Search - Strotter Inst. :: Minenhund

Strotter Inst. is the solo project of Switzerland s Christoph Hess. Hess creates music through the use of old, Swiss turntables (the Lenco brand) which he modifies and manipulates in countless ways. Examples: Rubberbands (stretched to different tensions) are affixed to the rotating turntable and plucked by needle to create warm, thick beats. Live wires carry electrical current to the stylus to create pulsing feedback. These sounds are manipulated by Hess through effects pedals to create dense sound structures, looping rhythms and multilayered broken beats. For Minenhund (which loosley translates as Miner Dogs ), Hess introduced and manipulated sounds from other records, primarily spoken-word records purchased cheaply from second-hand stores. The music of Strotter Inst. has more in common with the anti-electronica of Pan Sonic or the early minimalism of Steve Reich, than to other experimental turntablists like eRikm, Philip Jeck or Christian Marclay. Hess roots are not in improvised music, but in industrial culture, the electronic avantgarde and electro-acoustic composition. Christoph Hess is also a member of post-industrial band, Herpes Ö DeLuxe (since 1995) and the experimental doom-trio Sum Of R (since 2007). He has collaborated live with Sudden Infant, Maja Ratkje, and others. Strotter Inst. has performed throughout Europe, China, Russia, and Bolivia and plans to tour the United States in Autumn of 2009.