T. RAUMSCHMIERE is Marco Haas, born in Heidelburg, Germany in 1975. Industrial, punk rock and hardcore gave Marco his first musical direction. Soon the rallying cry “stay anti” became a way of life. In the early ’90s, Marco drummed with the classic hardcore band Zorn (translation: anger), performing more than 300 shows around Europe and releasing two albums on Maximum Voice Records (Leipzig).

In 1997 Marco won a contest with his rock band Stormbow, which financed the making of their debut record. The Stormbow release was the first on Shitkatapult, the now infamous record label he founded with Marcus Stotz in Heidelberg. William S. Burroughs died in the same year and gave Marco his solo moniker for electronic music, T.Raumschmiere. The name is a cut-up from the title of the short story “Die Traumschmiere” (translation: The Dream Cops) by Burroughs. The German title unfolds several different connotations: TRAUM = dream, subconscious etc., RAUM = room, space, venue etc., SCHMIERE = grease, lubricant, smear, spread (but also slang for police). At this time, Marco was also working with Ulli Bomans on a project called SHRUBBN!!, based on noise improvisation.

Moving to Berlin in 1998, Marco got busy fine-tuning his sound ideas for T.Raumschmiere and experimenting with dark matter, dirty noises and eternal reverbs. The first tracks under this new name appear on the compilation series Cozmick Suckers (Shitkatapult). Around this time, he also began work on a stage project called Pop Poisoned Poetry featuring Miss Tigra and kicked off a monthly event called Erlosung Durch Strom (translation: salvation through electricity).

In 2000, the first T. Raumschmiere records were released. He made his debut as King of Gnarz on Shitkatapult with the mini LP Stromschleifen. Cologne based label Kompakt released the 12″ Bolzplatz (‘gnarz-shockers from hell’) and Sender Records from Berlin put out Himmel uber Berlin, which included the smash hit H-Babe. At this time, T.Raumschmiere established his minimal, funky but dirty style techno. He also picked up his drumsticks again, drumming with his punk rock band Mos Eisley Rock, recording the single “High on the Heels of Love” on the band’s own label Bender Entertainment.