Biography
Formed in Basel, Switzerland, during 1983, the industrial, free jazz, and noise collective 16-17 began under saxophonist Alex Buess and drummer Knut Remond. Guitarist and electronics manipulator Markus Kneubühler soon entered the lineup, after which the group issued its debut EP, the five-track Hardkore & Buffbunker, in 1984. Initially available solely on cassette, the release presented a stark, unrefined entry point defined by Buess’s fiercely abrasive alto saxophone, occasional shouted vocals, Remond’s driving percussion, and Kneubühler’s heavily distorted, repetitive guitar approach that treated the instrument more like a bass. Three years later the band delivered its first vinyl outing, a seven-song self-titled effort issued via the Swiss RecRec label. Though the abrasive textures and relentless attack carried forward from the earlier cassette, the recording quality showed modest improvement. Another low-fidelity live document, When All Else Fails, appeared in 1989 and maintained the same trajectory.
The outfit’s inaugural proper studio album, Gyatso, finally surfaced in 1994 on the Pathological imprint. Produced by Kevin Martin of Ice and Techno Animal, the record also incorporated bass contributions from G.C. Green of Godflesh. Instead of replicating their stage dynamic, 16-17 explored studio techniques including overdubs, near-psychedelic stereo placement, and a weighty low end reminiscent of heavy dub productions, resulting in an album that retained, even intensified, the raw abrasion of prior live efforts and is widely regarded as their peak achievement.
Subsequent personnel shifts saw Remond replaced by drummer Michael Wertmüller, previously associated with Peter Brötzmann, while Damian Bennett of Deathless and Techno Animal joined as the group’s first dedicated bassist. This configuration recorded the Human Distortion EP, released in 1998 on Alec Empire’s Digital Hardcore label, which bore little sonic resemblance to anything the band had previously produced. Activity diminished afterward, yet nearly all earlier material except Human Distortion received reissues in the late 2000s on Florida’s Savage Land imprint. These comprised a remastered edition of Gyatso alongside a two-CD set titled When All Else Fails that bundled the original album of that name with the complete contents of both Hardkore & Buffbunker and the 1987 self-titled record. Although ensembles such as Painkiller, Last Exit, and the Flying Luttenbachers have since pursued comparable fusions of searing noise and free-jazz improvisation, rendering 16-17’s approach less startling than at its outset, the music continues to pose a substantial challenge well beyond mainstream boundaries.
The outfit’s inaugural proper studio album, Gyatso, finally surfaced in 1994 on the Pathological imprint. Produced by Kevin Martin of Ice and Techno Animal, the record also incorporated bass contributions from G.C. Green of Godflesh. Instead of replicating their stage dynamic, 16-17 explored studio techniques including overdubs, near-psychedelic stereo placement, and a weighty low end reminiscent of heavy dub productions, resulting in an album that retained, even intensified, the raw abrasion of prior live efforts and is widely regarded as their peak achievement.
Subsequent personnel shifts saw Remond replaced by drummer Michael Wertmüller, previously associated with Peter Brötzmann, while Damian Bennett of Deathless and Techno Animal joined as the group’s first dedicated bassist. This configuration recorded the Human Distortion EP, released in 1998 on Alec Empire’s Digital Hardcore label, which bore little sonic resemblance to anything the band had previously produced. Activity diminished afterward, yet nearly all earlier material except Human Distortion received reissues in the late 2000s on Florida’s Savage Land imprint. These comprised a remastered edition of Gyatso alongside a two-CD set titled When All Else Fails that bundled the original album of that name with the complete contents of both Hardkore & Buffbunker and the 1987 self-titled record. Although ensembles such as Painkiller, Last Exit, and the Flying Luttenbachers have since pursued comparable fusions of searing noise and free-jazz improvisation, rendering 16-17’s approach less startling than at its outset, the music continues to pose a substantial challenge well beyond mainstream boundaries.
Albums
