Frank Bretschneider

Frank Bretschneider (b. 1956), also known as Komet, is a German electronic music composer, musician, and multimedia artist based in Berlin. Originally trained in fine arts, Bretschneider worked as a graphic designer until the early ’80s when he transitioned into a prolific music career. Influenced by early radio programs on science fiction, films, astronomy, psychoacoustics, optics, art, architecture, and literature, he became passionately immersed in the exploration of sound. His initial experiments with sine waves, tape machines, loops, modified guitars, and synthesizers led him to form the experimental band AG Geige and establish a cassette label, klangFarBe, to release their productions—an influential move that resonated in Eastern Germany.

After the Berlin Wall fell and the band split, Bretschneider continued to delve into computer-based music. In 1996, he co-founded the record label Rastermusic with Olaf Bender, which eventually merged with Carsten Nicolai’s Noton to form Raster-Noton in 1999. Over the past two decades, Bretschneider has released over 20 critically acclaimed records on renowned labels like Raster-Noton, Mille Plateaux, Richard Chartier’s Line, 12k, Shitkatapult, and more. His work is primarily built on sine waves and white noise, resulting in complex, three-dimensional ambiances, micro sound patterns rooted in mathematical principles, inventive modulations, and dynamic rhythmic structures, always striving to “encode the secrets of music.” Bretschneider also experiments with 8mm and 16mm films, exploring the interaction between visual art and music through film, video, and computer graphics. He has performed at leading music and media festivals such as Ars Electronica, Cut & Splice, Elektra, Mutek, Offf, Sonar, Steirischer Herbst, and Transmediale. As a solo artist, he has collaborated with Taylor Deupree, Olafur Eliasson, Steve Roden, Ejnar Kanding, and Ralph Steinbrüchel. Alongside Olaf Bender and Carsten Nicolai, he also manages Signal, another Raster-Noton project.

Records and connections

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STM 102 is a sophisticated and eclectic audio journey that weaves together 20 records from 1956 to 2012. Lacking a fixed conceptual narrative, it’s an influential mix compiled with intuition, reflecting Bretschneider’s favorite records of the last two decades alongside recent discoveries. Bretschneider’s enduring affinity for black music suggests an array of funky and dubbed productions within the mix, complemented by other distinct musical excursions. By merging unique catalogues that defy temporal and stylistic boundaries, Bretschneider crafts a selection that is both timeless and deeply resonant, exuding versatility, maturity, sensitivity, and intent.

The mix is grounded in vivid, fluid rhythms and melodic structures based on vintage sample cuts, enveloped in a constantly shifting, spacious ambiance. Tracks from acclaimed artists like Henk Badings, Can, Porter Ricks, Moritz Von Oswald, Scorn, David Torn, and others captivate from the outset, refreshing the mind and filling the space with a comforting aura. These layered records, woven with intricate textures and diverse production techniques, expand the mix’s emotional and conceptual depth through spontaneous, expressive collisions. Elliott Puckette’s delicately chaotic painting “Lacerta” mirrors the hidden complexity, stylistic breadth, and refined expression of Bretschneider’s mix. The selected tracks are bold, emotionally charged, and free-spirited, certain to resonate with any passionate music lover.