More than five decades of music, recording, memories and independent creativity
Z CAR M is the long-running independent music project of German musician, composer, songwriter, keyboard player, guitarist and producer Berny A. Rácz.
His musical journey began in the 1970s and has continued through changing bands, countries, recording technologies and musical styles — from the live music environment of 1970s and early-1980s Kaiserslautern to today’s independent digital music world.
The beginning — 1974
Music was already part of Berny’s family environment. His father was a Hungarian professional musician who played viola at Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern during the 1970s.
Berny’s own musical journey began in 1965, when he first encountered a clavinet inside an orchestra hall. In 1974 he began two years of classical piano training.
That same year, he joined his first band, Octopus, in 1974/75.
In 1977 he founded the rock group Bourbon, continuing to perform and develop as a musician and songwriter through the late 1970s.
Z CAR M — Kaiserslautern, 1980–1982
In 1980, Berny founded Z CAR M in Kaiserslautern.
The original three-piece consisted of:
Karl-Heinz “Kalle” Huth — vocals
Berny A. Rácz — keyboards & vocals
Frank Rácz — drums
Berny A. Rácz at the keyboards — Z CAR M, Kaiserslautern, September 1982.
The band performed live and became part of the musical and underground environment of Kaiserslautern in the early 1980s.
This original period remains an important part of the Z CAR M story and is preserved through original photographs, recordings, personal memories and later historical publications.
After the original band period ended around 1982–1983, Berny continued his musical work and eventually developed Z CAR M into a continuing independent music project with changing collaborators.
From live bands to recording
Following the original Z CAR M period, Berny’s musical path continued through Stush and Uhrwerk, while songwriting and recording became increasingly important.
From the mid-1980s onward, he worked with both home-recording technology and professional recording studios, including sessions at Ambros Seelos Studio in Munich and Art Studio in Wuppertal.
During the 1990s, computer-based recording became increasingly important, allowing him to develop music independently and work outside the traditional fixed-band structure.
The Philippines and Ireland
In 1999, Berny co-founded the pop-rock group Misty Rain in San Carlos City, Philippines, together with Robert C. Drilon, producing a CD demo album.
Berny A. Rácz and Robert C. Drilon during the Misty Rain period in San Carlos City, Philippines (Nov. 1999)
His later musical journey also became strongly connected with Ireland.
In 2003 he performed at the Estuary Pub in Swords, Ireland, where he won second prize. Z CAR M became active again in 2004, followed by further recording, collaborations and digital releases.
The combination of songwriting, recording and independent production increasingly became the foundation of Z CAR M.
Tyrrelstown Music Talent Contest — Dublin, 2009
20 March 2009 — Tyrrelstown Music Talent Contest, Dublin, Ireland
On 20 March 2009, Berny took part in a music talent contest in Tyrrelstown, Dublin, appearing as Act No. 4.
He performed his original song “Smell Of Water” as a solo artist, singing live and playing guitar and keyboards over a CD backing track containing drums and bass.
During the performance, a technical problem interrupted the song. Berny returned to the performance and completed the song.
This event represents another important stage in the continuing development of Z CAR M as an independent songwriting and recording project.
The Tyrrelstown Music Talent Contest — 20 March 2009
Berny took part in a music talent contest in Tyrrelstown, Dublin, appearing as Act No. 4. – March 20, 2009).
He performed his original song “Smell Of Water” as a solo artist, singing live and playing guitar and keyboards over a CD backing track containing drums and bass.
A continuing independent music project
Over the following years, Z CAR M developed from its original live-band roots into a long-running independent recording project.
Berny has continued to write, record and produce music while working with musicians and vocalists from different countries, including collaborations connected with Germany, Ireland and the Philippines.
The catalogue now contains 12 Z CAR M albums, alongside numerous individual tracks, collaborations, compositions and demos.
Rather than following a single fixed genre, Z CAR M has moved through influences including Alternative Rock, New Wave, Post-Punk, Indie, Retro Pop and electronic music.
The central element has remained the same: independent songwriting and music production.
From musician to contemporary witness
Berny’s connection with the Kaiserslautern music scene is not limited to his own recordings.
He contributed original 1980s photographs and personal stories to the published book Soundtrack einer Stadt, documenting the musical history of Kaiserslautern.
“Wir waren frei, mutig” — Rheinpfalz, 11 July 2026. Feature on Berny A. Rácz, Z CAR M and the Kaiserslautern underground scene.
Z CAR M (1980–1982) documented in Soundtrack einer Stadt, Kaiserslautern — pages 180–181.
This became an important part of preserving the period he had experienced himself as a musician and contemporary witness.
Punker Kalle und die Lautrer Underground-Jahre
Berny is also the author of:
Punker Kalle und die Lautrer Underground-Jahre — Erinnerungen an Karl-Heinz Huth
The book focuses on his friendship with Karl-Heinz “Punker Kalle” Huth and the Kaiserslautern underground years of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Drawing on personal memories, original photographs and historical material, the book documents a period of Kaiserslautern’s music and underground culture from the perspective of someone who was there.
The book subsequently became the literary foundation of the PUNKER KALLE film/documentary project, which brings together photographs, Super-8 and VHS material, original Z CAR M music, recordings, personal documents and eyewitness material.
The Rheinpfalz — 2026
The story of Berny A. Rácz and the Kaiserslautern underground was also covered by DIE RHEINPFALZ.
Following an interview on 26 June 2026, the newspaper published a regional cultural article on 11 July 2026 concerning Berny, Karl-Heinz “Punker Kalle” Huth, the Kaiserslautern underground of the early 1980s, Punker Kalle und die Lautrer Underground-Jahre and the planned film project.
Read the full Rheinpfalz online article → HERE
The story appeared both in the printed newspaper and as an official online article.
Read the Rheinpfalz article:
DIE RHEINPFALZ — Berny A. Rácz und ein Stück Stadtgeschichte der punkigen 80er
Z CAR M today
More than five decades after his first band, Berny A. Rácz continues to work independently as a musician, composer, songwriter and producer.
Z CAR M today is the continuation of a musical journey that began in 1974 — from Octopus and Bourbon, through the Kaiserslautern underground of the early 1980s, to international collaborations, independent recording and a twelve-album catalogue.
The project remains open to new music, new collaborations and new creative directions.
Z CAR M — Independent. Original. Still making music.
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