Wolfsheim (band)

Wolfsheim

Wolfsheim (German pronunciation: [ˈvɔlfshaɪm]) was a darkwave band from Hamburg, Germany.

History

The band was founded in 1987 by Markus Reinhardt and Pompejo Ricciardi. They were inspired by the name of a fictional character from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

Reinhardt's brother Oliver Reinhardt joined the band sometime afterward. After producing a demo tape, co-founder Ricciardi left the band and was replaced by Peter Heppner. Heppner had known the band from mutual friends and from growing up in the same neighborhood in Hamburg. Oliver Reinhardt departed the band, leaving the current lineup as Peter Heppner (vocals) and Markus Reinhardt (electronics).

Their first public show took place at Werkstatt 3, a small club in Hamburg.

After making two new demo tapes, Wolfsheim applied at various labels, getting nothing but rejections, until they caught the attention of the sole employee of Strange Ways Records. In 1991, the single "The Sparrows and The Nightingales" was released (the first release ever on Strange Ways). Although not heavily promoted, "Sparrows" became a fast hit. Their next album, Popkiller, released in October 1993, also did well.

Wolfsheim released a compilation, 55578, in February 1995. This album comprised many tracks previously featured on singles, as well as some unreleased material. The first 55,578 copies were "special editions", containing a bonus disk with material recorded at the Strange Ways Festival. 55578 made it to the German Media Control Charts, where it stayed for five weeks. In February 1996, they released their fourth album, Dreaming Apes (number 91 in the German album charts). Wolfsheim began touring on their own for the first time in May 1996. Hamburg Rom Wolfsheim, the duo's first live album, was recorded on the 1996 Dreaming Apes tour, and released in October 1997.

Wolfsheim received much more attention when Heppner recorded a duet with Joachim Witt, "Die Flut". This song was a major hit, reaching number two on the German Single Charts.

Their sixth album, Spectators, was released in February 1999 and went to number two on the German album charts. That summer, Wolfsheim played at many of the major German festivals, including the Bizarre Festival, Rock am Ring, and Rock im Park. They also played their first show outside of Germany, at Belgium's Eurorock Festival.

In 2001, Heppner recorded more songs as a guest artist. His collaboration with Schiller, "Dream of You", received heavy rotation on MTV Germany. He also collaborated on "Glasgarten" with Goethes Erben. These collaborations brought Wolfsheim still more attention. Also in 2001, Metropolis Records brought Wolfsheim to American audiences, releasing Spectators in the U.S.

On April 16, 2002, Wolfsheim released their first (and, to date, only) DVD, Kompendium. It featured a recording from the Spectators tour, an interview, and various music videos.

Casting Shadows, their seventh and most recent album, was released in March 2003. The single "Kein Zurück" was released on February 2, and debuted at number five on the Media Control Charts, later reaching number four, and staying in the top ten for 10 weeks. Casting Shadows itself reached the top position on the album charts.

In March and April 2004, Wolfsheim went on their first and only tour in the USA.

On January 17, 2008, it was announced on the band's official website that the collaboration between Markus Reinhardt and Peter Heppner is reaching its end. According to the press release, the reasons for this are attributed to ongoing disputes concerning the future of Wolfsheim. Since the release of Casting Shadows in 2003, Reinhardt has been trying to move the band ahead with new work, but Heppner's ambitions to launch a solo career meant that any plans or discussions for the production of a new Wolfsheim album would be suspended until 2009.

The disputes peaked when Peter Heppner signed a multi-album solo record deal in late 2005 and Markus Reinhardt, considering this a breach of contract and a disregard for the basic interests of Wolfsheim, filed a lawsuit to exclude Heppner from the Wolfsheim partnership so that Wolfsheim could continue without him. In spring 2008, the judge rejected Reinhardt's lawsuit in its entirety.

Wolfsheim's style takes cues from the 1980s New Romantics and New Wave; their lyrics tend to be melancholic, but at the same time modernist.

Discography

Albums

• No Happy View (1992) Strange Ways Records
• Popkiller (1993) Strange Ways Records
• 55578 (1995) Strange Ways Records
• Dreaming Apes (1996) Strange Ways Records
• Hamburg Rom Wolfsheim (1997) Strange Ways Records
• Spectators (1999) Strange Ways Records
• Casting Shadows (2003) Strange Ways Records

Singles

• "The Sparrows and The Nightingales" (1991) Strange Ways Records
• "It's Not Too Late (Don't Sorrow)" (1992) Strange Ways Records
• "Thunderheart" (1992) Strange Ways Records
• "Now I Fall" (1993) Strange Ways Records
• "Elias" (1994) Strange Ways Records
• "Closer Still" (1995) Strange Ways Records
• "A New Starsystem Has Been Explored" (1996) Strange Ways Records
• "Once in a Lifetime" (1998) Strange Ways Records
• "It's Hurting for the First Time" (1998) Strange Ways Records
• "Künstliche Welten" (1999) Strange Ways Records
• "Sleep Somehow" (1999) Strange Ways Records (vinyl only)
• "Kein Zurück" (2003) Strange Ways Records
• "Find You're Here" (2003) Strange Ways Records
• "Blind 2004" (2004) Strange Ways Records

Demos

• "Ken Manage" (1988)
• "Any but pretty" (1989)

Awards

• ECHO 2004: Best German Alternative Band

External links

• Wolfsheim's Official Website (bilingual)
• Unofficial German fanpage (bilingual)