efzeg

Boris Hauf – Billy Roisz – Martin Siewert – Burkhard Stangl – dieb13

1999: After a 3 month stay in Chicago, Illinois Boris Hauf was in search for a new sound for his (till then) project-based musical outlet ‘efzeg’. He invited Burkhard Stangl, Martin Siewert and dieb13 to play a concert/recording session within a series of ‘house concerts’ he was hosting in his living room in Vienna, Austria. The 4 met that afternoon for the first time ever in a musical context. They set up microphones and an 8 track recording machine and hit record: a fixed line up had crystallized out of that session and efzeg was no longer a project based ensemble. Shortly thereafter Billy Roisz joined the four musicians using their audio as input for her analog visual feedback projections. From their first album on (grain – durian 2000) efzeg was “at the cutting-edge of the European avant-garde music.” (allmusic.com).

From 1999 – 2005 efzeg released 4 full length albums, various music for video, compilations and a full length vinyl on high profile labels such as durian, charhizma, grob, hathut, en/of, staalplaat and others. Billy Roisz’ videos were an essential part of the many live shows the band played and were also represented on most CDs they released. It’s hard to find an ensemble with such a vast and consistently well received and highly praised output in such a short period of time. Even after a break up in 2005 efzeg was still productive releasing tracks on various compilations (Selsi 2008, Venusmond Part 4).

“Hailing from Vienna, Austria, the electro-acoustic free improv group Efzeg appeared in 1999, just as the avant-garde scene there was taking a most interesting turn. Together with Dachte Musik and Polwechsel it proposed a new approach to live improv based on silence and the blurring of identities in favor of an organic but highly abstract group sound. The group’s manifesto states that “Efzeg does not guarantee that its music will be a source of ‘intense pleasure’ to listeners.” Maybe not, but it sure tickles your brain cells (or torture, depending on your relationship with experimental music). Right from the start, Efzeg has been at the cutting-edge of the European avant-garde music.” allmusic.com

buy efzeg albums

Releases:
krom,hathut [cd 2006]
pay, EN/OF [vinyl 2005]
würm, charhizma [cd 2004]
g9, timesup/staalplaat [dvd 2004]
boogie, grob [cd 2002]
katapila, sixpackfilm [vhs] 2002
grain, durian [cd] 2000)