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A prolific, beloved member of the German techno community, Weimar-based producer/DJ
Gabor Schablitzki is known for his steadily paced yet unconventional productions, his eclectic full-lengths, and his adventurous mix sets. He achieved recognition during the 2000s for his bountiful output of original tracks and remixes under several names, most notably
Robag Wruhme and
Wighnomy Brothers (a partnership with Sören Bodner). As
Wruhme, he demonstrated his versatility with his 2004 debut full-length,
Wuzzelbud "KK," which ventured from techno into hip-hop and IDM. Continuing to release ambient techno full-lengths such as 2019's
Venq Tolep and more club-primed singles, he's also displayed his prowess on the decks with mixes such as 2021's Connecting the Dots.
Gabor Schablitzki was exposed to breakdancing and rap music while growing up. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, he started playing in bands influenced by post-punk and industrial music. He formed the experimental electronic duo Beefcake with Volker Kahl, and they earned a small cult following throughout the IDM and breakcore scenes with releases on labels like Hymen Records and Thrill Beat Construction. (2002's Hôte EP, on M-Tronic, included remixes by
Venetian Snares and Zoviet France). Soon after Beefcake formed,
Schablitzki and Sören Bodner became resident DJs at Jena's Club Kassablanca, going by the name
Wighnomy Brothers.
Schablitzki produced all of the
Wighnomy Brothers releases, which included numerous EPs on Freude Am Tanzen and the duo's own label, as well as appearances on Kompakt's Speicher series.
Schablitzki also used the pseudonym
Robag Wruhme, with some releases such 2003's
Polytikk EP billed to both
Wruhme and
Wighnomy Brothers.
Wruhme's full-length debut,
Wuzzelbud "KK," was issued by Musik Krause in 2004, offering not just streamlined techno that clicked, roiled, and wobbled, but downtempo hip-hop as well. Two Mute-issued Remikks Potpourri collections gathered some of
Schablitzki's many remixes (under both monikers) for
Depeche Mode,
Nitzer Ebb,
Underworld,
Slam, and many others.
Wruhme's rarities collection
The Lost Archive: 1998-2007 was issued by Musik Krause. Under the
Wighnomy name,
Schablitzki released Metawuffmischfelge (Freude Am Tanzen, 2008), an elaborately layered mix of contemporary minimal techno. The
Wighnomy Brothers appeared in the techno documentary Speaking in Code along with
Modeselektor,
Monolake, journalist Philip Sherburne, and others; several years in the making, it premiered in April 2009. Later that year, the duo announced that they were disbanding and focusing on their solo careers (Bodner goes by the name
Monkey Maffia).
Wruhme's next mix, the relatively subdued
Wuppdeckmischmampflow, arrived on Kompakt in early 2011. The sparse ambient techno full-length
Thora Vukk, featuring a choir of dozens on the song "Ende," was released by
DJ Koze's Pampa Records a few months later. Another mixed set,
Olgamikks (Nachtdigital, August 2012), showcased some of
Wruhme's remix work. His version of
Paul &
Fritz Kalkbrenner's crossover hit "Sky and Sand" was officially released in 2014.
Wuzzelbud FF appeared on Hart & Tief in 2018, and a second Pampa full-length,
Venq Tolep, was released in 2019, with
Bugge Wesseltoft and
Sidsel Endresen featured on the single "Nata Alma."
Wruhme returned to Kompakt with 2019's Topinambur EP followed by two volumes of the label's long-running Speicher series; 2020's Speicher 115 featured "Calma Calma," built around the oft-sampled intro speech from C'hantal's 1990 track "The Realm."
Wruhme included his track on Connecting the Dots, a 2021 Kompakt mix consisting entirely of highlights from the revered label's extensive catalog. He then issued the three-song Spoddy Spy EP, the first release on Tulpa Ovi Records. ~ Paul Simpson & Andy Kellman