Grauzone was a (very shortlived) band from Berne, Switzerland that was active and disbanded in the early 1980s. Most famous for their 1981 hit “Eisbär” (“Polar Bear”) Marco Repetto, GT and Martin Eicher also had some success with the singles “Film 2” and “Wütendes Glas”.

The band however only released one album, “Grauzone (D No. 37)”. And that one is now reissued as a 40 years anniversary release on vinyl with extensive liner notes and including 9 bonus-tracks, not on the original album. The release also comes as a digipak CD containing the same tracks as on the 2LP (including the 9 bonus-tracks).

There is also a boxset conceived and supervised by original band member Stephan Eicher holding the 2LP, an 80-pages, an exclusive 9-tracks live-LP (featuring mostly unreleased tracks), liner notes and lyrics stickers.

After Grauzone GT and Marco Repetto formed a new band Missing Link, later Eigernordwand, with the former Glueams guitarist Martin Pavlinec and the drummer Dominique Uldry. GT supplemented the futurism oriented performance group “Red Catholic Orthodox Jewish Chorus” around performance artist Edy Marconi, in which occasionally Marco Repetto also played. Later the group changed their name to I Suonatori. Stephan Eicher from his side started a successful solo career. In 1988, Martin Eicher published his solo-EP Spellbound Lovers. In 1989, Marco Repetto started a new career as a Techno and Ambient DJ, musician and producer (a.o. mittageisen v2).

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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Out via WRWTFWW Records in early May is the official reissue of Grauzone’s essential 1981 maxi single “Eisbär”. The release comes just in time for the 40th anniversary of the Swiss band’s formation. The 3-track vinyl is sourced from the original reels, cut at 45rpm, and comes with its iconic artwork on a 350gsm sleeve.

Written by Martin Eicher after a nightmare in which he saw talking polar bears on the walls, and with music by the Grauzone crew consisting of Martin and his brother Stephan Eicher, Marco Repetto, Christian “GT” Trüssel, and Claudine Chirac (on saxophone), “Eisbär” is the best known track from the band and is already for tens of years thé track to play when you want to define early post-punk, new wave, pop, and electronic experimentation.

Also added is “Film 2”, an all-instrumental pre-techno piece. The maxi single ends with “Ich Lieb Sie”, a synth-pop meets doo-wop ballad.

Stephan Eicher went on to be the most successful Swiss musician ever, with an international career extending from pop chanson to experimental escapades and collaborations with Moondog, artists Sophie Calle and John Armleder, and author Martin Suter among many other luminaries. Marco Repetto flourished as a techno and ambient producer, releasing multiple projects including releases on Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label.

Grauzone and WRWTFWW will continue to collaborate on the band’s 40th anniversary reissue campaign, with numerous projects planned for the year, including a vast selection of music, visuals, and literature never available before.

Here’s the video for “Eisbär.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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