A pair of retrospective releases from Die Welttraumforscher has us scratching our heads, but in a good way. These are definitely worth checking out. Even if they are completely off the wall.

Die Welttraumforscher is the chosen moniker of Swiss musician Christian Pfluger, assuming, that is, he really exists.

This brace of releases rounds up a selection of his works from 1981-1990 and then from 1991-2012 on Bureau B Records.

Considering their continuous and prolific output over the past four decades, it is quite remarkable how Die Welttraumforscher have remained under the radar for so long.

Celebrating 40 years of Die Welttraumforscher with two new compilations Die Rückkehr der echten Menschheit (1981 – 1990) and Wir arbeiten für die nächste Welt (1991 – 2012). Here’s a chance to get into his head. If you fancy it!

A mission which has seen them seek out the folklore of outer space, visiting the continent of Binika and marvelling at the metropolis of Darktown. In transit, they find support and succour in Bretzelberg Pop, toytown tempests, a starman, bricoleurs, 4-track recorders and instant architecture. How elated they are when they happen upon a successful sound piece, taking clandestine delight in the return of genuine himanity.

The first of these Bureau B retrospectives is based on Die Welttraumforscher’s work in his creative period from 1981 to 1990.

The eccentric, heartwarming pop songs now sound like documents from a parallel world, interwoven with idiosyncratic fantasy, surreal stories and dreamlike apparitions.

All tracks have been remastered and the artwork has been lovingly crafted with the original Forscher drawings.

Obsessed with riddles, triplets on a cosmic expedition, Die Welttraumforscher delving into the depths of the sonic universe. Their research, so they say, knows no limits – from the living room to the workshops of Sideria, taking in the enchanting City of Water, Leguan Rätselmann’s geometric songs, seeing their friends Kip Eulenmeister and Ohm Olunde. They gather up twinkling star sounds and forgotten noises from the attic. They also say: Our work is for the world to come.

The second collection sees Bureau B zoom in on the years 1992 to 2012 in the Welttraumforscher universe. A more pensive atmosphere of melancholy pervades the tracks documented in this series, as if the more spherical musical journeys and expeditions Christian Pfluger lead to increasingly enchanted worlds.

It’s absolutely bonkers, but we love it. Check it out.