Caspar Brötzmann Massaker

Caspar Brötzmann Massaker from Berlin, Germany

Founded in 1986, CASPAR BRÖTZMANN MASSAKER became a significant force in the 1990s alternative rock scene. The band's albums The Tribe (1987), Black Axis (1989), Der Abend Der Schwarzen Folklore (1991), Koksofen (1993), Home (1995) and Mute Massaker (1999) are heralded underground classics, having a profound influence on bands and artists like Sonic Youth, SUNN O))), Faith No More, Neurosis, Sumac, and Helmet, to name a few. The band’s music is textural, visceral, arresting, and urgent, marked by repetitive, hypnotic intensity, and Brötzmann's signature guitar sound. The legacy lies in his fearless experimentation, dissolving boundaries between classical music structures and amplified instrumentation in rock music.

Caspar Brötzmann was born in Germany and is a self-taught electric guitarist bassist, singer/songwriter, and composer based in Berlin, Germany. He has played and toured since the age of fourteen with musicians and groups from Europe, the United States, Japan, and Africa. He created a wide range of music but is especially considered an influential figure in the alternative rock and improvisational music scenes. Brötzmann has composed music for theatre and radio. Often pigeonholed as a stalwart figure in blending rock, noise, and avant-garde aesthetics, he himself claims to draw major inspirations from his love for classical composers such as Charles Ives, Hans Eisler, and Jean Prodromidés. His approach uses the guitar as a brush and the sounds as a canvas to “paint with music.”

His albums have been released by Rough Trade, Zomba, Blast First, Southern Lord Recordings, Trost Records, Karl Records, Shitkatapult, Zensor, FMP, and Exile On Mainstream. The list of collaborators Brötzmann worked with is long and ranges from classical to jazz to rock musicians, including FM Einheit, Blixa Bargeld, Diamanda Galas, Page Hamilton, Stephen O’Malley, Keiji Haino, Thurston Moore, Martin Atkins, Danny Carey, Massimo Pupillo, and others.