Ignaz Tschinön, the 31-year-old musician known civilly as Matthias Nowak, is emerging as the domestic hype of the autumn season with his debut album “Parasympathicus,” released via Gspusi Records ahead of its live premiere at Vienna’s Porgy & Bess venue.
The Porgy & Bess Album Premiere
- Ignaz Tschinön debuts his album “Parasympathicus” on Saturday at Vienna’s Porgy & Bess venue.
- The record features funk arrangements combined with nasal, slightly arrogant dialect lyrics sung in a heavy Viennese accent.
- Label boss Walter Gröbchen points to cultural touchstones like H.C. Artmann and TV rat Rolf Rüdiger as thematic inspirations behind the project.
Dirty Funk Meets Vienna at Porgy & Bess
“Dirty Funk! Dargereicht wie eine saftige Tetschn. Kaufzwang!” reads the sticker plastered across the front of the debut album. When placed on a turntable, the record immediately evokes the American Midwest—specifically Prince’s Paisley Park studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Tapsige organ licks, a tight bassline, and punchy horn arrangements anchor a soundscape delivered in a nasally, slightly arrogant Viennese dialect. “Am besten will ich nur mehr Kind sein, all de schiachn Leit…,” Tschinön laments over the wind generated by the horn section, as reported by Samir H. Köck in Die Presse.
It's a dirty job but someone's gotta do it… Nämlich: der Welt verkünden, dass Prince einen legitimen Nachgeborenen in Wien hat: Ignaz Tschinön. Mitte Oktober erscheint der Album-Debut von Hrn. Tschinön, am 31. 10. spielt er im Porgy in Wien groß auf. Go! https://t.co/leH95YgpJu
As an interview subject, the artist remains deliberately uncooperative, frequently deflecting direct inquiries with counter-questions. Biography details require careful extraction from the 31-year-old, whose legal name is Matthias Nowak. After beginning formal drum training, academic friction quickly took hold. “Das mit den Noten ist mir auf den Allerwertesten gegangen,” Nowak recalls regarding his frustration with traditional sheet music. His drum instructor eventually introduced him to electronic rhythm production, prompting an exit into the drum-and-bass scene where he crafted his own beats.
From Drum-and-Bass to Fender-Rhodes and Basement Organs
Rather than acknowledging Prince as a primary influence, Nowak points to D’Angelo’s album Voodoo as a path-breaking work for him. He praises how D’Angelo integrated soul and funk samples so seamlessly that they registered as living instrumentation rather than mere cut-and-paste fragments. Following his drum-and-bass tenure, Nowak purchased a Fender-Rhodes piano using funds originally saved for a driver’s license—a license he still does not possess, and an instrument he has since sold.
Home organs serve as a foundational element on “Parasympathicus.” Having previously lived in Berlin, Nowak capitalized on an abundant market of unwanted household instruments. “Heimorgeln gibt es massenhaft am Markt. Viele Omas haben die zu Hause, verlangen kein Geld dafür. Sie sind froh, wenn man die sperrigen Teile mitnimmt,” he explains. For the studio recordings, he relied on an intuitive approach, sidestepping comparisons to jazz greats like Shirley Scott and Jimmy Smith. “Gegen die stinke ich richtig ab, ich kann gar nicht wirklich spielen,” he admits, prioritizing catchy songwriting over technical mastery.
Dialect Contrasts and the Role of the Schlusslicht
Label head Walter Gröbchen connects the project’s lyrical aesthetic to literary figures like H.C. Artmann alongside children’s television icons such as the cynical puppet Rolf Rüdiger from Confetti TV. “Der Rolf Rüdiger war ein bisschen g’schissn, aber ohne ihn hätte Confetti TV keinen Sinn gemacht,” Tschinön notes, emphasizing the necessity of antagonists in youth programming. His lyrics deliberately balance thick local dialect with affected high German. Relying exclusively on dialect risks reducing the output to superficial street-vendor verse, while standard German alone strips away the intended tension.
Alongside a backing ensemble of young players, the project also incorporates Peter Legat, who had international success with his band Count Basic. When questioned about whether this lineup places him ahead of or behind the cultural zeitgeist, Tschinön responds with another counter-question: “Wer ist der Wichtigste bei der Klassenfahrt? Der, der das Schlusslicht gibt.”
| Project Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Artist | Ignaz Tschinön (Matthias Nowak) |
| Debut Album | “Parasympathicus” |
| Label | Gspusi Records |
| Live Premiere Venue | Porgy & Bess, Vienna |
The album “Parasympathicus” receives its live premiere this Saturday at Porgy & Bess.
