T.Raumschmiere

T.Raumschmiere

BIOGRAPHYT. Raumschmiere... is Marco Haas, born in Heidelburg, Germany in 1975. Industrial, punk rock and hardcore gave Marco Haas (aka T.Raumschmiere) his first musical direction. Soon the rallying cry "stay anti" became a way of life. In the early '90s, Marco drummed with the classic hardcore band Zorn (translation: anger), performing more than 300 shows around Europe and releasing two albums on Maximum Voice Records (Leipzig).

In 1997 Marco won a contest with his rock band Stormbow, which financed the making of their debut record. The Stormbow release was the first on Shitkatapult, the now infamous record label he founded with Marcus Stotz in Heidelberg. William S. Burroughs died in the same year and gave Marco his solo moniker for electronic music, T.Raumschmiere. The name is a cut-up from the title of the short story "Die Traumschmiere" (translation: The Dream Cops) by Burroughs. The German title unfolds several different connotations: TRAUM = dream, subconscious etc., RAUM = room, space, venue etc., SCHMIERE = grease, lubricant, smear, spread (but also slang for police). At this time, Marco was also working with Ulli Bomans on a project called shrubbn!!, based on noise improvisation.

Moving to Berlin in 1998, Marco got busy fine-tuning his sound ideas for T.Raumschmiere and experimenting with dark matter, dirty noises and eternal reverbs. The first tracks under this new name appear on the compilation series Cozmick Suckers (Shitkatapult). Around this time, he also began work on a stage project called Pop Poisoned Poetry featuring Miss Tigra and kicked off a monthly event called Erlosung Durch Strom (translation: salvation through electricity).

In 2000, the first T. Raumschmiere records were released. He made his debut as King of Gnarz on Shitkatapult with the mini LP Stromschleifen. Cologne based label Kompakt released the 12" Bolzplatz ('gnarz-shockers from hell') and Sender Records from Berlin put out Himmel uber Berlin, which included the smash hit H-Babe. At this time, T.Raumschmiere established his minimal, funky but dirty style techno. He also picked up his drumsticks again, drumming with his punk rock band Mos Eisley Rock, recording the single "High on the Heels of Love" on the band's own label Bender Entertainment.

In 2001, the Zarbitter EP (Fucking brilliant! Goosebump warning!) was released on Shitkatapult and Musick (a slice of rock and roll history) on Kompakt. Raumschmiere played more than 150 live and DJ gigs all over the world and Hefty Records from Chicago released a T. Raumschmiere remix for their artist Slicker, which was followed by remixes for Komeit (Monika Enterprise) and Sythis (Third Ear).

In 2002, the Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle went off at Shitkatapult, which bundled together the best of T.Raumschmiere's Greatest Gnarz Hits (Sid Vicious would have been proud). A little later, the album "Anti" was released by Hefty Records. A dark minimal techno epic, the album found many friends in the US ("if the new rock has no guitars, then this is its Elvis Presley"). His incredible stage breaking live performances became legendary. "He jumped around so violently that audience members has to prevent him from knocking his equipment to the ground", (The New York Times). Marco had also been working on new songs with his band Mos Eisley Rock, a few of which have appeared on different compilations.

In 2003, T.Raumschmiere was listed as Best Live Act and Shitkatapult as Best Label in several Reader Poll Top 10s. Daniel Miller of Mute gave him a call after seeing him on stage in Berlin and offered him a record deal on novamute. The first single to be released was Monstertruckdriver and The Game Is Not Over (feat. Miss Kittin). The debut album, Radio Blackout followed, featuring a multifaceted playlist of groaning techno, snotty electro and abstract hip hop. The "King of Gnarz" had taken the throne. Remixes for Goldfrapp (Mute), Das Bierbeben (Shitkatapult) and Dave Gahan (Mute) followed and the single, Rabaukendisko, hit the record shops featuring the dancehall devil himself, The Bug. Raumschmiere received the highestmusical accolade soon after, when John Peel invited him to record a live session in London.

In 2004, A Million Brothers (feat. MC Soom T), the next single from album was released. In Berlin, he assisted Cobra Killer, the red wine rocker heroines and produced their song Let's Have A Problem (M-Enterprise) and also One Man Army, which was featured on the soundtrack of the Japanese anime movie Appleseed (Sony). More remixes followed including one for his friend Quasimodo Jones (Shitkatapult), a white thrashy rock'n'roller from America.

After touring continuously since 2003, Raumschmiere tried something new. He enlisted drummer Dirk Mielenhausen and bass player Andreas Paruschke along with sound engineer Allert Aalders as his stage cover band for all live concerts and started to sing. 2004 saw the T.Raumschmiere band tour extensively all over Europe, playing festivals in Belguim, Holland, UK, France, Italy, Spain and Germany.

In 2005, the brand new album Blitzrieg Pop was released on novamute. T.Raumschmiere expands his musical repertoire by abstract ambient soundscapes from his analogue equipment park, rock and electronic pop songs with melodies. For the first time T.Raumschmiere performed as a singer, or in this case, a shouter. On two songs further voices are added by Ellen Alien (Bpitchcontrol), Sandra Nasic (ex-Guano Apes), Judith Juillerat and Quasimodo Jones (both Shitkatapult). Raumschmiere has also worked on remixes for Andreas Dorau (Mute), Ika Schier (Monitorpop), Felix Kubin (Pudel Produkte) and again Goldfrapp (Mute). In autum 2005 the T.Raumschnmiere Band is touring the USA for the first time.

2006, in between more than 100 shows with the T.R.Band and as DJ marco produces the album of his punk-rock band The Crack Whore Society (formerly known as Mos Eisley Rock) for the german label Angora Steel (a division of Compost Records).Together with his friends and partners Daniel Meteo and Florian Schmieg he founds the publishing company Random Noize Musick GmbH.

In late 2006, T.Raumschmiere's 5th full length albumThe Random Noize Sessions Vol.1 was released on Shitkatapult.. It features a collection of lost studio and live recordings made between 1996 & 2005. Dark ambient tracks, beats and pictures, in best tradition of dark asian movies fighting the new minimal deal. Traditional new musickal footprints by heroes like Robert Hood or Mike Ink married to influences of great artists like Coil, Pan_Sonic or Steve Albini.Marco presents the Random Noize Sessions live and solo on a few hand picked occasionss.One of his personal highlight in 2006 was to announce his longtime heroes Sonic Youth on the State-X New Forms Festival in The Hague, Holland.