Experimental Products
Experimental Products were an American electronic group. Founded in 1982 by Mark Wilde and Michael Gross, they were a Philadelphia-based group. Career. Experimental Products self-produced the album "Prototype" in 1982. While it would be their only full album, they released two EPs, "Glowing in the Dark" in 1984, and "Experiment!" in 1987. "Glowing" proved a hit with DJs and became a 1985 dance club chart breakthrough. Today, many DJs and collectors consider it a "classic" synth record. Around the release of "Glowing in the Dark", Mike Simmons played live as a third keyboardist. He contributed songs  played live that were never officially recorded. A very rare flexi-vinyl of "Work the Beat" was included in Philadelphia's "Terminal" music scene newspaper, produced by the Experimental Products' first manager, Steve Fritz. Mike Simmons's time with the band lasted a year around the "Glowing" era. He operated MARS recording studio for over 25 years. A rough cut video for "Glowing in the Dark" was shot at the Kennel Club, and can be found on YouTube. An entire show at City Gardens was videotaped with a single locked camera (just to document), but has an audio hum. A  hand-synched video with Wilde, Gross, and Mutschler on electric trumpet, an early version of "Work the Beat", was recorded as a video course project of Mutschler's. "Visualist" for the band, Mutschler, created elaborate live slide shows. These were summarized in a video, "All We Can Not See We Call Invisible" (a lyric from the Buggles), which was awarded a bronze medal at the 1985 International Film and TV Festival in New York City. He left Experimental Products around 1986. Al Jourgenson invited him to tour with a Ministry supergroup with Luk van Acker, Jah Jobble, and Einstürzende Neubauten  that did not come to fruition. The subsequent scaled back tour ran into a technical issue mid-run, and Al sought to borrow a replacement. Trent Reznor, owner of the gear, allegedly would not lend the equipment unless he was a tech/roadie. The group grew to 4-6 members after co-founder Mark Wilde died in 1987 from pneumonia. Gross carried on with different members, selling out the 2000 capacity Pulsations Philadelphia area nightclub, in one of their occasional live performances. In 1990, Gross and Mutschler formed a short lived performance duo, Experimental Cafe, which played in Philadelphia clubs . An excerpt is on YouTube. Gross had new instrumental material and adaptations of original Experimental Products material. Mutschler utilized early Macintosh video capabilities mixed with found and treated video edits - including color and image distorted lesbian bondage scenes. These caused an upset with then Macromedia software, offended by the content and not comprehending the intentional color manipulations. "Glowing in the Dark" had re-releases and re-mixes affiliated with DJ Hell in Germany throughout the early 2000s. After Wilde's death they had no further releases, although two compilation albums have been released by Vinyl On Demand. Vinyl On Demand  also reissued the album "Prototype" as a double LP with bonus tracks in 2008. Mutschler provided some of the live and other bonus live and rehearsal tapes, including an early version of "Glowing". The original version of the album currently was selling for as much at $500, having had a very limited print run. Different color variations of a circuit board design on the cover were personally silk screened by Michael Gross. Michael Gross died in 2016, some time after relocating to Washington state. The final lead singer, (also named Michael), has been doing one-man shows on the  East Coast, and is working towards a touring band. Mutschler produced Patrick Moraz's live "PM in Princeton" video/DVD and CD in 1995. It has been re-released by VoicePrint UK, and is on iTunes. Mutschler started recording music as Northern Lights eXperience in 2005. "Atmosphere" was released in 2012. Moraz noted it as "high quality sounds. Interesting, different, original", and Ryche Chlanda commented "Listening to it every day in my car in long form over and over. I really like it". Mutschler released "Fields" as Northern Lights eXperience in December, 2019, on major streaming outlets. It can also  be listened to at nl-x.hearnow.com. Mike Simmons provided a sounding board and "advice from a friend". Northern Lights eXperience's fourth release "in cinematic genre" is due out in latter 2021. Mutschler is working on an updated "Love Changes" for a fifth release in 2022-23 of driving electronic sequences, dance, and chill-ambient. He may work with MichaelAnthonyKeith in one configuration or another — uniting two different eras of Experimental Products.