A Certain Frank

Electronica duo A Certain Frank reunited Frank Fenstermacher and Kurt "Der Pyrolator" Dahlke, both former members of German new wave pioneers Der Plan, who were often cited as an influence on modern German electronica in the vein of Mouse on Mars and Kreidler. Dahlke, in addition, had also recorded with D.A.F. and under his own Pyrolator alias. After Der Plan disbanded in 1992, Fenstermacher and Dahlke concentrated on running their Ata Tak label for several years, but various producing and remixing activities got them back to recording in 1996, when they issued the first A Certain Frank album No End of No. 1998's Nobody? No! was better distributed, and earned the group an international following in the electronica underground. It was a far more eclectic outing, softening its predecessor's techno bent with elements of pop, lounge, downtempo, and trip-hop, plus a larger cast of supporting acoustic instrumentalists. This approach carried through to A Certain Frank's third album, 2001's Nothing, which featured guest vocalists Karin Knipphals and Mai Lingani and a live rhythm section of Pascal Plantinga (bass) and Mike Daliot (drums).