TIMESHIFT

Vienna, a cold January in 1981: Ivan Miksovic, the lead singer, then 16 years old, and his brother Libor, guitarist and singer, then 15, organized the first concert for Timeshift. Supported by various drummers and bassists, a series of gigs took place in that year, and word quickly spread that a powerhouse newcomer had appeared on the horizon.  In 1982, there was a lasting change in the lineup when Walter Cikan, then 16 years old and already an excellent bassist, joined timeshift. Around the same time, Gunther Joksch completed the new lineup as the drummer. The teenage band established itself a hotshot and played more and more concerts, while Libor and Ivan continued to develop their songwriting skills. In late 1983, they wrote the cult garage rock songs “Dance the Beat” and “The Fall of Europe”. The tracks were released as a single in 1984 and made timeshift widely known.  “Call it underground, beat, garage rock, psychedelia – time are all that and much more”, wrote legendary Chuzpe bassist Christian Brandl to the liner note on the first mini-LP “Paranoid Fears in a Concrete World”, which dropped in 1985. In 1986, a second mini-LP with songs written by the two brothers and produced by Fred Jakesch was released. It includes classics such as “Where Does This Way Lead To” and “Keep Abreast with the Times.” Timeshift subsequently decided to hire a new drummer, Uli Binder, who also played with “Die Pinguine”. In 1987, the new lineup recorded their first full-length LP, and the band continued to play numerous concerts. Now the guys were established.

Timeshift had made a name for themselves with concerts and records as far afield as Germany, Switzerland and Italy and were among the figureheads of an expanded mod and garage scene.  In 1990, however, the band experienced its worst nightmare when Ivan Miksovic's brother Libor, the guitarist, committed suicide. The band tried to find a replacement, but the end seemed inevitable. Ivan decided to close the Timeshift chapter and moved to New York City.  But the desire to play the songs from back then remained. In 2024, the residual founding members of Timeshift decided to bring the band back into the spotlight. Guitarists were invited to auditions, but the right person could not be found. That changed in May 2025 when drummer Uli Binder suggested inviting a young musician named Julez Gerbastis, who had played rhythm guitar in Harri Stojka's band for several years, to the studio. The spark was there. Julez decided to join TIMESHIFT, and the band started rehearsing again. A new episode had begun. The decision was quickly made to record an album that was energetic and raw, but at the same time glamorous and tricky in places. This LP is dedicated to founding member, guitarist, and principal songwriter Libor Miksovic and fittingly called „Libor“. Immediately after the recordings and still in high spirits from the studio sessions, in the end of 2025 Timeshift played its first concert in 35 years. It was a frenetic performance at the Chelsea in Vienna – with record attendance.