Founded in 1986, CASPAR BRÖTZMANN MASSAKER became a significant force in the alternative rock scene of the 1990s. The band’s albums The Tribe (1987), Black Axis (1989), Der Abend Der Schwarzen Folklore (1991) Koksofen (1993), Home (1995) and Mute Massaker (1999) are rightly so, heralded underground classics, having a profound influence on bands and artists like Sonic Youth, SUNN O))), Faith No More, Rammstein, and Helmet, to name a few.
The project’s music is textural, visceral, arresting and urgent, marked by repetitive, hypnotic intensity, and Brötzmann’s signature guitar sound. Caspar Brötzmann’s legacy lies in his fearless experimentation, dissolving boundaries between classical music structures and amplified instrumentation in rock music.
Caspar Brötzmann was born in Germany and is a self-taught electric guitarist bassist, singer/songwriter, and composer based in Berlin. He has played and toured since the age of fourteen with musicians and groups from Europe, the United States, Japan, and Africa. He created a wide range of music but is especially considered an influential figure in the alternative rock and improv music scenes. Brötzmann has composed music for theatre and radio.
Often pigeonholed as stalwart in blending rock, noise, and avant-garde aesthetics, he himself claims to draw major inspirations from his love for classical composers such as Charles Ives, Hans Eisler, and Jean Prodromidés. His approach uses the guitar as a brush and the sounds as a canvas to “paint with music.”
His albums have been released by Rough Trade, Zomba, Blast First, Southern Lord Recordings, Trost Records, Karl Records, Shitkatapult, Zensor, and FMP. The list of collaborators Caspar worked with is long and ranges from classical to jazz to rock musicians, including FM Einheit, Blixa Bargeld, Diamanda Galas, Page Hamilton, Stephen O’Malley, Keiji Haino, Thurston Moore, Martin Atkins, Danny Carey, Massimo Pupillo, and others.
CASPAR BRÖTZMANN MASSAKER will release a new album on Exile On Mainstream in May 2025. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile you can purchase the CBM discography, repressed on Southern Lord Records in our webshop – (click for purchase)