Wumpscut – A Listener’s Guide

Do You Want To Rise Again?

If your memory only goes back a couple of pages, you might be wondering why I invested so many words in an artist who couldn’t knock out more than a couple of decent tunes on any particular album.  But if you look back to those 1990s recordings, and even some from the 2000s, the sheer number of quality tunes on offer was a feat equalled or bettered by few if any.  The great moments were harder to find on the later albums, but they were there.

When Rudy announced his retirement from music in 2017, responses varied from anger to disappointment to “is he still going?”.  My thoughts?  Job Done.   Wumpscut was one of the most influential artists in dark electronic industrial, taking cue from the pioneers of the style, but twisting it into something very much his own and influencing many others along the way. In a era where it’s too easy to build whole albums out of presets and templates, it’s worth remembering that it wasn’t so long ago that people really had to work hard to make electronic music. It seems a pity there wasn’t better quality control on the later albums, as not enough people were willing to search for them for the good bits.  

As it happened, the retirement of :Wumpscut: was only temporary, with Rudy announcing his return a few years later. Sadly, the material he produced failed to excite, though I have to admit this is in common with many recordings produced in isolation during the COVID-era. Rudy was living the life of a reclusive solo musician long before it became 2020’s big fashion.

Anyway, whilst there was no way of telling this story quickly, the TL;DR generation are going to want their playlists. Here they are:

Top xx Lists

The Floorfillers

If you’re an scene club DJ, these are the ones that work best given an audience that might not have heard all the albums.

1. Soylent Green
2. Wreath Of Barbs
3. Christfuck
4. Golgotha
5. Embryodead (actually Ich Will Dich used to work better but wouldn’t risk playing that one today)

The Floorcrushers

If you’re playing Slimelight’s industek floor or international equivalent, you’ll want one of these instead, though.

1. War
2. In The Night
3. Dying Culture
4. Concrete Rage
5. Mortal Highway

The Human Face

Evidence that there is a real person behind what is so often harsh, heartless and relentless music. 

1. Angel
2. Thorns
3. Die In Winter
4. Mother
5. Hold

The Complexity

And five tracks that highlight aspect of the W-sound that don’t fit neatly into any other category.

1. Capital Punishment
2. Black Death (French Texture)
3. Is It You
4. Rise Again
5. Hang Him Higher

It’s Not Just About “His Early Stuff”

This list is drawn from the final three chapters of my chronological run-through – 2006 through to the end of the story. Because who read all that, seriously…..

1. Tod Essen Leben Auf
2. That Was The Life That Was
3. Boneshaker Baybee
4. Loyal To My Hate
5. Remember One Thing
6. My Leper Kid
7. Jesus Antichristus
8. Hallelujah
9. Basilius Fleischlein
10. Justin Kohlenklau

Terminates Here’s Preferential Legacy

My own all time playlist…..

1. Wreath Of Barbs
2. Capital Punishment
3. Embryodead
4. Black Death (French Texture)
5. Angel
6. Thorns (Distant Vocal version by preference)
7. Hang Him Higher
8. Christfuck
9. Golgotha
10. Soylent Green (would be higher if not for historical over-playing)
11. Is It You
12. Die In Winter
13. Rise Again
14. Churist Churist
15. Deliverance
16. Mother
17. All Cried Out
18. Ich Will Dich
19. Concrete Rage
20. Hold
21. Tod Essen Leben Auf
22. That Was The Life That Was
23. War
24. Boneshaker Baybee
25. Maiden
26. In The Night
27. Loyal To My Hate
28. My Leper Kid
29. Jesus Antichristus
30. Mortal Highway
31. Opening The Gates Of Hell
32. Fear In Motion
33. Remember One Thing
34. Hallelujah
35. Basilius Fleischlein
36. Sag Ihr Jetzt
37. Moloch
38. Dying Culture
39. Justin Kohlenklau
40. The Beast Sleeps Within You
41. Hackfleischprinzessin
42. Cut To See How Much I Bleed
43. Evoke
44. Rusty Nails From Hell
45. Down Where We Belong
46. On The Run
47. Lindbergh
48. Die Liebe
49. Jiddisch Is A Zwillink
50. Silent Running

The Remixes

There are several hundred to work through – here’s the cream of the crop.  Some are really cover versions (as in they’ve re-recorded the original vocal) but by this point it’s best that we don’t split hairs and just enjoy the music. 

Note that I’ve only covered mixes by third parties, not Rudy’s own alternate takes.  Also,  unlike the studio originals, not all of these will be found on mainstream streaming services at time of writing, so you might need to put a bit of work in to hear them all. 

1. Wreath Of Barbs (Neuroticfish Remix 2/Unheilig Remix)
2. Is It You (Cynical Front Remix)
3. Wreath Of Barbs (Violet Remix)
4. Hold (Kirlian Camera Remix)
5. Tod Essen Leben Auf (Reactor7x Remix)
6. Hang Him Higher (Cynical Front Remix)
7. Tod Essen Leben Auf (Schramm Remix)
8. Don’t Go (80 64C Remix)
9. Loyal To My Hate (Solar Fake Remix)
10. Remember One Thing (God’s Bow Remix)
11. Angel (Brain Leisure Remix)
12. Mother (Monastic Interpretation)
13. Churist Churist (Cynical Front Remix)
14. Gabi Grausam (Alkemic Generator Remix)
15. Rise Again (Datom Remix)
16. Jesus Antichristus (Feindflug Remix)
17. Zombibikini (Gae Bolg Remix)
18. Totmacher (Suicide Commando Remix)
19. Die Liebe (Yendri Vocal Remix)
20. Loyal To My Hate (Advent Resilience Remix)

That’s the end. Really, no more. Best head back to the articles page….