NI
NI is Martin Flotzinger (dr), Gigi Gratt (git), Tobias Hagleitner (git), Manu Mitterhuber (git). From the high-energy astronaut rock of their early days (NI, 2009) to the cultivated explosion of colors on their European tour (FOXTROTT, 2012) and the minimalist scream anthems on DEDODA (2017), the defining characteristic of this band is their sly departure from musical expectations. The basic ingredients remain unchanged: the unconventional lineup of drums and three guitars, rhythmically and harmonically sophisticated compositions, and the half-virtuosic, half-tongue-in-cheek musical performance. With their fourth album SWARM (2025), the doors open up to a brilliantly expanded electronic soundscape, which the musicians fill in the full breadth and depth of the tonal spectrum. The melodic guitar structures (Gigi Gratt, Tobias Hagleitner, Manu Mitterhuber) are alternately penetrated, supported or held together by sculptures of ticking clocks, buzzing insects, clattering machines, or theater thunder by Martin Flotzinger on drums. The joy of musical experimentation is combined on this album with the courage to be danceable.
PHENOMENAL WORLD
After years of crossing paths in the experimental music scene, Michael Fischer (feedback-saxophone), Didi Kern (drums), and Philipp Quehenberger (keyboard) have finally come together to record their first album. The result is a raw, dynamic exploration of sound — where intricate rhythmic play dances with shifting notions of time and space and melodies drift between tenderness and defiance, reappearing in subtle variations - blurring the line between chaos and coherence with effortless fluidity. Phenomenal World delivers a visceral sonic journey—where punk energy collides with the depth and unpredictability of free improvisation.