Otto Von Schirach

by Rob Theakston IDM producer/DJ/visual artist Otto Von Schirach was raised in Miami, FL, which as a child exposed him to a wild hybrid of music that continues to influence his sound today including Miami bass, gangsta rap, death metal/grindcore, and Afro-Cuban music. He purchased his first digital equipment at the tender age of 17 and immediately began to develop his own unique distorted wall of electronic sound. A demo found its way into the hands of electro-IDM label Schematic (also based in Miami), which promptly offered him a multi-record deal. His debut, 8000 B.C., was released in 2001 with Escalo Frio following a few short months later. With constant touring and recording, Von Schirach started to develop a darker aesthetic, which was reflected appropriately in the horror-inspired Chopped Zombie Fungus and Global Speaker Fisting, released in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Schematic released a remix album in 2005, featuring a wide range of artists taking a stab at reinterpreting his work including Jamie Lidell, Venetian Snares, the Soft Pink Truth, and labelmate Richard Devine. A meeting with Ipecac labelhead/avant-garde/metal legend Mike Patton resulted in the 18-track breakcore Maxipad DeTention released on Ipecac in July of 2006. As well as doing animation and sound design work, he records under such aliases as Blotto Von Crack Rock, Otto Von Schitpiss, and Otto Von Xerox.