Francisco José Conceição Leitão Treichler (born 14 November 1961), better known as Franz Treichler, is a Swiss singer, songwriter, musician, composer and record producer. He is best known as the vocalist and sole consistent member of the Swiss

industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubaute ...

band

The Young Gods The Young Gods are a Swiss industrial rock band from Fribourg, formed in 1985. The original lineup of the band featured singer Franz Treichler, sampler player Cesare Pizzi and drummer Frank Bagnoud. For most of their history, the band maintain ...

, which he founded in 1985 with sampler player Cesare Pizzi and drummer Frank Bagnoud. Treichler was instrumental in the band's adoption of samplers as a main instrument. He released his solo debut album, ''Braindance'' in 2001.

Early and private life

Treichler was born on 14 November 1961 in

Fribourg , Location of , Location of () () or , ; or , ; gsw, label=Swiss German, Frybùrg ; it, Friburgo or ; rm, Friburg. is the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Canton of Fribourg, Fribourg and district of Sarine (district), ...

. His father is Brazilian and his mother is a German-speaking Swiss. He enrolled in Fribourg Conservatory in 1971 and then attended

Lausanne Conservatory The Haute école de musique de Lausanne (HEMU, known as Institute of Advanced Musical Studies prior to 2010, founded in 1861 as Conservatoire de Lausanne) is a Swiss music school located in Romandy, the French-speaking western part of Switzerland ...

, where he studied classical guitar. He was introduced to

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States and ...

artists such as

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...

and Jimi Hendrix by his older brother. Moving to

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situ ...

in 1977, he was introduced to the burgeoning punk rock movement. In 1979, Treichler formed the band Johnny Furgler & the Raclette Machine, which became Fribourg's first punk rock band. The band featured Cesare Pizzi on bass and Jacques Schouwey on drums while Treichler sang and played guitar. Pizzi was replaced by Heleen Wubbe at the same year and the band changed their name to Jof & the Ram. The band's self-titled EP was recorded and released in 1979 and 1981, respectively; Jof & the Ram broke up in 1983. During this time, Treichler also played guitar in the punk rock band Schizoids. In 1981, along with Schouwey and Wubbe, he became the co-founder of Fri-Son concert hall in Fribourg. Treichler is married to his Jof & the Ram bandmate, Heleen Wubbe. They reside in Geneva.

Music career

The Young Gods

Relocating to Geneva following the demise of Jof & the Ram, Treichler formed

with Cesare Pizzi and Frank Bagnoud in 1985. The band originated from Treichler's

sound collage In music, montage (literally "putting together") or sound collage ("gluing together") is a technique where newly branded sound objects or Musical composition, compositions, including songs, are created from collage, also known as Photomontage, ...

experiments with a 4-track recorder and eschewed guitars in favour of a sampler, composing music from distorted guitar and classical music loops. Working with

Swans Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Someti ...

member and producer Roli Mosimann, the band released 1987's ''

'' and 1989 '' L'eau rouge'' to critical acclaim from publications such as ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

''. In 1993, the band released '' The Young Gods Play Kurt Weill'', which featured covers of

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...

compositions. Treichler relocated to the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

for the recording of the band's English-language record '' T.V. Sky'' (1992) and Interscope-debut, ''

Only Heaven ''Only Heaven'' is the fourth album by Industrial band The Young Gods. It was released in 1995 on Interscope Records. Accolades The information regarding accolades acquired from AcclaimedMusic.net Track listing # "Outside" - 0:31 # "Strangel ...

'' (1995). He relocated to Switzerland following the departure of the band's second drummer, Urs Hiestand. The band has released

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

-influenced record '' Second Nature'' and '' Super Ready/Fragmenté'' in 2000 and 2007, respectively. Treichler resumed playing guitar on 2008's '' Knock on Wood'', as well as on the band's 2010 and 2019 studio albums, '' Everybody Knows'' and ''Data Mirage Tangram''.

Solo work and record production

Treichler is also a record producer, having worked with French

industrial metal Industrial metal is the fusion of heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Prominent industrial metal acts include Ministry, Nine ...

band Treponem Pal on their self-titled 1989 debut and 1993's '' Excess & Overdrive''. He has also produced

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

es for artists such as Prong,

Foetus A fetus or foetus (; plural fetuses, feti, foetuses, or foeti) is the unborn offspring that develops from an animal embryo. Following embryonic development the fetal stage of development takes place. In human prenatal development, fetal develo ...

and

Noir Désir Noir Désir (, "Black Desire") was a French rock band from Bordeaux. They were active during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, and have had two albums certified double platinum in France and three certified gold. They have been an influence on n ...

. In the late 90s, Treichler composed

electronic music Electronic music is a Music genre, genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or electronics, circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromech ...

pieces for

dance companies This is a list of notable dance and ballet companies. Notes References See also *List of folk dance performance groups * List of ballet companies in the United States {{Dance Companies Dance Dance is a performing art form cons ...

. His compositions for the Swiss choreographer

Gilles Jobin Gilles Jobin (born 1964) is a Swiss dancer, choreographer and director living and working in Geneva, Switzerland. Biography Born in Morges, the son of abstract painter , Gilles trained in ballet at the Ecole supérieure de danse de Cannes Rose ...

from 1997 to 1999 were compiled on his solo studio album, 2001's ''Braindance''. In 2014, Treichler was awarded the Swiss Grand Award for Music. In 2015, he scored an exhibition curated by the Swiss artist Donatella Bernardi. In 2021, he released a collaborative album with Emily Zoé and Nicolas Pittet under the name /A\.

Influences

Treichler has cited late 60s to early 70s

psychedelic music Psychedelic music (sometimes called psychedelia) is a wide range of popular music styles and genres influenced by 1960s psychedelia, a subculture of people who used psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline, and cannabis ...

, punk rock,

Einstürzende Neubauten (, 'Collapsing New Buildings') is a German experimental music group, formed in West Berlin in 1980. The group is currently composed of founding members Blixa Bargeld (lead vocals; guitar; keyboard) and N.U. Unruh (custom-made instruments; perc ...

and 90s electronic music scene as personal influences. He has also named

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize t ...

and

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...

acts such as

Killing Joke Killing Joke are an English rock band from Notting Hill, London, England, formed in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (bass). Their first album, '' Killing Joke'', was released ...

Wire Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm A wire is a flexible strand of metal. Wire is co ...

and

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes. The ...

as additional influences on The Young Gods. His favourite albums include

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...

's ''

L.A. Woman ''L.A. Woman'' is the sixth studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released on April 19, 1971, by Elektra Records. It is the last to feature lead singer Jim Morrison during his lifetime due to his death three months after the albu ...

'',

The Ruts The Ruts (later known as Ruts DC) are an English reggae-influenced punk rock band, notable for the 1979 UK top 10 hit single "Babylon's Burning", and an earlier single "In a Rut", which was not a hit but was highly regarded and regularly pla ...

's ''

The Crack ''The Crack'' is the debut album by English punk rock band The Ruts, released in 1979. The album contains the UK hit singles "Babylon's Burning" (number seven on the UK chart in June 1979) and "Something That I Said" (number 29 in September 1 ...

'' and Einstürzende Neubauten's '' Zeichnungen des Patienten O. T.'', among others.

Discography

Franz Treichler of The Young Gods at SKIF 2014

With The Young Gods

Solo /A\

* ''/A\'' (2021)

Solo discography

;Studio albums * ''Braindance'' (2001) ;Compilation appearances * "Requiem pour un con" — '' Great Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg'' (1997) * "Haïku écrasé" — ''Haikus urbains'' (1997) * "Urban paupière" — ''Haikus urbains'' (1997) * "Illustracion" — '' Enquête sur le monde invisible'' (2002) * "Quintet OP.1" — ''Intox'' (2002) * "Requiem pour un con" — '' XXY'' (2005) * "Ting" — ''Isn't Nits'' (2014) ;Guest appearances * Mob Research — "In the Atmosphere" (2012)

Technical credits

;Production work * Treponem Pal — ''Treponem Pal'' (1989) * Al Comet — L.A.D. (1990) * Le Faster — ''Le Faster'' (1991) * Al Comet — ''Europ Pirat Tour'' (1991) * Aujourd'hui Madame — ''Aujourd'hui Madame'' (1991) * Shanghai Ladies / Bishop's Daughter — ''Shanghai Ladies / Bishop's Daughter'' (1992) * The Young Gods — ''

Live Sky Tour ''Live Sky Tour'' is a live album by Industrial band The Young Gods covering their 1992 tour in support of their album ''T.V. Sky ''T.V. Sky'' is the third album by the industrial band The Young Gods, released on 7 February 1992 through PIA ...

'' (1993) * Treponem Pal — "Pushing You Too Far" (1993) * Treponem Pal — '' Excess & Overdrive'' (1993) * The Young Gods — '' Second Nature'' (2000) * The Young Gods — "Lucidogen" (2000) * 7 Tone — ''La science des fous'' (2002) * The Young Gods — ''XXY'' (2005) * The Young Gods — '' Everybody Knows'' (2010) * Sunisit — ''Sunisit'' (2013) * The Young Gods — ''Data Mirage Tangram'' (2019) ;Remixes * The Young Gods — "Skinflowers (Brain Forest Remix)" (1991) * The Young Gods — "Skinflowers (Courtney Speed Love Mix)" (1991) * The Young Gods — "Gasoline Man (Megadrive Mix)" (1992) * That Petrol Emotion — " Blue to Black (Remix)" (1993) *

Gary Clail Gary Clail (born 1956) is an English singer and record producer, and the founder of the Gary Clail Sound System. He was part of On-U Sound Records (and also the On-U Sound System) and led Gary Clail's Tackhead Sound System. They had a big hit in ...

& On-U Sound System — "These Things Are Worth Fighting For (Young Gods Club Mix)" (1993) * Treponem Pal — "Pushing You Too Far (Tribal Mix)" (1993) * Prong — "Controller (Club Industrial Mix)" (1996) * The Young Gods — "Gasoline Man (Megadrive Mix)" (1996) *

— "Le fleuve (A.M.P) (Franz Treichler Mix)" (1998) *

The Mark of Cain The curse of Cain and the mark of Cain are phrases that originated in the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis. In the stories, if someone harmed Cain, the damage would come back sevenfold. Some interpretations view this as a physical ...

— "Interloper (Prelude)" (1998) * The Mark of Cain — "Interloper (Who Made Who Mix)" (1998) * Polar — "Bipolar Dream (Echo Version)" (1999) *

— " The Need Machine (Franz Treichler Mix)" (2001)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Treichler, Franz Living people 1961 births People from Fribourg Swiss rock musicians Swiss guitarists Swiss male singers Musicians from Geneva Swiss people of Brazilian descent Industrial musicians Punk rock guitarists Swiss electronic musicians Swiss record producers Swiss composers Swiss expatriates in the United States Swiss classical guitarists Swiss film score composers Swiss keyboardists Experimental musicians Remixers