Roli Mosimann — the Swiss-born American drummer, electronic musician, and record producer who was one half of duo Wiseblood and an early drummer for Swans — has died. Per friend and collaborator JG Thirlwell of Foetus, Mosimann passed away Sunday (September 15) in Wroclaw, Poland, from lung cancer. He was 68.
As one half of Wiseblood with Mosimann, Thirlwell wrote, “I was drawn to working with [Mosimann] after seeing his incredible drum skills in Swans. Roli was also acclaimed for producing the Swiss band Young Gods and working with JoJo Mayer and The The, among many others. He was a questing musician and a sonic sculptor. He was also a great guy, and, as his first wife Alexa said, ‘lover of women, wine and song.’ My heart goes out to his family and those whose lives he touched.”
Mosimann contributed drums and production to Swans’ 1983 debut, Filth, and 1984 follow-up, Cop. His debut as a producer came with The The’s 1986 album Infected, to which he also lent percussion. For his extensive work with Swiss industrial rockers the Young Gods, Mosimann was tapped by Faith No More to produce their last album before an 11-year hiatus, 1997’s Album of the Year.
Mosimann was also an early producer of Skinny Puppy’s 1996 LP The Process and Marilyn Manson’s 1994 LP Portrait of an American Family, though both efforts would be finished with different producers. From 1998 through 2012, Mosimann developed the live sound concept of “Real Time Audio Deconstruction” with the New York-based live electronic project Nerve, led by drummer Jojo Mayer.
In 2020, Mosimann was honoured by Soundedit, the international festival of music producers and sound designers with their annual Man with the Golden Ear award for his “pioneering achievements in music production.” Past recipients include Daniel Lanois, Giorgio Moroder, Gary Unman, Tony Visconti, Brian Eno, Bob Geldof, George Martin, John Cale and Steve Albini.
