Hello there!
We are the Paranormal Unicorn, an audio-visual artist collective based in Austria. What do we do exactly? We build custom audio-visual stages for juicy parties and subsequently DJ for those festivities. Created in 2011 by a group of three friends, Stefan Yazzie, Benjamin Frener and Philipp Gantioler, the Paranormal Unicorn has since then exploded onto the Austrian visual and music scene. What originally started out as just an idea between friends to pass the time and make a cool show for ourselves quickly expanded to something much, much bigger.
Within a year, we were honored to play with the likes of Netsky, Richie Hawtin, DJ Hell, and Aeroplane. We were also able to play at some amazing festivals and locations in and around Austria, like the Urban Art Forms Festival and Freakwave Festival. With an ever-increasing repertoire of audio-visual installations and an ever-evolving taste in music, the sky’s the limit for us and we don’t see an end in sight.
As for our goal artistically, we think our stages give people a strong emotional connection to the music. We try to visualize, interpret and reduce the music to a minimal palette of colors, so that the crowd can see and, hopefully, feel the music in a different way.

An artist, a carpenter and a scientist walk into a bar…

Stefan Yazzie

Born and raised in San Diego, Stefan moved to Austria when he was 13. A mix of Native American and Austrian blood, he brings a taste of Californian culture to the Austrian visual scene. Having played several instruments as a child, he is one of the two DJs in the Paranormal Unicorn, providing much needed bass to the aurally malnourished.
His role in the visual side of things takes place mostly on the computer: handling the programming, 3d renders and editing of videos (and this beautiful website). Of course the actual construction of the stages and electronics aren’t neglected by him either; everyone in TPU takes a hand in those tasks. His spirit animal is a jellyfish and he is currently studying in his third year of Digital Art at the University of Applied Arts of Vienna.

Benjamin Frener

Hailing from the far west of Austria, Benni learned his trade as a carpenter. In TPU, he brings his expertise of carpentry with him, leading the physical construction of each TPU stage. Living together with Stefan in Vienna, they concoct and design together deep into the night, with Philipp on Skype. Not one to give up easily, Benni is a great motivational force as well, when things just don’t seem to come together.
During the wild nights of exuberance, when TPU showcases their visual and audio skill, Benni is up on stage with the others controlling the lights with his little midi controller. He’s got deft fingers (…ladies). His spirit animal is a schnitzel and he is currently on his way to becoming an architect.

Philipp Gantioler

The second half of TPU’s musical talent, Philipp brings his own flavor to the musical dynamic of TPU. Studying chemistry in Innsbruck, he’s known for his crate-digging and deep dedication to his music. Talented at seemingly everything he picks up, Philipp has a hand in all of the jobs in creating TPU’s visual installations, be it soldering, sawing or socializing.
Having known both Benni and later even living with him, he brings a lot of love into the group. He even used to play in a band with Stefan. His spirit animal is a crow and he is studying to become an awesome scientist.