Patent Ochsner

Emerging during the 1990s, Patent Ochsner established themselves as a Swiss rock band whose releases routinely reached the summit of the domestic charts. Büne Huber created the group in Berne, Switzerland, in 1990, and although frequent personnel adjustments occurred across the ensuing years, he continued to serve as its unchanging core. The later configuration, anchored by Huber, also featured Disu Gmünder on guitar, Monic Mathys on bass, Andi Hug on drums, Christian Brantschen handling keyboard and accordion, Menk Grossniklaus on saxophone, Daniel Woodtli on trumpet, and Päs Steiner covering keyboard and wind instruments. The band issued its first full-length album, Schlachtplatte, in 1991 through the regional imprint Zytglogge Verlag; that effort climbed to number two on the Swiss albums chart. Their next release, Fischer, arrived in 1993 on COD Records and became the initial Patent Ochsner album to attain the number-one position. Following that breakthrough, the group secured a contract with BMG and delivered Gmües in 1994 along with Stella Nera in 1997, each of which also topped the Swiss albums chart. During this mid-1990s stretch of heightened visibility, the band placed several singles inside the national Top 20, including “Jänner” in 1994, “Jacques” in 1995, and “W. Nuss vo Bümpliz” in 1996. After issuing the live set Wildbolz & Süsstrunk in 1998, Patent Ochsner entered a five-year hiatus, during which Huber issued the solo album Honigmelonemond on BMG in 2000 and saw it reach the Top Ten. The group resumed activity with Trybguet in 2003, which debuted at number one on the albums chart. Departing BMG, Patent Ochsner moved to Muve Records for Liebi, Tod + Tüüfu in 2005 and subsequently to Universal for The Rimini Flashdown in 2008, with both projects claiming the top chart position.