P16.D4 was a German electronic noise music

Noise music

Noise music is a term used to describe varieties of avant-garde music and sound art that may use elements such as cacophony, dissonance, atonality, noise, indeterminacy, and repetition in their realization. Noise music can feature distortion, various types of acoustically or electronically...

 collective, active primarily from 1980 to 1988, whose work was inspired by the punk

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 and Neue Deutsche Welle

Neue Deutsche Welle

Neue Deutsche Welle is a genre of German music originally derived from punk rock and New Wave music...

 (German New Wave) scene of the early 1980s, which they ruthlessly mocked in their debut self-released 7", "Bruckenkopf im Neimansland". The group began as the relatively more musical Permutative Distortion, then morphing into P.D. to record one LP, Inweglos, before finally settling on P16.D4. This final incarnation saw them abandon song form entirely, instead embracing tape cut-ups, musique concrète

Musique concrète

Musique concrète is a form of electroacoustic music that utilises acousmatic sound as a compositional resource. The compositional material is not restricted to the inclusion of sounds derived from musical instruments or voices, nor to elements traditionally thought of as "musical"...

, endless recycling and transformation of previously published material, and many long-distance collaborations with like-minded artists such as DDAA, Vortex Campaign, Nurse With Wound

Nurse with Wound

Nurse with Wound is the main recording name for British musician Steven Stapleton. Nurse with Wound was originally a band, formed in 1978 by Stapleton, John Fothergill and Heman Pathak...

, and Merzbow

Merzbow

is the main recording name of the Japanese noise musician , born in 1956. Since 1979 he has released in excess of 350 recordings.The name "Merzbow" comes from German artist Kurt Schwitters' artwork, "Merzbau”. This was chosen to reflect Akita's dada influence and junk art aesthetic...

. The longest-term collaboration was with the installation and conceptual artist Achim Wollscheid, who used P16.D4 sounds as the basis for LPs he recorded under the name SBOTHI. Ralf Wehowsky, the only constant member of the group, later released solo material under the alias RLW.

Members of P16.D4 were also involved with Selektion, a collective of people involved with sound as well as the visual arts. Selektion published LPs, CDs, books, visual art and design.

Albums

• Wer Nicht Arbeiten Will Soll Auch Nicht Essen! - 1981
• V.R.N.L. - 1981
• Kühe In 1/2 Trauer (Selektion) - 1982-1983
• Distruct (Selektion) - 1982-1984
• Nichts Niemand Nirgends Nie! (Selektion) - 1985
• Tionchor (Selektion) - 1982-1986
• Acrid Acme (Of) P16.D4 (Selektion) - 1986-1988
• Bruitiste (RRRecords) - 1988
• Fifty (RRRecords) - 1990

Compilations

• Three Projects (Bruitiste - Captured Music - Fifty) (RRRecords) - 1993