Silke Bischoff – A German Cult Band, a Bitter Dispute and a Voice from 1992

Silke Bischoff have earned cult status on the German darkwave scene but remain relatively unknown in Sweden. Behind the music lies a story of a controversial band name, a friendship that ended in court, and a reconciliation achieved just before singer Felix Flaucher passed away. Now, Silke Bischoff are back in the spotlight with the compilation album Tears, featuring a previously unreleased 1992 demo brought back to life. Zero’s Stefan Albinsson caught up with Axel Kretschmann to talk about the music, Felix, and a story that still hasn’t reached its final chapter.

It begins with a voice recording from 1992. Axel Kretschmann is sitting in his small home studio, set up in his childhood bedroom, alongside Silke Bischoff’s vocalist Felix Flaucher. They are tracking a song called “Tears” but decide not to release it in that state. The recording got stored in the archives.

More than three decades later, Kretschmann rediscovers it. A lot has changed since that day. Silke Bischoff have become a cult staple within the German goth and darkwave scene. The friendship between Kretschmann and Flaucher fractured during a bitter legal battle over the rights to the band’s name. Yet, they managed to reconnect and make peace before Felix Flaucher passed away.

Now, “Tears” finally sees the light of day as part of a new retrospective album of the same name. While the old demo has been given a modern sonic overhaul, the original arrangement remains untouched. Felix’s vocals are exactly as they were captured back in 1992.

To Swedish listeners, Silke Bischoff are far less familiar than many of the German acts that eventually crossed over from the alternative underground into the mainstream. But for anyone rooted in goth, darkwave, and dark electronics, this is a band with a history unlike any other. Not least because of their name.

Silke Bischoff was just 18 years old when she was killed during the 1988 Gladbeck hostage crisis, one of the most heavily publicized criminal cases in modern German history. When Kretschmann and Flaucher adopted her name for their musical project two years later, it triggered widespread outrage.

For them, it was a way to keep a person’s memory alive. For others, the name crossed a line. Kretschmann also believes it may have cost the band a shot at a much broader audience. More than thirty years later, he still stands by their choice.

The name that may have cost them a record deal

The name Silke Bischoff has always carried enormous conceptual and real-world weight.

When you and Felix chose the name Silke Bischoff in 1990, it sparked intense controversy due to its ties to the Gladbeck hostage crisis. Looking back more than three decades later, do you feel the dark alternative scene truly understood your intention to create an artistic memorial for a victim, rather than exploit a tragedy? You and Felix chose the name Silke Bischoff in 1990, it caused considerable controversy because of its connection to the Gladbeck hostage crisis. Looking back more than three decades later, do you think the dark alternative scene truly understood your intention to create an artistic memorial to a victim rather than exploit a tragedy?

– Whether I would choose the same name today is a question I’ve asked myself many times over the years. Honestly, I think I would. Looking back, there’s no question the name made it harder to break out of the underground scene. At the same time, signing to a major label was never our goal. I was told on several occasions that our name was the main reason those kinds of deals ultimately fell through. Back then, tracks like “On The Other Side” and “Under Your Skin” definitely had mainstream crossover potential.

In a way, the name Silke Bischoff reminds me of Rammstein, although I should point out that the Ramstein air show disaster involved considerably more deaths…

– That said, I am convinced the dark alternative scene understood what we were actually trying to do. We wanted to create an artistic memorial for the victim, not exploit a tragedy. If you look past the tabloids for a moment, I think most people saw that. For the tabloid press, of course, it was an irresistible opportunity to claim the exact opposite.

– But I also believe the scene would have embraced our music even under a different name. It wasn’t just about the songs; the band’s visual identity and the album artwork played a huge role too.

– It’s hard to compare that era to the present day. The early 1990s was a completely different world. I think it would be significantly more problematic to name a band after a kidnapping or a tragedy today. The media landscape has become much faster, more pervasive, and far more difficult to navigate.

– In a way, the name Silke Bischoff reminds me of Rammstein, although I should point out that the Ramstein air show disaster involved considerably more deaths and also emerged from an artistic and provocative approach of that era. That kind of provocation is perhaps viewed much more critically today than it was back then.

– What has surprised me is that, over time, more and more people seem to grasp the thought process behind the name. Personally, I don’t think there is anything wrong with honoring a memory in that way.

When darkness met melody

Behind the loaded name were two starkly different musical backgrounds. Felix Flaucher brought lyrics and ideas written on acoustic guitar. Kretschmann had been hooked on analog synths and electronic soundscapes since his teens. The collision of those two worlds became Silke Bischoff.

Did you and Felix have a strict artistic blueprint when the band started, or did that distinctive, atmospheric sound develop naturally in the studio?

– Yes, we definitely had a vision. We wanted the music to be electronic and experimental, but still melodic, dark, and emotional. If you listen to our first album, you can clearly hear that vision taking shape.

– Some of the ideas Felix brought to the table were originally built around an acoustic guitar. I, on the other hand, was completely obsessed with electronic music and was tweaking analog synths long before computers entered the equation. What we had back then wasn’t a proper studio; it was just a collection of machines I’d been experimenting with since my early teens, constantly modifying them to forge new sounds.

– Silke Bischoff’s sound grew out of the combination of Felix’s songwriting and my fascination with electronic sound design.

Your tracks often couple deep sorrow with irresistible melodies. How intentional was that contrast when you were writing in the 1990s?

– It’s hard to say what was conscious and what was subconscious during the creative process. We were young; we just plugged in and let things evolve naturally. The chemistry between us was incredible during every session.

– We just loved what we were making, and the records are a direct reflection of that. If I had to break it down, I’d say the darker, more melancholic edge came mostly from Felix, while the beautiful melodies and those catchy hooks you mentioned were usually my doing.

Much of the material also began far away from the studio. Felix brought in diary entries, old letters and stories. Kretschmann built the music around the words.

What was the studio dynamic like? Did the lyrics usually come first to set the mood, or did you build the musical arrangements beforehand? And which of your classic tracks was the toughest to nail down?

– The creative process was actually very structured. Back then, Felix would often bring in stories and ideas from his youth that he’d written down in his journals. It usually started with his lyrics, often without a chorus or a hook.

– From there, I would build the soundscapes and the atmosphere based on how those lyrics made me feel. Once I wrote a hook or a chorus, Felix would go back and write the lyrics for those specific parts.

– The acoustic tracks, which were driven primarily by guitar, were a bit different. The core compositions were already pretty much there, so I would just layer in harmonies or melodies to flesh the song out.

– I actually cannot remember us ever having problems finishing a song. If anything, it was the exact opposite. We had too many ideas. That is why some of our songs became quite long. “Under Your Skin”, for example, is almost eight minutes long.

Inside Felix’s Journals

The darkness in Silke Bischoff’s music was never just an aesthetic. A large portion of Felix Flaucher’s early lyrics was drawn directly from his own personal experiences and memories.

For the fans: what is one thing about Felix as a songwriter and creative partner that people might not know? And are there any specific tracks that you feel best capture his raw creative spirit?

– When it comes to the songwriting, and especially the lyrics, in Silke Bischoff, you can definitely break it down into two distinct phases. As I mentioned earlier, the initial songs and lyrics were built around journal entries and old letters that Felix brought with him. Those personal stories and memories formed the bedrock of our early material.

– At a certain point, however, those sources of inspiration ran dry, and a new phase began. From then on, the lyrics no longer pulled from the past; they were written from a contemporary perspective.

Once songs leave the mixing desk, they simultaneously begin to take on a life of their own among the listeners.

Is there any song in the catalogue that you feel fans interpret completely differently from what you and Felix originally intended?

– I am sure there are songs like that in the hidden catalogue, but so far they have never been officially released.

When a friendship ended up in court

In 2002, the collaboration came to an end. The name Silke Bischoff did not.

Following the split, Felix Flaucher continued to perform under the Silke Bischoff moniker. According to Kretschmann, Flaucher signed a new record deal without consulting him first. This sparked a bitter legal battle between two people who had once built the entire project from the ground up.

After your departure in 2002, a highly publicized legal battle ensued over the rights to the Silke Bischoff name. Why was the name itself so vital to defend legally, rather than simply closing that chapter and starting fresh? And how did that period affect your relationship with the music you had created together?

– When I left the band, it was effectively disbanded. However, Felix signed a major label record deal under the Silke Bischoff name without discussing it with me beforehand. An album was subsequently released under our name, and for me, that was simply unacceptable.

– I was left with no choice but to take legal action to reclaim my 50 percent share of the naming rights. It was a difficult time. It felt like a David versus Goliath battle, but in the end, I won. Felix then renamed the project 18 Summers.

– I simply wanted to reclaim what was rightfully mine. The conflict never changed the value of what we had created together, however. No matter what happened, whether times were good or difficult, I choose

Reconnecting in time

Fifteen years later, Axel Kretschmann, Felix Flaucher, and Frank Schwer crossed paths once again. By then, Felix was already gravely ill.

It wasn’t a comeback. It was a final opportunity to settle the score and clear the air.

It’s well-documented that you, Felix, and Frank Schwer managed to reconcile in 2017. What brought you back together after 15 years apart, and how important was it for you to find personal closure before Felix passed away?

– You can definitely describe it as a form of reconciliation. Felix was already very ill at the time. I still have the feeling that he also experienced the meeting as a reconciliation.

– I can’t speak to how much comfort it ultimately brought him. But for me, it was incredibly important and meaningful that we had the chance to meet one last time before his passing, allowing us to process and untangle the emotions that still lingered between us.

Hearing your younger self again

When Kretschmann later began digging through old master tapes and video footage, working on Silke Bischoff turned into a confrontation with his own youth.

Returning to the original master tapes for the compilation Tears must have been an emotional process. Did you discover any details in the early production or unreleased ideas that surprised you?

– Of course, it is a very emotional experience when, after so many years, you return to your past, or rather your own youth, in such an intense way. It is not only about the audio recordings, but also a large amount of video material that takes you back to that time.

– For me, it was particularly interesting and even educational to go through all the songs again in meticulous detail, especially when prepping for the live performances. Sometimes it feels like reading the sheet music to a completely different life. I can still recognize my own handwriting in it, but I’m simply no longer that same person.

– What surprised me most was the consistency with which we followed our own style for almost ten years. Looking back, I have to say that even though it was an enormous amount of work, it was absolutely worth the effort. Not only because there are still unreleased songs that I myself had almost forgotten, but also because this deep look back showed me how much creativity and energy we actually put into the project at the time.

Back on stage without Felix

Listening to old recordings is one thing. Standing on stage under the Silke Bischoff banner without Felix is quite another.

When the live project returned, it featured prominent guest vocalists like Alexander Veljanov of Deine Lakaien and Sven Friedrich of Solar Fake. The challenge was how to perform this music without trying to recreate something that was gone forever.

Performing the emotionally charged set at WGT, alongside prominent names such as Alexander Veljanov of Deine Lakaien and Sven Friedrich of Solar Fake, became a major moment. What was it like physically stepping onto the stage under the name Silke Bischoff without Felix beside you?

– The idea of bringing the project back to the stage in this capacity was born about four years ago. For me, it was crucial that everyone involved truly understood what this was about and genuinely wanted to be a part of it.

– My greatest responsibility was ensuring that the project was executed with dignity and absolute respect for Felix. Whether we actually succeeded in that was something I could only judge after the curtain fell. And I really feel we found the right approach.

– For me, there were only two possibilities: either it would work, or it would fail spectacularly. In the end, it was a massive success and an unforgettable concert. With Alexander Veljanov and Sven Friedrich, we found the perfect voices.

– Early on, we debated whether we should resurrect the project under a different name. Ultimately, however, we decided to stick with the original.

– It didn’t feel like stepping onto the stage without Felix. Felix was truly right there with us—through his lyrics, his melodies, and the very spirit of the music we created together.

– Unfortunately, I couldn’t actually watch the concert myself, since I was busy on stage.

That final remark offers a nice break from the gravity of the topic. But the core takeaway remains: Kretschmann does not view the concert as an attempt to replace Felix. To him, Felix is already alive within the songs themselves.

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“Hippies in Black” – The Darkwave Scene Endures

Silke Bischoff are also returning to a scene that has evolved since the ’90s. Today, it is far more international, legacy bands are connecting with new generations of listeners, and Kretschmann himself has coined a fitting phrase for the people keeping the flame alive: “hippies in black.”

How do you view today’s darkwave scene compared to the 1990s? Do you see a genuine creative renaissance within the genre, or is it mostly just another wave of nostalgia?

– In my view, the scene has actually expanded. Even if it has shrunk in certain regions, it has developed a fresh sense of community and become much more unified on an international level. You can see that clearly at the festivals, which now draw crowds from all over the world.

– To me, the people in this scene are like “hippies in black.” It’s a remarkably peaceful community that, far away from the mainstream, continues to offer lesser-known artists and bands a space to share their music and creativity with an audience.

– II have a feeling that this strain of nostalgia will keep drawing more people in, and maybe even spark a total renaissance. Personally, I still feel very much at home in this scene, and I look toward the future with real optimism.

Three Tracks to Get You Started

For anyone who has never listened to Silke Bischoff, the most practical question remains: where do you begin?

Which Silke Bischoff song do you personally think is the most underrated or overlooked by the wider audience?

– “The Union”.

“On The Other Side” remains a permanent anthem within the goth subculture. Why do you think that specific arrangement continues to resonate so deeply, even with younger fans who weren’t even born when it was recorded?

– Probably because it’s simply a great song. What makes me particularly proud is that this version was produced entirely on a four-track tape recorder.

It is hard to argue with that. A good song is still a good song, four-track recorder or not.

If someone is discovering Silke Bischoff for the first time today, which one song would you suggest they hear first to truly understand the soul of the project?

– I would suggest “Under Your Skin”. I think it captures everything, the lyrics, the vocals and the melodies that Silke Bischoff truly represents.

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The voice that waited for more than three decades

The story ends where it began. With “Tears” and a recording from 1992, tracked by Axel Kretschmann and Felix Flaucher in a childhood bedroom. Shelved and left unreleased in that original form, it vanished into the archives, until Kretschmann rediscovered it.

– I recorded “Tears” back in 1992 during a session with Felix in my small home studio, which was set up in my childhood bedroom. Back then, we decided not to release the song in that state.

– While digging through my archives in search of unreleased material, I came across the demo version of “Tears” again. In 2025, I reworked the soundscapes alongside Olaf Wollschläger. We made a conscious decision to leave the original arrangement completely untouched, focusing solely on updating the sonic production.

– What I find particularly remarkable is Felix’s deep vocal style, which became significantly less prominent after our first album. This characteristic, dark voice was one of the defining elements of Silke Bischoff’s early creative period, and it gives “Tears” its very unique character.

That is exactly what makes “Tears” so special. It is not just the fact that a previously unreleased Silke Bischoff recording has been unearthed after more than three decades—it is that Felix Flaucher is still right there.

Two young musicians in a teenager’s bedroom, long before the split, the lawsuit, and the ultimate reconciliation.

For those already familiar with Silke Bischoff, it is a piece of lost history being restored. For everyone else, it is the perfect place to start:

“Under Your Skin”.