Conny Frischauf

Viennese electronic multimedia artist Conny Frischauf incorporates an experimental sound design background -- and a fascination with the elements -- into concise pop arrangements, as heard on her debut full-length release, January 2021's Die Drift. Frischauf wrote her first song at eight years old but had an interest in sound from an earlier age. In her teenage years, she received tuition on the guitar, trumpet, and French horn but soon gravitated toward nonconventional forms of music-making. Alongside her further education -- and the early part of her music career -- she worked for many years at secondhand instrument stores in Vienna, getting the opportunity to try out various vintage analog synths and effects. In 2013, she formed RSHMTH with Rick Lins, and the electronic duo released one self-titled cassette and played live in Austria and Germany for the next couple of years. Another regular occurrence during this period were her DJ sets at Vienna's Flair & Flirt nights, and in 2014 she contributed trumpet to two pieces from the eponymous album by the city's Clemens Band Denk. In 2015, as RSHMTH began to fizzle out, Frischauf threw herself into DJing and hosting live events, sometimes performing solo, occasionally with Alexander Fuchs. Participation at evenings hosted by International Major Label ultimately led to Frischauf appearing on "Bright White Shoes," a cut from the label's release of Feater's 2016 album Waste the Time. The following year saw increased focus by Frischauf on the nonmusical arts, with her work appearing at no fewer than four Viennese galleries. Early 2018 brought Effekt & Emotion, her Franz Spencer-produced debut solo EP, on International Major Label. This was followed 12 months later by the Affekt & Tradition EP on Kame House, a record mixed by Sam Irl, with whom she would continue to collaborate. By 2020, she had begun a master's degree in multidisciplinary arts at the University of Applied Arts, not before contributing audio production and mixing to Stephanie Rizaj's short film As If Biting Iron. In turn, Frischauf offered the same to Binta Diallo's mesmeric The Orange Tape, and in August 2020 her soundtrack of field recordings and ambient sound could be heard on Rizaj and Marvin Kanas' Traces. In the autumn, Frischauf's "Im Sog des Risikos" appeared on a compilation that accompanied a photo book themed on mental health awareness, Michaela Predeick's Therapy Flowers. November 2020 brought "Roulette," Frischauf's first release on Germany's Bureau B, a label that gave her music wider distribution while still respecting her artistic integrity. "Parapiri" followed in December -- with a video directed by Diallo -- and Die Drift arrived in January 2021. Co-produced and mixed by Irl, the album married minimalism with expressive experimentation.
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