En Esch

Last updated

En Esch
En esch 5 23 2006 arb.jpg
En Esch, 2005
Background information
Birth nameNicklaus Schandelmaier
Also known asKlaus Schandelmaier, Nick
Born (1968-03-23) 23 March 1968 (age 55)
Genres Industrial rock, electro-industrial, industrial music
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Vocals, percussion, guitar, programming

Nicklaus Schandelmaier, [1] (born 23 March 1968) is a German musician, better known by his stage name En Esch, and has been a member of the bands KMFDM, Pigface, Slick Idiot, and <PIG>.

Contents

History

En Esch, born near Frankfurt, is an orchestra percussionist, [1] drummer, programmer, producer, sound mixer, guitarist and singer. He was a member of the German industrial rock group, KMFDM, from 1985 to 1999, during which time he contributed to ten studio albums and more than a dozen singles as musician, composer and producer.

Sascha Konietzko claims to have given Esch his nickname because the latter felt that his real name was inappropriate for the stage. It is derived from the German pronunciation of his initials (N. Sch.). Esch lived in Germany until 1992, when he moved to Chicago to join Konietzko, who had moved there a year earlier.

It was at this time that Esch first worked with Pigface, whom he also toured with in the early 1990s. This would be the first time Esch "left" KMFDM and Sascha would proclaim Money as their last album together. After moving to New Orleans he released a solo album, Cheesy , in 1993. While Konietzko eventually relocated to Seattle, WA Esch would adhere to his nomadic ways and eventually wind up in NYC in the mid to late 90's. Esch would also "leave the band" in 1996 resulting in minimal output into the album XTORT, altho Sascha did not proclaim the band "done" this time, not until 1999's poignantly titled ADIOS. Esch would not return when KMFDM "reformed" in 2002 and has not appeared on any albums post-ADIOS.

When KMFDM broke up in 1999, Esch briefly worked with the band Pizza Whore, which changed its name to Barely Legal, and included Trixie Reiss of The Crystal Method. [1] The band didn't last, and Esch began traveling to Canada to visit Günter Schulz, the former KMFDM guitarist. They formed Slick Idiot, and released their first album in 2001. They have released two more albums under that moniker since then.

Esch has since begun working actively with Pigface again, joining them on tour in 2005.

Esch was rumored to be the replacement lead singer of industrial group Rammstein, but this turned out to be a hoax. [2]

In 2007, he began collaborating with fellow German musician Mona Mur. The two released the album 120 Tage in February 2009, and toured together in support of the release over the next two years. Esch and Mur joined Schulz, Raymond Watts, and Mark Durante to perform at the Wax Trax! Retrospectacle in Chicago, a charity event celebrating the industrial music label, and performed KMFDM songs from the 1990s. [3] A second album by the duo of Esch and Mur was released in 2011.

A second solo album, Spänk, was successfully crowdfunded and released in late 2014. His third solo album, Trash Chic, was originally scheduled for release on 31 May 2016, but was postponed to 1 July. [4] Esch would hit the road in support of Trash Chic opening for AND playing guitar in <PIG>'s live band, alongside former Slick Idiot guitarist Guenter Shulz.

Personal life

Esch is a vegetarian and an animal rights activist. [5] He currently resides in Berlin.[ citation needed ]

Partial discography

Solo

Slick Idiot

with Jost Band

with Pigface

with Mona Mur

with FM Einheit and Mona Mur

with Pig

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMFDM</span> German industrial band

KMFDM is a multinational industrial band from Hamburg led by Sascha Konietzko, who founded the band in 1984 as a performance art project.

<i>Nihil</i> 1995 studio album by KMFDM

Nihil is the eighth studio album by German industrial band KMFDM, released on April 4, 1995, by Wax Trax! Records. The album marked the return of former band member Raymond Watts and the first appearance of journeyman drummer Bill Rieflin, and was mostly written by frontman Sascha Konietzko.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slick Idiot</span> German band

Slick Idiot is a German electronic and industrial band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Money (KMFDM song)</span> 1992 single by KMFDM

"Money" is a song by industrial rock group KMFDM from their 1992 album of the same name. It was released as a single in 1992, and released as a 7" in 2008, as the ninth release of KMFDM's 24/7 series. The song charted at No. 36 in July 1992 on Billboard's Dance/Club Play Songs Chart. The tracks on the single are included on the singles compilation album, Extra, Vol. 1.

<i>Money</i> (album) 1992 studio album by KMFDM

Money is the sixth studio album by German industrial band KMFDM, released in February 1992 by Wax Trax! Records. It was originally intended to be titled Apart, with each of the two core members, Sascha Konietzko and En Esch, recording half an album and combining their work. The album ended up using only Konietzko's half, along with additional songs. It received mixed reviews, but spawned a number of club hits. It went out of print in the late 1990s and was re-released in 2006.

<i>What Do You Know, Deutschland?</i> 1986 studio album by KMFDM

What Do You Know, Deutschland? is the second studio album by German industrial band KMFDM, released in December 1986 by Z and Skysaw Records.

<i>Adios</i> (KMFDM album) 1999 studio album by KMFDM

Adios is the eleventh studio album released by German industrial band KMFDM. The album was originally conceived as the group's parting shot to its longtime record label, Wax Trax! Records, but it ended up also signaling the break-up of KMFDM itself until the band reformed in 2002. Recorded in Seattle, Washington, this was the last album to feature En Esch and Günter Schulz, who both went on to form Slick Idiot. Following the break-up, founding member Sascha Konietzko created the band MDFMK, before reforming KMFDM in 2002 without Esch or Schulz.

<i>Angst</i> (KMFDM album) 1993 studio album by KMFDM

Angst is the seventh studio album by German industrial band KMFDM, released on 12 October 1993 by Wax Trax! Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sascha Konietzko</span> German musician and producer

Sascha Kegel Konietzko, also known as Sascha K and Käpt'n K, is a German musician and record producer. He is the founder, frontman and "anchor" of the industrial band KMFDM. Konietzko jokingly purports himself to be the father of industrial rock. Keyboard Magazine wrote of him, "You won't find a more imaginative or effective keyboardist on the hard-core scene."

<i>Symbols</i> (album) 1997 studio album by KMFDM

The tenth studio album by German industrial band KMFDM, titled with a set of five unpronounceable, non-alphabetic symbols and commonly known as Symbols, was released on 23 September 1997 by Wax Trax! Records.

<i>Xtort</i> 1996 studio album by KMFDM

Xtort is the ninth studio album by German industrial band KMFDM, released on June 25, 1996, by Wax Trax! Records. It was recorded from the end of 1995 through early 1996, shortly after the death of Wax Trax! co-founder and band friend Jim Nash. Xtort features a variety of guest artists from the industrial music scene and studio musicians from other genres, but includes limited participation from core member En Esch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Günter Schulz</span> German musician

Günter Schulz is a German musician, songwriter and former member of the industrial band KMFDM.

<i>UAIOE</i> 1989 studio album by KMFDM

UAIOE is a studio album by the German industrial band KMFDM. It was released on 7 October 1989 by Cash Beat Records. Several 1970's "rock" bands are referenced: The titular song borrows heavily from the lyrical tropes of Frank Zappa, as well as the song "EN ESCH", which basically results in a cover version of Deep Purple's "Demon's Eye".

<i>Dont Blow Your Top</i> (album) 1988 studio album by KMFDM

Don't Blow Your Top is the third studio album by German industrial band KMFDM, released on 12 February 1988 by Cash Beat Records.

<i>84–86</i> 2004 compilation album by KMFDM

84–86 is a double compilation album released by the industrial music band KMFDM in 2004. The album's 27 tracks on two compact discs were recorded from 1984 to 1986 but previously unreleased on CD. Certain noted selections have never been released at all prior to this album. Personnel featured on this recording include Sascha Konietzko, En Esch Jr. Blackmail, Nico Blank, "Tamsi" Tamsjadi, and several others.

<i>Cheesy</i> (album) 1993 studio album by En Esch

Cheesy is a solo album by En Esch of KMFDM and Slick Idiot. It was released on August 31, 1993, on Wax Trax!/TVT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juke Joint Jezebel</span> 1995 single by KMFDM

"Juke Joint Jezebel" is a song by industrial rock group KMFDM from their 1995 album Nihil. It is KMFDM's most widely known song to date, with around three million copies of the song sold across various releases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Godlike (song)</span> 1990 single by KMFDM

"Godlike" is a song by industrial rock band KMFDM from their 1990 album Naïve.

<i>120 Tage</i> 2009 studio album by Mona Mur and En Esch

120 Tage - The Fine Art of Beauty and Violence is an electro-industrial studio collaboration between German musicians Mona Mur and En Esch. It was released on February 15, 2009, on Pale Music International. The English translation of the album's title is 120 Days.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Radio Nietzsche (March 2009). "Mona Mur & En Esch Interview". Deutschmusikland.com. Landers, Mikki. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  2. "En Esch: I'm Not The New Singer Of Rammstein". blabbermouth. Archived from the original on 14 February 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2008.
  3. Legasp, Althea (17 April 2011). "A celebration of Wax Trax! and its iconic place in Chicago's music scene". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  4. Yücel, Ilker (21 May 2016). "EN ESCH announces release date for latest solo album". Regen Magazine. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  5. Mistress Nancy (26 May 2015). "INDULGING IN INDUSTRIAL WITH EN ESCH". SLUG Magazine . Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2018.