Biography
Formed in 1987, Wolfsheim ranks among Germany’s long-standing synth pop acts, having endured successive waves of rock trends through steadfast adherence to their electronic foundation. Markus Reinhardt, brother Olli Reinhardt, and vocalist Pompejo Ricciardi launched the project that year. Ricciardi exited shortly after completion of the first demo, with Peter Heppner stepping in as his replacement; Heppner already knew the brothers from their common upbringing in Wilhelmsburg, Germany. Olli’s later departure reduced the lineup to a duo. Heppner began penning new material, after which Wolfsheim sent two further cassettes to record labels, each of which returned a rejection. Strange Ways Records issued the CD single “The Sparrows and the Nightingales” in 1991, moving more than 10,000 copies. “It’s Not Too Late” appeared next, followed a year later by the full-length No Happy View, which surpassed 40,000 units sold. In 1996 Reinhardt released Der Genetische Traum under the Neustart moniker, a side project that enlisted members of Girls Under Glass and Stalin. Wolfsheim’s fifth LP, Spectators, reached number two on the German charts in 1999. Metropolis Records issued Spectators in the U.S. in 2001, with Casting Shadows arriving in 2003.