The Notwist are a German

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band. Formed in 1989, the band moved through several musical incarnations, despite maintaining a relatively stable line-up. While their early records moved through heavy metal into dark

, their recent efforts for which they have received the most attention have been strongly influenced by the

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

scene, along with the other groups on the record label,

Morr Music Morr Music is an independent record label based in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 1999 by Thomas Morr. Most artists on the label fall into the categories of intelligent dance music, electronica and dreampop, but all reflect Thomas Morr's perso ...

History

The Acher brothers and Messerschmid formed the group in 1989, in

Weilheim in Oberbayern Weilheim in Oberbayern (English: 'Weilheim in Upper Bavaria') is a town in Germany, the capital of the district Weilheim-Schongau in the south of Bavaria. Weilheim has an old city-wall, historic houses and a museum. Local history Up to the 18 ...

, near

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. In 1990, they recorded their self-titled debut, a grunge-metal oriented LP. 1992 saw the release of ''Nook'', which has an indie rock sound, while their 1995 album ''12'', contains their first flirtation with electronics. Martin Gretschmann then joined the group in 1997. ''Shrink'', released in 1998, is a jazz-electro-rock album. In 1998,

Cynthia Dall Cynthia Dall (born Cynthia Meggin Loya) (March 12, 1971 – April 5, 2012), sometimes known as "Cindy Dall", was an American lo-fi musician and photographer. Dall also gained notoriety in the fanzine world of the 1990s for her frequent trans ...

did the vocals for a remix of "Torture Day" by The Notwist. The album ''Neon Golden'' (released in 2002) put them on the map for

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

listeners, with its heartfelt sentiment and more pop-oriented sound. Messerschmidt left the group in 2007, and was replaced by Andi Haberl. The band's sixth album, ''The Devil, You + Me'', was released in Europe in May 2008. On June 17, 2008 the album was released in North America on Domino Records. In 2009, the Notwist recorded ''Storm'', the soundtrack to the film of the same name by director

Hans-Christian Schmid Hans-Christian Schmid (born 1965) is a German film director and screenwriter. Life and work Hans-Christian Schmid has collaborated with on several of the movies that he directed. Gutmann wrote screenplays for ''23 (film), 23 — Nichts ist so ...

. In late 2012 they began playing songs from a new album on tour. The album, ''

Close to the Glass ''Close to the Glass'' is the seventh studio album by German electronic band The Notwist. It was released on 24 February 2014 under City Slang in Europe. It was released on 25 February 2014 under Sub Pop in the United States. Critical reception ...

'', was released on February 24, 2014 under Sub Pop Records. In 2014,

Martin Gretschmann Console (also known as Acid Pauli) is an electronic music project founded by Martin Gretschmann, the former lead programmer for the German band The Notwist. The band incorporates elements of electronic music. The band consists of Miriam Osterriede ...

left the group. In January 2015, ''

'' was nominated for

IMPALA The impala or rooibok (''Aepyceros melampus'') is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus '' Aepyceros'' and tribe Aepycerotini, it was first described to European audiences by Germa ...

's European Independent Album of the Year Award.

Collaborations and side projects

The group has been remixed by

Four Tet Kieran Hebden (born September 1977), known as Four Tet, is an English electronic musician. He came to prominence as a member of the post-rock band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist with charting UK albums such as '' Rounds'' ( ...

Caribou Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

Grizzly Bear The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...

Console Console may refer to: Computing and video games * System console, a physical device to operate a computer ** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device ** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...

, Loopspool,

Panda Bear The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes ...

and others. Singer Markus Acher also collaborated with

Anticon Anticon (often styled as anticon.) is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1998 by seven musicians and manager Baillie Parker. It is now collectively owned among six musicians, co-founder Parker, and man ...

and rapper/producer

Alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the ...

on the song, "Unseen Sights". In 1991, Markus Acher made a noise, post rock band, Village of Savoonga, in Weilheim, Germany. They released ''Village Of Savoonga'' (1992), ''Philipp Schatz'' (1996) and ''Score'' (1997). The Notwist formed a group with

Themselves Themselves, previously known as Them, is an American hip hop duo based in Oakland, California. It consists of Doseone and Jel. They are also part of Subtle and 13 & God. The duo's first studio album, ''Them'', was included on ''Fact''s "100 B ...

named

13 & God 13 & God is a collaboration between American indie hip hop duo Themselves and German indie rock band The Notwist. The group is signed both to Anticon and Alien Transistor. History The band's name 13 & God stems from the concept of the 12 apostl ...

, whose eponymous debut was released in 2005.

Markus Acher The Notwist are a German indie rock band. Formed in 1989, the band moved through several musical incarnations, despite maintaining a relatively stable line-up. While their early records moved through heavy metal into dark indie rock, their re ...

, in addition to his work with The Notwist and 13 & God, also worked with the band

Lali Puna Lali Puna is a German, Munich-based electropop band originally from Weilheim in Oberbayern, Germany. History Valerie Trebeljahr, the lead writer and singer, comes from Busan, Korea. The name of the band, meaning ''Valerie from Busan'', refer ...

until his departure in 2017, while Mecki Messerschmidt now also plays drums for the reformed Schweisser. Micha Acher composes and programs for

Ms. John Soda Ms. John Soda is an indietronica band from Weilheim in Oberbayern, Germany. It consists of Stefanie Böhm and Micha Acher. History Ms. John Soda released the first album '' No P. or D.'' on Morr Music in 2002. It is listed by ''Pitchfork Media ...

Members

Current

* Markus Acher — guitars, vocals, keyboards, turntables (1989–present) * Micha Acher — bass, keyboards (1989–present) * Andi Haberl — drums (2007–present) * Max Punktezahl of

Saroos Saroos is a post-rock trio from Berlin, Germany. It consists of Florian Zimmer, Christoph Brandner and Max Punktezahl. History Saroos released the self-titled debut album, ''Saroos'', on Alien Transistor in 2006. The second album, ''See Me Not' ...

— guitar, keyboards (present) * Karl Ivar Refseth — vibraphone, percussion (present) * Cico Beck of Joasihno — guitar, keyboards, percussion, electronics (present)

Former

* Martin Gretschmann (aka

and Acid Pauli) — programming, keyboards (1997–2014) * Martin Messerschmid — drums (1989–2007)

Discography

Studio Albums

* ''

The Notwist The Notwist are a German indie rock band. Formed in 1989, the band moved through several musical incarnations, despite maintaining a relatively stable line-up. While their early records moved through heavy metal into dark indie rock, their re ...

'' (1991) * '' Nook'' (1992) * '' 12'' (1995) * '' Shrink'' (1998) * ''

Neon Golden ''Neon Golden'' is the fifth studio album by German indie rock band The Notwist. It was released on 14 January 2002 by City Slang. Composition ''Neon Golden'' is rooted in the experimental musical style that The Notwist had moved towards on t ...

'' (2002) * '' The Devil, You + Me'' (2008) * ''Sturm'' (soundtrack, 2009) * ''

'' (2014) * ''

The Messier Objects The Messier Objects is the eighth studio album by German electronic band The Notwist The Notwist are a German indie rock band. Formed in 1989, the band moved through several musical incarnations, despite maintaining a relatively stable lin ...

'' (2015) * ''

Vertigo Days ''Vertigo Days'' is the ninth studio album by German electronic band The Notwist. It was released on 29 January 2021 by Morr Music. Release On 31 July 2020, the Notwist's released the first single "Ship". The single features Japanese musician Sa ...

'' (2021)

Live Album

* ''Superheroes, Ghostvillains + Stuff'' (2016)

Singles and EPs

* ''Johnny and Mary'' EP (1994) * ''Only in America'' EP (1996) * ''

Untitled (Selections From 12) The Notwist are a German indie rock band. Formed in 1989, the band moved through several musical incarnations, despite maintaining a relatively stable line-up. While their early records moved through heavy metal into dark indie rock, their re ...

'' EP (1997) * "Day 7" single (1997) * "Chemicals" single (1998) * "Trashing Days" single (2001) * "Pilot" single (2001) * " Pick Up the Phone" single (2002) * " One With the Freaks" single (2002) * '' Untitled (Scoop)'' EP (2002) * ''Lichter'' EP (2003) (Soundtrack for the film Distant Lights (''Lichter'')) * '' Different Cars and Trains'' EP (2003) * ''Solo Swim'' EP (2004) * "Where in this World" single (2008) * "Boneless" single (2008) * "Come In" single (2009) * "Blank Air" single (2010) * "Kong" single (2014)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Notwist, The German electronic music groups German experimental musical groups German indie rock groups Musical groups established in 1989 Morr Music artists Sub Pop artists City Slang artists