Z’EV – ‘Schönste Muziek’ 1986 album reissued by Cold Spring with bonus ‘Titan Night’
Cold Spring Records has reissued “Schönste Muziek” by industrial percussionist Z’EV. The album was originally released in 1986 as an LP on the German label Dossier .
The CD edition in matt digipak also includes “Titan Night”. This 20-minute live recording from Berlin Atonal in December 1983 has not been available on any format since the 1984 split LP “Berlin Atonal Vol. 1” shared with Psychic TV on Atonal Records. This reissue is the first time the track has appeared on any format since that original release.
Z’EV performed on all-steel, custom-made percussion instruments built to activate the acoustics of the performance space. The reissue is available via Cold Spring and Bandcamp.
About Z’EV
Z’EV was the performance name of Stefan Joel Weisser (born 8 February 1951; died 16 December 2017). Weisser was an American poet, percussionist, and sound artist. He began playing percussion at age three and built his first drum set at age six. After studying world music traditions at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), he developed an approach built on self-fabricated instruments made from stainless steel, titanium, and PVC plastics.
He began performing as Z’EV in fall 1978. The name came from his Hebrew given name. His early work centred on extended live percussion pieces using the resonant properties of metal to generate dense, layered sound environments.
In December 1983, Z’EV performed at the Berlin Atonal festival, a set documented on side two of the 1984 split LP “Berlin Atonal Vol. 1” with Psychic TV (Atonal Records). In 1986, Dossier issued “Schönste Muziek” as an LP.
Throughout his career, Weisser released recordings on labels including Backstreet Backlash Records, Subterranean Records, Coercion, Atonal Records, Dossier, Atavistic, Avant, Soleilmoon Recordings, Crippled Intellect Productions, Cold Spring, Tzadik, Touch, Die Stadt, and Ars Benevola Mater. He was active in the New York City downtown music scene during the 1980s and 1990s, performing at The Kitchen, The Knitting Factory, and Danceteria, and worked alongside Elliott Sharp and Glenn Branca.
Weisser was injured in an Amtrak train derailment in Dodge City in 2016 and died on 16 December 2017. Side-Line covered his passing in December 2017.
The Cold Spring reissue of “Schönste Muziek” is the first edition of the album to include “Titan Night” and the first physical release of that recording in over four decades.
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