Polwechsel is a musical group founded in

Vienna, Austria en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

in 1993. Their music has mostly straddled a line between contemporary music and

free improvisation Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician(s) involved. The term can refer to both a technique (employed by any musician in any genre) and as a recognizable genre in its ...

, and is characterized by quiet volume, sustained drones, and slowly developing structures. The group was originally composed of

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...

ist Werner Dafeldecker, cellist Michael Moser,

trombonist The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

Radu Malfatti Radu Malfatti is an Austrian trombone and harmonica player, and composer. He was born in Innsbruck, in the province of Tyrol, on December 16, 1943. Malfatti is associated with the style of music known as reductionism and has been described as "a ...

and guitarist Burkhard Stangl. Their name came from a voltage adapter Dafeldecker and Moser found in a second-hand shop. An appearance at the 1996 LMC Festival in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

garnered the group much attention. Malfatti left in 1997, and was replaced by

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pro ...

John Butcher. With guitarist/laptop computer whiz

Fennesz Christian Fennesz (born 25 December 1962) is an Austrian producer and guitarist active in electronic music since the 1990s, often credited simply by his last name. His work utilizes guitar and laptop computers to blend melody with treated sample ...

, this lineup recorded ''Wrapped Islands'', which earned several positive reviewsPolwechsel & Fennesz – Wrapped Islands (Erstwhile)
/ref> In around 2004, percussionists Burkhard Beins and

Martin Brandlmayr Martin Brandlmayr is an Austrian percussionist, drummer, composer and electronic artist. He is widely recognized for his work in a variety of so-called "post-rock" bands, namely Radian, Trapist, and Autistic Daughters, among others. Critic Bri ...

joined Polwechsel. In 2008, Burkhard Stangl left the band and John Butcher also exited in 2009 leaving Polwechsel as a quartet.

Discography

* (1995) Polwechsel –

HatOLOGY Hathut Records is a Swiss record company and label founded by Werner Xavier Uehlinger in 1974 that specializes in jazz and classical music. The name of the label comes from the artwork of Klaus Baumgartner. Hathut encompasses the labels hat ART, ...

* (1999) Polwechsel 2 –

* (2001) Polwechsel 3 – Durian Records * (2002) Wrapped Islands (with

Christian Fennesz Christian Fennesz (born 25 December 1962) is an Austrian producer and guitarist active in electronic music since the 1990s, often credited simply by his last name. His work utilizes guitar and laptop computers to blend melody with treated sample ...

) –

Erstwhile Records Erstwhile Records is an independent record label devoted to free improvisation, particularly the electroacoustic variety, contemporary, experimental composed music, and combinations of both. Erstwhile was founded by Jon Abbey in 1999, whose perso ...

* (2006) Archives Of The North –

* (2009) Field (with

John Tilbury John Tilbury (born 1 February 1936) is a British pianist. He is considered one of the foremost interpreters of Morton Feldman's music, and since 1980 has been a member of the free improvisation group AMM. Early life and education Tilbury s ...

) –

* (2013) Traces Of Wood -

* (2015) Untitled (No7) - God Records

References

External links

Polwechsel.com
(official site) {{Authority control Polwechsel Austrian musical groups Musical groups from Vienna