Art P

Emerging Experimental Painter

Art P (short for the project name Art Programming) is a group consisting of the electronic musicians Jens-Markus Wegener and Frank Grotelüschen. The two artists (both originally from Bremen, Germany), initially met in early 1982 due to a small add in a local newspaper when Grotelüschen was selling his Roland 101 synthesizer. Wegener became the new owner of the machine, the two kept in touch and soon became friends. After Grotelüschen was borrowing his TR 808 drum machine as well as his Jupiter 4 synth to Wegener for six weeks when he was on holiday they decided to work together. During those weeks Wegener composed about 6 to 7 tunes that convinced his newly found partner and Art Programming was born. From then on they combined forces and released music on various projects. On their first album, the self titled “Art Programming” (1983), they used instruments like the Korg Mono/Poly which they mainly used for their bass sounds, a Roland TB-303 as well as a Fricke Sequencer. Their first album still featured guest musicians Norbert Pautner and vocalist Claudia Roebke, who they also performed live with. Later, newer synths like the Yamaha DX-9 came into play. Their second album, now under the shortened name Art P, was produced more professionally. This time, the featured vocals were recorded at Dub City Studio in Bremen. Both albums were released on Wegener’s P.A.P. (Programming Art Productions) label on cassette only. It was until 1989 when Art P made an appearance on vinyl and CD with the track “Terminal Zeit” on the compilation U.S.S. Dancefloor. This electro tune with dark industrial and EBM leanings was the last track by the band. It was co-produced by Michael Vitzthum and had a more international and professional appeal. Wegener, who once was called “grand father of Bremen’s electronic scene” (see tape compilation “Berlincassette 2-85”), later became a key figure in the German music market as a founder of companies such as Public Propaganda, Europe’s largest and most successful promotion agency in the mid ‘90s, the publishing company AMV, the distributor PP Sales Forces, among others. As a freelance promoter for SPV and the Pias label he was also responsible for establishing the term Electronic Body Music as a musical genre. Grotelüschen was active as a music journalist (e.g. for Spex magazine) and later became an important and well known journalist for science.