NI (A), PHENOMENAL WORLD (Quehenberger / Kern / Fischer // A)

From the high-energy astronaut rock of their early days (NI, 2009) to the cultivated explosion of colors on their European tour (FOXTROTT, 2012) and the minimalist scream anthems on DEDODA (2017), the defining characteristic of this band is their sly departure from musical expectations. The basic ingredients remain unchanged: the unconventional lineup of drums and three guitars, rhythmically and harmonically sophisticated compositions, and the half-virtuosic, half-tongue-in-cheek musical performance. With their fourth album SWARM (2025), the doors open up to a brilliantly expanded electronic soundscape, which the musicians fill in the full breadth and depth of the tonal spectrum. The melodic guitar structures (Gigi Gratt, Tobias Hagleitner, Manu Mitterhuber) are alternately penetrated, supported or held together by sculptures of ticking clocks, buzzing insects, clattering machines, or theater thunder by Martin Flotzinger on drums. The joy of musical experimentation is combined on this album with the courage to be danceable.
https://nimusic4.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZuWjzXwN-c&t=53s
___________________________________________________

Phenomenal World = Fischer, Quehenberger, Kern
There’s a new band in town, and it’s called Phenomenal World !
After years of crossing paths in the experimental music scene, Michael Fischer (vocals and reeds), Didi Kern (drums), and Philipp Quehenberger (keyboard) have finally come together to record their first album. The result is a raw, dynamic exploration of sound —where intricate rhythmic play dances with shifting notions of time and space and melodies drift between tenderness and defiance, reappearing in subtle variations - blurring the line between chaos and coherence with effortless fluidity.

Phenomenal World delivers a visceral sonic journey—where punk energy collides with the depth and unpredictability of free improvisation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-RyK_OvaBQ...

 

Michael Fischer�Musician-Composer�Instant Composition Conductor
Michael Fischer works on the speech immanence of sounds and their sculptural and dramatic evidence in the field of radically free improvised / experimental music. In 1999, he began integrating the acoustic phenomenon of feedback into his work and developed an entirely analog, effect-free instrument, the feedback saxophone, which was further developed at ZKM – Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe or STEIM Amsterdam. He is the founder of numerous ensembles, including long-standing projects BAGG*FISH and M. A. D.; in 2004, he launched the Vienna Improvisers Orchestra, which has performed at festivals such as Moers Festival (Germany), Wien Modern, and Vienna Art Week. As an instant composition conductor, he works with numerous improvisation orchestras and temporary large ensembles for international festivals, universities, and other institutions. Since the mid-1990s, he has collaborated with the international scene of free improvised music and with writers of experimental poetry; he has toured and performed at festivals across Europe, Canada, the USA, and Japan. Recently, he has created performative light installations such as NEON (for example, at Donaufestival Krems, Künstlerhaus Wien) and ColorRaySaxophone (V.esch). He has been a guest lecturer at institutions such as Peabody Institute – Johns Hopkins University (USA), University of California Irvine, Newcastle University (UK), Music Academy – University of Montenegro, Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts Brno, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, and the University of Applied Arts Vienna, among others.

 

Dieter Kern is not only known as a precise and versatile drummer for the Austrian bands Bulbul and Fuckhead but has also earned a reputation in the improvised and free jazz scene by collaborating with renowned artists such as Linda Sharrock, Saadet Türköz, Marshall Allen, Joe McPhee, Ken Vandermark, Mats Gustafsson Mayo Thompson and Konono no1. He is now considered one of the busiest drummers in the Vienna scene. Didi has established himself as an inventive, energetic improviser with a strong sense of humor. He lives and works in Vienna.

 

Philipp Quehenberger is an Austrian keyboard player, composer, and producer. He blends genres such as techno, ambient, and experimental music to create unique musical experiences. Notably, he has had a 20+year collaboration with drummer Didi Kern, and has released records on renowned labels like Cheap and Editions Mego. His sonic explorations have made him a significant figure in the contemporary Austrian music landscape.