Biography
by Jason Birchmeier
Patent Ochsner are a Swiss rock band from the 1990s whose albums have regularly topped the charts domestically. Founded by singer/songwriter Büne Huber in 1990 in Berne, Switzerland, the band underwent numerous lineup changes over the years. Besides Huber, who anchored the band lineup, the latter-day incarnation of Patent Ochsner also included Disu Gmünder (guitar), Monic Mathys (bass), Andi Hug (drums), Christian Brantschen (keyboard, accordion), Menk Grossniklaus (saxophone), Daniel Woodtli (trumpet), and Ps Steiner (keyboard, wind instruments). Patent Ochsner made their full-length album debut in 1991 with Schlachtplatte on the regional label Zytglogge Verlag. The album proved highly popular, peaking at number two on the Swiss albums chart. The follow-up album, Fischer (1993), released on COD Records, was the first of numerous Patent Ochsner albums to hit number one on the Swiss albums chart. In the wake of this initial chart-topping success, Patent Ochsner signed a major-label recording contract with BMG and released the albums Gmües (1994) and Stella Nera (1997), both of which hit number one. In addition, the band scored a few Top 20 hit singles during this mid-'90s period of peak success: "Jnner" (1994), "Jacques" (1995), and "W. Nuss vo Bümpliz" (1996). Then, following the release of a live album, Wildbolz & Süsstrunk (1998), Patent Ochsner were put on hold for half a decade, during which time Huber released the solo album Honigmelonemond (2000), a Top Ten success, on BMG. Trybguet (2003) marked the band's return to the Swiss rock market, debuting atop the albums chart as usual. Patent Ochsner left BMG afterward, switching to Muve Records for Liebi, Tod + Tüüfu (2005) and then Universal for The Rimini Flashdown (2008); both albums were chart-toppers.