Pluramon

Pluramon represents German experimental artist Marcus Schmickler's most approachable effort, forging distinctive fusions of conventional guitar, drums, and bass instrumentation with abstract electronics and atypical sound sources. The project surfaced initially through 1996's Pickup Canyon on Mille Plateaux, delivering an entrancing post-rock collection that incorporated Krautrock, dub, trip-hop, and drone influences. Subsequent releases included The Render Bandits in 1998 and the glitch-dominated remix set Bit Sand Riders in 2000. Pluramon later pursued a melodic path shaped by dream pop on Dreams Top Rock in 2003 and The Monstrous Surplus in 2007, both showcasing guest vocalist Julee Cruise.

Schmickler, residing in Köln, launched Pluramon in 1995. Although the project's direction contrasted with the sample-driven post-techno of his recent solo album Onea Gako, his longstanding aim to integrate acoustic and electronic elements for fresh musical exploration traced to his early 1990s work with the groups Pol and Kontakte, whose recordings appeared on the French label Odd Size. Those ensembles centered on guitars, acoustic drums, and wind instruments, merging live and at times improvisational sessions with subsequent treatments and electronic overdubs. Contributors from Pol and Kontakte who joined Pluramon encompassed Georg Odijk, founder of the A-Musik label and record shop, and Frank Dommert, another A-Musik affiliate and Schmickler's schoolmate.

Pluramon's debut full-length Pickup Canyon arrived in 1996 via Mille Plateaux, a sublabel of the German techno powerhouse Force Inc. This cinematic amalgam of electronic atmospheres, detached guitar textures, and sparse, floating percussion received widespread praise as one of the most inventive reimaginings of the 1970s Krautrock movement tied to Can, Neu, Amon Duul, and related acts. The brief appearance by former Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit underscored the link. The group's clearest tribute to that tradition emerged with the follow-up Render Bandits, issued again by Mille Plateaux in 1998. That album delivered a fuller synthesis of Can-style structures and unconventional sonic elements sourced from acoustic instruments such as glockenspiel, picadongs, and nickel strings, as well as electronic processes including extensive effects and digital manipulation, echoing Schmickler's intervening solo release Wabi Sabi on A-Musik in 1997.

In 2000 Pluramon issued the remix album Bit Sand Riders featuring contributions from Lee Ranaldo, Mogwai, Matmos, and Merzbow, together with the club-focused remix EP Reservoir. The project resurfaced on Karaoke Kalk with Dreams Top Rock in 2003, a shoegaze-leaning work spotlighting dream pop chanteuse Julee Cruise alongside guests such as Kevin Drumm and Felix Kubin. Cruise contributed once more to 2007's The Monstrous Surplus, which also incorporated vocals from Jutta Koether, Hayden Chisholm, Julia Hummer, and Schmickler himself. Schmickler maintains activity as a solo artist and collaborator with releases on labels including Kompakt and Editions Mego, yet Pluramon has remained inactive since The Monstrous Surplus.