Cid Rim

Vienna native Clemens Bacher, who records as Cid Rim, shifted from his beginnings as a free jazz drummer, multi-instrumentalist, and session player to a production role, shaping an upbeat, psychedelic brand of electronica that draws on IDM, pop, house, vaporwave, and jazz.

Raised in a household steeped in music, he started piano lessons at six before moving to drums and then, at fourteen, encountering digital production tools that immediately captivated him. During those formative years his listening spanned 1960s jazz and 1970s fusion alongside early Warp Records IDM and 1990s East Coast hip-hop from the United States. He later enrolled at the Vienna Jazz Conservatoire for a five-year drum program. Immersed in the city’s vibrant artistic community, he pursued both free jazz and electronic projects, collaborating with fellow local Dorian Concept and others. He also toured as drummer for South African rapper Spoek Mathambo and earned recognition for his remixes, notably the version of Chvrches’ “Recover” created when the band was still little known.

At thirty-two he issued his first full-length, Material, on the Scottish imprint LuckyMe in 2017. The album wove his accumulated influences into a singular avant-dance sound and received broad critical praise. After relocating to London he spent several years shaping a follow-up; Songs of Vienna appeared in 2021, extending his boundary-crossing approach with increased live instrumentation and touches of pop alongside big-band jazz.