En Esch
| En Esch | |
|---|---|
 En Esch, 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nicklaus Schandelmaier |
| Also known as | Klaus Schandelmaier, Nick |
| Genres | Industrial rock, electro-industrial, industrial music |
| Instruments | Vocals, percussion, guitar, programming |
| Associated acts | KMFDM, Pigface, Slick Idiot, Mona Mur |
En Esch, a.k.a. Nicklaus Schandelmaier[1] is a German musician and has been a member of the bands KMFDM, Pigface, and Slick Idiot.
History
En Esch, born near Frankfurt, is a studied orchestra percussionist,[1] drummer, programmer, producer, 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.S. is pronounced En Esch in German). 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. He released a solo album, Cheesy, in 1993. A few years after that, Esch moved to New Orleans.
When KMFDM temporarily 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 May 31, 2016, but was postponed to July 1.[4] Esch currently resides in Berlin.
Partial discography
Solo
- Cheesy (1993)
- Confidence (single) (1993)
- Spänk (2014)
- Trash Chic (2016)
Slick Idiot
- DickNity (2001)
- ReDickUlous (2003)
- Screwtinized (2004)
- Sucksess (2009)
with Pigface
- Gub (1990)
- Welcome to Mexico... Asshole (1991)
- Fook (album) (1992)
- Washingmachine Mouth (1992)
- Truth Will Out (1993)
- Easy Listening... (2003)
- 6 (2009)
with Mona Mur
- 120 Tage - The Fine Art of Beauty and Violence (2009)
- Do With Me What You Want (2011)
with FM Einheit and Mona Mur
- Terre Haute (2013)
References
- 1 2 3 Radio Nietzsche (March 2009). "Mona Mur & En Esch Interview". Deutschmusikland.com. Landers, Mikki. Retrieved April 29, 2010.
- ↑ "En Esch: I'm Not The New Singer Of Rammstein". blabbermouth. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
- ↑ Legasp, Althea (April 17, 2011). "A celebration of Wax Trax! and its iconic place in Chicago's music scene". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
- ↑ Yücel, Ilker (May 21, 2016). "EN ESCH announces release date for latest solo album". Regen Magazine. Retrieved May 21, 2016.