Euphonic Productions and Electric Arts Alliance of Atlanta present
Christoph Heemann  plus special guests:
RICHARD DEVINE and
MAGICICADA

9pm, Sat, Feb 1st
$8 at the door
Eyedrum
290 MLK Jr. Drive, SE, Suite 8
Atlanta, GA 30312
404-522-0655
404-522-0655 or http://www.eyedrum.org
http://tk-jk.net/euphonic/
http://www.theEAAA.org
(electronic)

Christoph Heemann's recordings with H.N.A.S. and as a solo act reflect his inheritance of a number of rich European legacies: Kraut-rock, the industrial cut-ups of Nurse with Wound and Cabaret Voltaire, and the idea of the invisible soundtrack which has intrigued many independent-minded producers from Brian Eno to Paul Schütze. In 1983, the teenaged Heemann formed H.N.A.S. (Hirsche Nicht Aufs Sofa, roughly translated as "Deer Not on the Sofa) with Achim Flaan (aka Achim P. Li Khan). Amidst a parade of obscure cassette-only releases on their own Dom Records, the duo's first major album, 1985's "Abwassermusik" reflected an interest in collages of samples, tape loops and found sounds, often repeated ad infinitum. For 1986's "Melchior", an expanded H.N.A.S. Lineup worked with the very sympathetic Steven Stapleton (of Nurse with Wound) and issued the album on Stapleton's United Dairies label. The group released two more LPs during 1986-87, "Im Schatten Der Möhre" and "Küttel im Frost" (both on Dom).

Meanwhile, Christoph Heemann had begun working farther a field, with an assortment of figures in the noise underground. He recorded a remix-by-mail project with Merzbow ("Sleeper Awake on the Edge of the Abyss"), appeared with Chicago guitarist Jim O'Rourke's Illusion of Safety, recorded with H.N.A.S.'s own Andrea Martin, and released work as Mimir with Legendary Pink Dots main man Edward Ka-Spel. Heemann's first solo work, the 1992 EP "Über Den Umgang Mit Umgebung und Andere Versuche" (released on Robot Records), effectively ended H.N.A.S. as a recording entity (though Achim P. Li Khan continued with the Damenbart and Brigitte projects).

Christoph Heeman's first album work, "Invisible Barrier", appeared on the Australian Extreme Records in 1993. Inspired by filmmakers Alain Resnais and Louis Malle, he recorded "Aftersolstice" one year later, for the Barooni label. Following his third solo album, 1997's Days of the Eclipse, Heemann again branched out to work on other projects, among them another Mimir release, several dates with Illusion of Safety, and a role in the recording of the Current 93 album "In a Foreign Land, In a Foreign Town" with David Tibet and Steven Stapleton.

He also runs the Streamline label. For further info, please see: http://www.brainwashed.com/ and http://www.robotrecords.com/.

(John Bush, All Music Guide)

H.N.A.S. entry in "The Crack in the Cosmic Egg" compendium (Audion Publications, 1996) by Steven & Alan Freeman

Hirsche Nicht Aufs Sofa (in English "Deer not on the Sofa", aka H.N.A.S. for short) have proved to be amongst the most radical of the 80's post industrial/new-wave bands to emerge in Germany. Most notably inspired by Nurse With Wound, Faust and the Krautrock scene, the duo of Christoph Heemann and Achim P. Li Khan (aka Achim Flaam) have made some remarkable music. The history of H.N.A.S. seems to have been deliberately kept obscure, so possibly some early cassette releases may exist. Their first record was made together with Mieses Gegonge, and was heavily industrial and a mite chaotic. To gain the independence to do exactly what they wanted, H.N.A.S. established their own DOM Records after this. But, before releasing an album of their own, they tested the water with some international samplers. As with Nurse With Wound albums, much of the Hirsche Nicht Aufs Sofa sound is created by studio trickery and effects, yet there is much more rock structure in their albums, especially so the later ones. Much of their products is limited or at least extremely obscure, naturally due to being so bizarre!

At the turn of the 90's H.N.A.S. fragmented and became just an occasional project. Christoph Heemann has done much solo work and collaboration with other musicians and friends since, and with other H.N.A.S. cohorts he formed the Mimir project together with Legendary Pink Dots musicians. He also runs the Streamline label. Achim P. Li Khan established his own label DOM Elchklang, and set up many bogus groups and offbeat projects, especially good being the psychedelic "Damenbart", and the weird industrial art-rock of "Brigitte".