ABOUT NONEXISTER “The first album I bought was Computer World by Kraftwerk, and the second was No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith by Motörhead – which pretty much describes where I come from,” laughs Marco. “For me, creating music is about creating atmospheres. I like to conjure soundscapes. I try to bring beauty into noise. Nik has a different approach. He’s a songwriter, and he aims to tell stories. The lyrics are very important – and he’s an amazing singer. So, it’s a thrilling match.” Co-founders Marco and Nik drew on dynamic and distinct backgrounds at the onset of the project. Marco, the electronic maverick, honed his creativity and stage presence in the likes of Swandive, Division Kent, me.man.machine., and Glitter Wasteland, gracing the stages of major festivals and cities across Europe. Meanwhile, Nik powered the punk upstarts Catchpole, and he voices one of the robots of the ground-breaking robot band Compressorhead, for which John Wright, frontman of the Hanson Brothers and drummer for the legendary No Means No, writes the music and is the voice of the robot singer. Simultaneously, Nik has entrenched himself in Switzerland’s dynamic subculture scene including the legendary Wohlgroth and fostering the launch of initiatives such as independent cultural and political force Radio Stadtfilter. Given the intimate nature of their hometown’s music community, Nik and Marco crossed paths many times through the years. After grabbing a drink one evening, they decided to collaborate in the studio, giving rise to NONEXISTER. The two artists went into Marco’s home studio and began creating songs for the first NONEXISTER album, eventually teaming up at New Sound Studio with producer Tommy Vetterli – the mastermind of Coroner and a member of legendary thrashers Kreator – who added another dimension to their production efforts. It was also Vetterli who brought the two together with guitarist Jonas Wolf, who played most of the guitars on the album, but has since handed over on NONEXISTER to his friend Silvan Gerhard to focus on his role within Eluveitie. Their first single “Your Pain Up My Veins” – shared earlier this year – boasts a chugging guitar riff with a driving beat and goth-inspired loops. Nik howls and wails as if awakening from a cryogenic freeze with a lust for control on his tongue. Watch its engrossing. disturbing video here. Their latest single, “Drowning In The Void” only gives a hint at what more is to come from this talented, creative group. NONEXISTER are Marco Neeser [electronics, songwriting, production], Nik Leuthold [vocals, songwriting, production], Reto “Fu” Gaffuri [bass], Siro Müller [drums, backing vocals], and Silvan Gerhard [guitar, backing vocals]. |