Console

Console began as Martin Gretschmann’s extracurricular outlet while he served as lead programmer for the German indie-rock outfit the Notwist. The project suddenly eclipsed his primary band once Matador, the prominent American independent label, licensed the second Console full-length, Rocket in the Pocket, and the album drew wider notice to Gretschmann than the Notwist had previously achieved. Throughout the making of the Notwist’s first two records he had already been laying down solo electronic pieces; following the band’s 1998 release Shrink, he issued Console’s debut album, Pan or Ama, on Payola. When assembling the follow-up, he crafted a computer-themed love song called “14 Zero Zero” that caught the ear of Matador’s tastemakers, resulting in the label issuing Rocket in the Pocket in early 2000.