Biography

German synthesist Johannes Munz was born in 1962 near Aachen, close to the Dutch border. In his early teens he started playing guitar and taking guitar lessons. After switching from acoustic to electric guitar he soon discovered ways to treat the guitar's signals by using effects units and varying tape speeds on domestic reel-to-reel tape machines, as well as employing similarly modified sounds from a small organ and oscillators built from electronics kits. By using this modest equipment and a simple sound-on-sound recording technique, his first efforts at “composing” were realized.

In the mid-seventies he discovered the early albums by the ground-breaking German group Kraftwerk, who had already been creating and recording sounds and music in much the same way for years and at that time were enjoying their first chart success with the classic ‘Autobahn' album. However, the impetus to further explore the use of electronics in music was provided by two former members of Kraftwerk, who also had worked together in another Düsseldorf-based group called NEU!: Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother.

The precise metronomic pulse and heavily distorted guitar sounds of NEU!, the equally tight rhythms and the eccentric yet anthem-like qualities of some of the tunes created by Dinger with his electronic rock outfit La Düsseldorf, and especially Rother's guitar-based dreamily romantic solo recordings provided Munz with the inspiration to try his hand at composing and recording music in a similar vein.

Shortly thereafter he also discovered the music of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze, the main representatives of the so- called ‘Berlin school of electronic music', as well as Jean-Michel Jarre and Vangelis.

Today, however, he regards Michael Rother - and to a lesser extent the ˜Düsseldorf School' as well as the solo recordings by former TD members Peter Baumann and Johannes Schmoelling - as being the main influences on his music.

While still at school, Johannes Munz teamed up with electronics boffin Felix Kentgens, who not only provided him with new electronic gadgets, but who also acted as a stage and sound engineer at a number of solo gigs with Munz playing guitar and singing.

He also put together a relatively simple yet sizeable modular synthesizer, to which Munz added some modules of his own. Today Kentgens still occasionally supplies custom-built equipment, such as vocoders, analogue sequencers and special sound-processing devices, as well as dedicated software accessories.

In the early eighties Munz moved to Amsterdam to enrol at the university, where he gained a degree in linguistics and translation studies. Whilst in Amsterdam he maintained his interest in music and electronics, having purchased his first off-the-shelf synths. He joined several short-lived bands as rhythm guitarist, keyboard player and singer, playing his own songs and cover versions of La Düsseldorf's music amongst others. He also occasionally played and recorded with Anubodh Prem, a former fellow band member and synthesist preferring a more ambient kind of style.

In 1986 another friend and fellow band member, René de Vreng, offered him the use of his new home studio boasting the latest in professional recording equipment and MIDI instruments. Several of the compositions recorded here were performed live by Munz and de Vreng.

Having started working as a translator, Munz soon was able to buy some studio equipment and MIDI synths of his own. In 1990 he moved to Eindhoven to join Philips Translation Services. Feeling confident at last about the material he had gathered over the past few years by working with René de Vreng and in his own home studio, he decided to consult Ron Boots, who at that time already was regarded as one of Europe's finest new synthesists and producers. Ron was fairly impressed by the demo material and offered to produce and release some of it.

Between November 1993 and May 1994 the debut album ‘Gegenlicht' was recorded, mostly at his Dreamscape Studio. Besides engineering and co-producing the album, Ron Boots contributed a blistering synth lead part on’Goldener Oktober'.

Unfortunately the release date was postponed several times due to all kinds of difficulties but the album finally came out in February 1995. According to the British EM magazine EMMA, €˜Gegenlicht' features "competent sequencing and decent melodics", while German reviewer Albrecht Piltz (Keyboards) described it as a "display of electronic fireworks, a continuous shower of multicolored stardust", particularly stressing the point that though the album was dedicated to Michael Rother - who had become a friend after he and Munz had met at the Dutch KLEM Festival - "no one dictated this newcomer's music - neither Rother, nor Boots".

One track on the album, €˜Goldener Oktober', is featured on the Radio auf CD compilation, an EM periodical issued on CD by well-known German music journalist and presenter Winfrid Trenkler, who also praised the album's qualities.

After upgrading his home studio in 1995 and 1996, Munz joined forces with Dutch synthesist Robert Marselje to contribute an atmospheric track entitled €˜Beyond' to the GROOVE CD ˜Out There lies the Truth', a musical tribute to the successful TV series ‘The X-Files'. This album was sold out just a few weeks after its release.˜Beyond' was also the first track to be produced and recorded exclusively in Munz's home studio.

On 'The Truth is Twisted', the follow-up to €˜Out There lies the Truth', Johannes, together with Rene de Vreng, composed and played the track 'Current'.

‘Limits (of investigation)’was the second joint composition by René de Vreng and Johannes Munz. It appeared on third ‘Truth’ compilation album entitled ‘Truth or Dare’. It featured the Roland VG8 virtual guitar system, played by René as well as synthesized voice effects generated on the Macintosh computer.

The final ‘Truth’compilation album, ‘Four: The Truth’, contained another track by Robert Marselje and Johannes Munz. Entitled ‘Who is it?’, this track featured Johannes Munz on synths, electric and acoustic guitars and bass guitar. As usual, Robert provided the distinct rhythmical background as well as the sampled voice of ‘X-Files’ arch villain “the cigarette-smoking man”. Alle four albums in this series met with massive critical acclaim.

After this, Johannes Munz collaborated as a translator and editor (writing CD reviews) for the short- lived synth-music magazine ‘E-dition’. Each issue of this magazine was accompanied by a free CD of music by artists featured within. Johannes Munz contributed one track to these compilation albums. The track ‘Pastice’ is exactly what its title suggests: an attempt at recreation of the so-called “Motorik”style developed by NEU!. It is dedicated to the memory of the late great producer Conny Plank, NEU!’s inofficial third member. It was met with praise by former NEU! member Michael Rother.

Shortly hereafter, Munz relocated to the South-Limburg region of the Netherlands, near his place of birth and in immediate proximity of the German border. Here he rebuilth his studio in the spacious attic room of his new home. Several new instruments and devices were acquired during this period, mainly modular or semi-modular synths and analog sequencers but also a plethora of virtual sound generators. Added to this were a multitude of ethnic instruments like the bouzouki, tsouras and baglamas, some of which were custom built by his long-time friend Yiannis Loulourgas, who lives and works on the Greek island of Samos.

Currently, Johannes Munz is working on new material which utilizes every kind of sound-generating technique currently available to him, ranging from virtual instruments, digital and analogue electronics (modular, semi-modular) to electric and acoustic string and percussion instruments.