Cassiber
| Company type | Ensemble / Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder | Alfred 23 Harth, Heiner Goebbels, Chris Cutler, Christoph Anders |
| Defunct | 1992 |
| Headquarters | Germany |
Area served | Europe, Asia, North America |
| Products | Avant-garde rock music albums and live performances |
Cassiber was an avant-garde rock ensemble from Germany, established in 1982 by saxophonist and composer Alfred 23 Harth, keyboardist and composer Heiner Goebbels, English drummer Chris Cutler (formerly of Henry Cow), and guitarist Christoph Anders. Over a decade, they produced five albums, embarked on extensive tours throughout Europe, Asia, and North America, before disbanding in 1992.
Their sound was a fusion of speed-punk, free jazz, and sampling, frequently integrating found audio elements and news excerpts. The group gained recognition for the "frantic intensity" characterizing their live shows and their approach of improvising fully realized compositions.
History
In 1977, Chris Cutler connected with Heiner Goebbels, Alfred 23 Harth, and Christoph Anders through the So-Called Left-Radical Brass Band. By 1979, Anders and Harth were leading a punk ensemble based in Frankfurt am Main. The following year, Harth produced the album Es herrscht Uhu im Land under JAPO/ECM, which featured both Anders and Goebbels and blended elements of punk, free jazz, and classical music. This project inspired the duo Goebbels/Harth to form a smaller group with a similar artistic vision. Harth subsequently invited Anders and Cutler to join, initially naming the band "Kassiber," a name later altered to "Cassiber" by Anders.
In 1982, the four musicians recorded at Etienne Conod's Sunrise Studio in Switzerland with the goal of creating "improvised 'completed pieces'"—spontaneous yet structured musical works. The outcome was the double LP Man or Monkey, which received positive acclaim in Germany and led to an invitation to perform at the Frankfurt Jazz Festival that same year.
Throughout the following decade, Cassiber toured extensively across Asia, North America, and major European festivals. Their concerts combined newly improvised compositions with spontaneous reinterpretations of existing album material. In May 1983, performing without Anders, they collaborated with Duck and Cover for appearances at the Moers Festival as well as both West and East Berlin’s Jazz Festivals.
In July 1983, again absent Anders, Cassiber joined forces with members of Italian progressive rock band Stormy Six to form Cassix, engaging in a workshop and recording session in Italy. In 1985, Harth departed to establish avant-rock ensembles Gestalt et Jive and Vladimir Estragon, while Cassiber continued as a trio. They played at the 4th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in Quebec in October 1986. During their final year together, guest musicians such as Hannes Bauer and Dietmar Diesner contributed to their performances.
As a full quartet, Cassiber released Man or Monkey (1982) followed by Beauty and the Beast (1984). After Harth's exit, they issued Perfect Worlds (1986) and A Face We All Know (1990), the latter incorporating texts from Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow to explore themes surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall. A concert recorded in Tokyo during 1992 featuring guest saxophonist Masami Shinoda was released posthumously in 1998 as part of Live in Tokyo, paired with reinterpretations by turntablist Otomo Yoshihide. This event marked Shinoda’s final performance prior to his passing and was among Cassiber’s concluding appearances. Yoshihide’s involvement represented Ground Zero’s farewell project.
Cassiber’s last live show occurred on 13 December 1992 at Lisbon’s Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Name
Chris Cutler explains that the name Cassiber originates from a Slavic slang expression referring to a message or note clandestinely sent out of prison. "Similar to 'The Beatles', we altered the spelling and did not intend for it to carry a specific meaning."
Members
- Christoph Anders – vocals, synthesizer, organ, electric guitar, tenor saxophone, samples, violin
- Chris Cutler – acoustic and electric drums, noise elements, vocals
- Heiner Goebbels – piano, synthesizer, organ, violin, electric and acoustic guitar, bass guitar, samples, vocals
- Alfred Harth – alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, bass clarinet, cello, jaw harp, vocals
Albums
- Man or Monkey? (1982, double LP on Riskant, Germany; CD issued by Recommended Records, UK)
- Beauty and the Beast (1984, LP on Riskant in Germany; LP and CD through Recommended Records in the UK)
- Perfect Worlds (1986, LP released by Recommended Records, UK)
- A Face We All Know (1988, CD published by Recommended Records, UK)
- Live in Tokyo (1998, double CD from Recommended Records, UK)
- The Way It Was (2012, CD via Recommended Records, UK)
Singles
- "Time Running Out" (1984, one-sided 7" single on Recommended Records, UK) – distributed with the subscription version of Beauty and the Beast
Compilations
- 1982–1992 (2013, six CDs plus DVD released by Recommended Records, UK), also referred to as The Cassiber Box
External links
- Cassiber. Official page on Chris Cutler's website.
- Live in Tokyo album review. Gnosis.
- Cassiber's incorporation of Thomas Pynchon texts. The Modern Word.