>>Saxophonist Alex Buess and drummer Knut Remond originated 16-17s turbulent sound in the comparatively sedate surroundings of Basel, Switzerland in 1983. Sharing fellow countryman H.R. Gigers fascination with suppressed horrors, their primal shock therapy raged against passivity.
16-17 were determined to locate a shared melting point for Extremist Rock, Free Music and Avant Garde electronics.
It wasnt until they recruited guitarist/noise fetishist Markus Kneubühler, and consequently released their firey, cassette only, Buffbunker and Hardkoreon Swiss Indie Vision, that they began to fulfill their aims in earnest. Extending the electro/jazz explorations instigated by Miles Davis and his accolytes (Tony WilliamsLifetime in particular) in the early seventies, 16-17s aggressive combination of Beat, Breath and Electronics mutated into a refreshing, Post Punk antidote to all the increasingly conformist tendencies. Released in 1984, the tape succeeded in winding up the enemy. The sad part is that it neednt have been this way. The destruction of the music on this record is from the intentional use of distorted devices
Michael C. Mahan / Alternative Press. (1988)
If the knee jerk reaction of the old guard was somewhat predictable, the short-sighted tirades against the band were offset by their exhiliratingly unpredictable, live demolition derbys. Where Buesss heavily effected skronk blasts (c. Lester Bangs) were consistantly antagonised by the waves of atonal power electronics, summoned from the self-made guitars and gadgetry of Kneubühler, who patently owes as much to Varese as Hendrix. Listening back to their eponymously titled debut on vinyl, (again released through Visionin 1986) it is the unidirectional thresh patterns provided by Remonds jackhammer rhythms which not only ensure the bands physical impact, his beats identify their individual sound. This raw mixture of Hardcore and Free Jazz confirms their unrecognised status as overlooked visionaries. They effortlessly predated Zorn & Cos much publicized conjunction of the two apparently disparate genres.
16-17 is a Guitar/Drums/Winds trio that shakes like the most frantic early line-up of the Contortions, wired on Benzedrine and forced to play for their lives in front of a panel of armed Black Panthers.
Byron Coley / Spin.(1987)
Apart from supporting prime noise era Swans - who themselves were being steered by Basel exile Roli Mosiman at the time - 16-17s individual members predominantly concentrated upon outside projects in the 3 years leading up to the critically acclaimed follow up, When All Else Fails, which appeared in 1989.
Now that the fusion of Hardcore , Extremist Rock and Free Jazz has been popularized by the likes of Pain Killer, Caspar Brötzmann Massaker, God, etc. and now that Switzerland has received media attention through the exploits of bands like e.g. the Young Gods ; it seems as if Gyatso (16-17s first studio- based recording in their 16-year history), constitutes a timely rebirth for the group. Produced by long-time admirer , Kevin Martin (Techno Animal, Sidewinder, ICE), Gyatsowas initially discussed whilst Martin and Buess worked on Pathologicals ICE project (feat. Justin Broadrick: Godflesh, Techno Animal, Sidewinder.) as producer and engineer respectively. Using extensive sampling and digital editing, Gyatso combined Martins penchant for Dub productions with Buesss growing experience as a recording engineer e.g. as an early in-house producer for the London based Praxis label. Dragging Jazz in to the Digital Age, with the added bonus of the gratuitously low ended support of G.C. Green on Bass (Godflesh / Main anchorman), Gyatso presents 16-17s Improv splatter to the 21st century.
Following the success of the introduction of a Bass player and machine based gear on Gyatso, Damian Bennett (Deathless, Techno Animal) has been brought into the band on Bass. The new live line-up also includes Michael Wertmüller who has replaced Knut Remond on drums. After the acclaimed Pathological release Gyatsoin 1994 Alex Buess wanted to push 16-17 towards an even more radical ,electronics-oriented production style. Again he asked Kevin Martin who already had produced Gyatsoto work on an EP. The result is the EP Human Distortion appearing on Digital Hardcore Recordings (DHR)in March 1998. A second 16-17 studio album has been recorded but (up to now) has not been released.
(biography by Kevin Martin, updated by Alex Buess)
