16-17 is a band from

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

, Switzerland. Their music combines punk rock,

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

music.

Biography

16-17 was founded in 1983 by

Alex Buess Alex Buess is a Swiss composer, saxophone player, producer and sound artist born in 1954 in Basel (CH). Biography He collaborates (has collaborated) with Stephan Wittwer, Paul Schütze, Kevin Martin, Peter Brötzmann, William Parker, ...

, Knut Remond and Markus Kneubühler. When the group played its first concerts in 1983 it was received with controversial reactions: there where hardly any groups that played in an approximately similar style. Only some years later around 1986 groups like

Painkiller An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It i ...

, Last Exit or

The Flying Luttenbachers The Flying Luttenbachers is an American instrumental unit led by multi-instrumentalist/composer/improviser/ producer Weasel Walter. The Flying Luttenbachers have created a body of work focused on musical extremity and dissonance. Over the cours ...

appeared . They played a similar mix of rough noise, heavily amplified instruments and free jazz inspired improvisation. 1983 to 1994 the group did a lot of tours and played many gigs all over Europe, Japan and USA. From this period there are three official releases: the cassette ''Buffbunker and Hardkore'' , the LP ''16-17'' (Label Rec Rec) as well as the LP '' When All Else Fails...'' (Label Vision/Praxis). These first three productions of the group are exclusively live recordings. 1994 Alex Buess met Kevin Martin during the recording sessions of the group Alboth! for their CD ''Liebefeld'' Alex Buess played saxophones on this album as a guest musician and Kevin Martin produced it. This first meeting of Buess and Martin was very important: they both got along very well: they both went similar paths, Kevin with his group GOD and Alex with 16–17. Consequently, 16-17 worked on the production of their first studio album '' Gyatso''. The album was produced by Kevin Martin and G. C. Green (Godflesh) appeared as a guest musician. Kevin Martin said in an interview by Jason Pettigrew (''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

''): "I liked the sheer intensity of 16-17's ''Early Recordings'' very much and I intended to increase this intensity by the additional use of studio technology." He was indeed very successful. The CD found a lot of attention in the international press, the media and the audience. After the production of ''Gyatso'' the line up of the band changed. The bass player Damian Bennett (Deathless, khost,

Techno Animal Techno Animal is an electronic duo formed in 1990 in London, England by British musicians Justin Broadrick (of the band Godflesh) and Kevin Martin (aka the Bug, of the band God). The duo released six LPs beginning with their 1991 debut '' Ghost ...

) replaced Markus Kneubühler and the drummer Michael Wertmüller (Full Blast) replaced Knut Remond. 16-17 toured all over Europe with this new line up. The idea was to reproduce the sound of the ''Gyatso'' album live. The concert appearance at the Taktlos Festival 1995 was one of the highlights of 16-17's new sound. 1999 the EP ''

Human Distortion ''Human Distortion'' is an EP / MCD by 16-17, released in 1998 through Digital Hardcore Recordings (DHR). Reception AllMusic staff writer William York writes: "the Human Distortion EP, which appeared in 1998 on Alec Empire's Digital Hardcore labe ...

'' was released on

Alec Empire Alec or Aleck is a Scottish form of the given name Alex. It may be a diminutive of the name Alexander or a given name in its own right. Notable people with the name include: People * Alec Aalto (1942–2018), Finnish diplomat *Alec Acton (1938� ...

Digital Hardcore Digital hardcore is a fusion genre that combines hardcore punk with electronic dance music genres such as breakbeat, techno, and drum and bass while also drawing on heavy metal and noise music. It typically features fast tempos and aggressive ...

Label (DHR) and in the same year the ''Mechanophobia'' EP appeared on Praxis the Berlin-based label. In autumn 1999 16-17 toured again extensively as ''16-17 Soundsystem'' with Daniel Buess (MIR, My Daily Noise, Noise Zone) on drums. In 2000 the group disbanded. It was very difficult to get hold of the 16-17 productions for quite a long time. But in 2005 Savageland Records a Lyon-based French record label re-released a CD box called '' When All Else Fails... a.k.a. Early Recordings'' and later in 2008 '' Gyatso''.

Weasel Walter Weasel Walter (born Christopher Todd Walter, May 18, 1972) is an American composer, improviser, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and founder of ugEXPLODE Records. Walter's work has been informed by techniques and traditions of music including Av ...

has remastered both productions and Jason Pettigrew wrote extensive new liner notes for ''Gyatso''. In 2020, an album of previously unreleased material recorded in 1995, titled ''Phantom Limb'' with guest musicians singer Eugene S.Robinson of

Oxbow __NOTOC__ An oxbow is a U-shaped metal pole (or larger wooden frame) that fits the underside and the sides of the neck of an ox or wikt:bullock, bullock. A bow pin holds it in place. The term "oxbow lake, oxbow" is widely used to refer to a U-sh ...

, vocalist Kasia Meow and guitarist Bigrogers Graf, was issued through Austrian label

Trost Records Trost Records is a record label located in Vienna. History In the early 1990s, Trost was founded as a tape label, releasing records of Austrian alternative and underground bands, such as Valina, , and Holly May. In 2011, the sublabel Cien ...

. In 2021 the remastered ''vinyl version of Gyatso'' was released by the German label Praxis. 16-17 Taktlos 1995

Discography

* 1984: ''Buffbunker & Hardkore'' (cassette, Calypso Now) * 1986: ''16-17'' (LP, Rec Rec) * 1989: '' When All Else Fails...'' (LP, Vision) * 1993: '' Gyatso'' (CD, Pathological / Big Cat GB) * 1993: 16–17 on Virgin Ambient compilation ''Jazz Satellites Vol 1'' * 1998: ''

'' (CD & EP, DHR) * 1999: ''Mechanophobia'' (EP, Praxis) * 2005: '' When All Else Fails...'' a.k.a. ''16-17 Early Recordings'' (CD Box, new, remastered version of the first three LP productions on CD, Savageland Records) * 2008: '' Gyatso'' (CD, new, remastered version with modified artwork and liner notes) * 2020: ''Phantom Limb'' (LP, Trost) * 2021: ''Gyatso (vinyl version)'' remastered 12" LP, Praxis, Berlin

References

External links

* *
discogs.com

savagelandrecords.com
{{Authority control Experimental musical groups Grindcore musical groups Avant-garde metal musical groups Free improvisation ensembles Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 2000 Swiss musical trios Avant-garde jazz ensembles Digital Hardcore Music Group