willi Hengstler, Extrafilm, A, 1993)
• Radio Noir (Albert Ostermaier, BR, D, 1999)
• Wanderwort (Christian Geißler, SWR, D, 2001)
• Shonen A (Tokujiro / Platzgumer, BR, D, 2001)
• Combray (Marcel Proust, BR, D, 2003)
• Under ice (Falk Richter, NDR, D, 2005)
• Biometric freedom (Neidhart / Platzgumer, ORF, 2005)
• The sweetness of life (Paulus Hochgatterer, SWR, director: Steffen Moratz, autumn 2007)
• Baumeister Solness (Henrik Ibsen, Nationaltheater Mannheim, director: Burkhard Kosminski, premiere: February 29, 2008)
• Around 90 degrees (Hans Platzgumer, BR, 2008)
• One family / August: Osage County (Tracy Letts, Nationaltheater Mannheim, director: Burkhard Kosminski, DSE: October 31, 2008)
• Des Teufels General (Carl Zuckmayer, Staatstheater Dresden, director: Burkhard Kosminski, 2010)
• Peer lies! (Opera by Hans Platzgumer and Volker Schmidt, Neuköllner Opernhaus Berlin, director: Volker Schmidt, February 2010)
• Was Ihr Wollt (12th Night) (Shakespeare, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Director: Burkhard Kosminski, June 2010)
• The Seagull (Anton Chekhov, Staatsschauspiel Dresden, director: Burkhard Kosminski, January 2011)
• Gyges and his Ring (Friedrich Hebbel, Residenztheater Munich, director: Nora Schlocker, premiere: December 21, 2011)
• iHo (Tony Kushner, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Director: Burkhard Kosminski, DSE: January 21, 2012)
• Der Kirschgarten (Anton Chekhov, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Director: Burkhard Kosminski, Premiere: June 20, 2014)
• The work of the night (Thomas Glavinic, NDR, ORF, director: Ursula Scheidle, December 2014)
• The black water (Roland Schimmelpfennig, Nationaltheater Mannheim, director: Burkhard Kosminski, WP: January 10, 2015)

Awards

• 2007: Emil Berlanda Prize for Contemporary Music. Platzgumer has received several awards for radio play work, including a New York City Radio Award, and literary scholarships in Rome, Berlin, Montreal and Sri Lanka. In 2004 he received a gold record for his work with André Heller .
• 2016: Am Rand was nominated for the German Book Prize and was on the ORF best list for several months.

Others

• Platzgumer has released more than 50 albums and given over 1000 concerts since 1987. In 2005 the double CD Expedition 87-04 appeared as a retrospective with a cross-section of his work.
• Two influential US independent labels started with records in which Platzgumer was involved. The mini LP … And There Was Light by HP Zinker appeared in 1989 as catalog number 001 by Matador Records, the LP Perserverance by HP Zinker in 1992 as catalog number 001 by Thrill Jockey. The cover of HP Zincer's album "Mountains of Madness" designed by Stefan Sagmeister was nominated in 1995 for a Grammy .
• As a remixer, Platzgumer u. a. for Tuxedomoon , Towa Tei , Tocotronic or Amon Düül , as a producer he worked for the German band Tocotronic ( It doesn't matter, but ) and the Austrian artist André Heller ( Ruf & Echo ).
• In 2008 Platzgumer acted as a juror at the protest song contest
• Platzgumer worked as a curator at the Brecht Festival , among others .
• With the cultural anthropologist Richard Schwarz, Platzgumer realizes interactive multimedia works and sound installations at irregular intervals.

Discography (selection)

• 1987: Hans Platzgumer: Death of the CD! ( Extra plate ) (Re-Release 2008, echo chamber)
• 1988: KÖB: Wake Up Square ( Buback )
• 1989: HP Zinker : ... And There Was Light ( Matador Records )
• 1990: HP Zinker: Beyond It All (Roughneck)
• 1992: HP Zinker: Perseverance ( Thrill Jockey )
• 1993: HP Zinker: Staying Loose. A Compilation (Fire)
• 1995: HP Zinker: Mountains of Madness (Energy)
• 1996: The Golden Lemons: Economy Class (Sub-Up)
• 1997: Hans Platzgumer: Aura Anthropica ( L'age d'or )
• 1998: Die Goldenen Zitronen: Dead School Hamburg ( Cooking Vinyl )
• 1999: Cube & Sphere: Great Norwegian Explorers (Disko B)
• 2000: Hans Platzgumer: Datacard (Disko B / Seperator)
• 2001: Hans Platzgumer: Denial of Service (Disko B / Heimelektro Ulm)
• 2002: Hans Platzgumer: Software ( Doxa Records )
• 2003: Marcel Proust / Peter Zwetkoff / Hans Platzgumer: Combray (Hörverlag)
• 2004: Convertible: Convertible (Universal)
• 2005: hp.stonji: mélaina cholé (special material)
• 2006: Convertible: Frailty of Win - Strength of Defeat (Monkey)
• 2007: hp.stonji: Syntonum (concord)
• 2008: Hans Platzgumer: Music for Theater (Konkord)
• 2009: Hans Platzgumer: Soundtrack (Concord)
• 2010: Convertible: ALH84001 (Konkord)
• 2013: Convertible: The Growing Of Things (Konkord)
• 2015: Hans Platzgumer: Miniatures (Concord)
• 2018: Convertible: Holst Gate (Noise Appeal)

Web links

• Official website
• Hans Platzgumer at Discogs (English)
• Interview with the Austrian association mica 2015
• Short biography and reviews of works by Hans Platzgumer at perlentaucher.de

Individual evidence

1. ↑ `` Expedition '' at the StudienVerlag ( Memento of the original from June 12, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 12, 2015. 
2. ↑ `` White '' at the StudienVerlag ( Memento of the original from June 12, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 12, 2015. 
3. ↑ `` About 90 degrees '' at BR ( Memento from November 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ). Retrieved November 12, 2015.
4. ↑ `` Der Elefantenfuß '' at Buchmarkt.at ( Memento of the original from November 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 12, 2015. 
5. ↑ See Wolfgang Paterno: "Like a blow" . In: Profile . Retrieved November 12, 2015.
6. ↑ Cf. Ingrid Bertel: The silence after the atomic Gau . In: Der Standard , March 17, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
7. ↑ Cf. Franz Kotteder: Life after the Apocalypse . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , March 23, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
8. ↑ Cf. Ingrid Bertel: Der Elefantenfuß . In: Ö1 , March 15, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
9. ↑ See: "The Elephant Foot": The Spirits of Pripyat . In: Die Presse , March 20, 2011. Accessed November 12, 2015.
10. ↑ See Sybille Peine: New books on Chernobyl . In: Stern , April 15, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
11. ↑ Cf. Ingrid Bertel: The silence after the nuclear death . In: Die Zeit , March 17, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
12. ↑ `` Trans-Maghreb '' at Buchmarkt.at ( memento of the original from November 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 12, 2015. 
13. ↑ `` Musik = Müll '' at Buchmarkt.at ( Memento of the original from December 8, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 12, 2015. 
14. ↑ '' Trans-Maghreb '' on the website of the Bregenz Festival ( Memento of the original from November 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 12, 2015. 
15. ↑ '' Korridorwelt '' at Buchmarkt.at ( memento of the original from November 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 12, 2015. 
16. ↑ Cf. Felix Bayer: Searching for meaning in LA: The earth shakes, life is out of joint . In: Spiegel Online , April 3, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
17. ↑ See Susanne Schaber: One small step, one wrong . In: The Press , February 5, 2016. Accessed December 15, 2016th
18. ↑ '' Prize for Contemporary Music: Previous Prize Winners '' at the State of Tyrol ( Memento of the original from October 13, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 12, 2015. 
19. ↑ '' The nominated titles for the German Book Prize 2016 '' on the website of the German Book Prize . Retrieved December 15, 2016.
20. ↑ `` The best 10 in March 2016 '' on the ORF website . Retrieved December 15, 2016.
21. ↑ Protest Song Contest 2008 ( Memento of the original from March 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 12, 2015. 
22. ↑ AUGSBURG BRECHT CONNECTED - THE AUGSBURG BRECHT FESTIVAL. July 3, 2007, accessed November 27, 2015 .