P16.D4

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P16.D4 were a noise band from Mainz that was internationally influential from the 1980s to the 1990s .

PD, permutative distortion

PD began in late 1979 as a solo project of Joachim Stender , who was then a student at Mainz by organizing festivals, the group "Hall" and various journalistic actions at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz tried (yet joined under the name German New Wave acting ) To bring punk / new wave / no wave / industrial movement to Mainz. At the beginning of 1980 Ralf Wehowsky and Joachim Pense joined them, and the first record, the EP “Everyday” appeared. Shortly afterwards the LP "Inweglos" followed, with Ewald Weber, Achim Szepanski, Roger Schönauer and Gerd Poppe were added, as well as a whole series of appearances and cassette releases with productions by members and loved ones of the group.

The formation split up towards the end of 1981. The core line-up still produced the EP "Brückenkopf im Niemandsland" (with Thomas Memmler aka "Kasperle Killerpilz") as Permutative Distorsion, which once again exemplified the typical style of the group: Use of the cheapest electronics, more conscious Anti-professionalism ( anyone can do it ); Litany-like repetition of programmatic phrases in front of a monotonous sound / noise texture.

P16.D4

The remaining members, also with Wehowsky, continued as P16.D4. Due to his influence, the work on the sounds themselves became more important, with an explicit reference to the musique concrète . Stefan Schmidt, who soon joined, was enriching with his classical composition training.

Characteristic for the group was the production method, which was thematized in the products themselves: the continuous processing and reorganization of existing sound material from earlier productions, but also from the work of other artists ( mail art ), called “recycling” . This concept of material exchange can be seen in the projects “DIstant STRUCTures” (1985) with the participation of international artists. Other LPs: Masse Mensch (1984), Kühe in 1 / 2Trauer (1984), Nothing, Nobody, Nirgends, Nie (1986, together with SBOTHI ), Captured Music (1989), acRID acME (1989). They themselves described their work process as "cut ups, change of direction, change in speed, band creasing, harmonization, over-dubbing ..."

selection

The records (also cassettes), later also CDs from P16.D4 appeared under the label "Selektion". This developed into a collection point for other people's projects. In particular, with Achim Wollscheid , Charly Steiger , Christoph Wallhorn, Horst Maus, Marcus Caspers and Gilla Loercher, some visual artists were added, who carried out their own projects as “Optics Selection”, but also designed stage appearances for P16.D4. Achim Wollscheid produced (often as SBOTHI) a number of his own records and cooperated with other artists such as B. Merzbow . He cooperated intensively with P16.D4, promoted the projects artistically, delivered and processed material.

Towards the end of the 80s the importance of the group P16.D4 decreased somewhat compared to the various projects of the selection members in various combinations (which now again included Joachim Pense), especially after the move from Selection to Frankfurt am Main .

The most successful of these projects was SLP: The fourth page of the P16.D4 double album Nothing, Nobody, Nowhere, Never, which is a recycling product of the first three pages, is played on four turntables; the turntables are each operated by one person who, according to a score, places the needle in certain areas of the record. A computer program mixes the four channels with hard cuts to create new processes. SLP was performed several times in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including at the Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music and the Ars Electronica Linz.

While the activities of Selektion Optik continued for a few years, today only Achim Wollscheid and above all Ralf Wehowsky are productive in the field of noise music.

Discography

Albums

  • If you don't want to work, don't eat either! - 1981
  • VRNL - 1981
  • Cows In 1/2 Mourning (Selection) - 1982–1983
  • Distruct (selection) - 1982-1984
  • Nothing Nobody Nowhere Never! (Selection) - 1985
  • Tionchor (selection) - 1982–1986
  • Acrid Acme (Of) P16.D4 (selection) - 1986-1988
  • Bruitiste (RRRecords) - 1988
  • Fifty (RRRecords) - 1990

Sampler

  • Three Projects (Bruitiste - Captured Music - Fifty) (RRRecords) - 1993
  • Masse Mensch LP (selection) 1982 / CD Odd Size 1992

Web links