Artists A - E





A

Abe Duque
Abe Duque got much of his early musical understanding from his dad who was a gifted musician and evangelical minister. Abe discovered Djing in the 80's when he became obsessed with vinyl and electronic dance music production. He bought his first synthesizer with money from his newspaper route and played his keyboard in his dad's church.

In the early 90's Abe became the keyboardist for the then techno supergroup Program2. In 1993 Abe made a decision to start his record label TENSION. Tension has become a shining light illuminating the way for new paradigms and possibilities in electronic music, and sometimes for twisted stuff not even Abe understands.

In recent years Abe along with John Selway co-founded Rapture Records. Most recently abe started a new label called out of all things Abe Duque Records. And let us not fail to mention the madness that is Rancho Relaxo.

Abe is an intensively versatile artist. There seems to be no limit to Abe's musical explorations while always keeping a unique flavor that's remarkably refined and definitely his own.

Abe has released his music on several labels such as, Tresor, Imago, State of mind, Warner Bros, Disko-b, Gigolo, Oval, V2, Vortex, Sahko, Mainframe, Instinct, GiG, Tension, Abuse, Mille Plateaux, Sonic Groove & Rapture.

He has worked under a few different names such as: Abe Duque, Kirlian, Super Secret Symphony, Facil and founded the Rancho Relaxo All-stars.

He has released works done together with the likes of Richard Dorfmeister, Jimmy Tenor, Blake Baxter, John Selway, Patrick Pulsinger and DJ HEll.

As a dj Abe has travelled the world to play his music. From his once resident club Limelight in NYC to many stops around the globe.




Adam Bayer
Adam Beyer became dedicated to the fascinating world of rhythm early on. After playing the drums as a teenager his obsession turned to the decks. In 1990 he bought his first set of turntables and started spinning a wide range of hiphop, hiphouse, acid and techno at local parties and clubs. Beyer soon learned how to blend his sets in a thoughtfull and highly focused way, a talent that has now developed into his trademark style. In 92 Fellow school friend Peter Benisch introduced Beyer to the sampler, a year later they got their first record deal with New York based Direct Drive. After finishing school in 1995, Beyer started work at the Planet Rhythm record store while releasing some tracks under a variety of names and continually djing all over Scandinavia. Adam Beyer sites Drumcodes 1 (Planet Rhythm 1995) as the first record to define his style; hard, percussive and loop oriented. This 12" names Beyer's future label and was soon followed by his critically acclaimed debut album Decoded (Planet Rhythm 1996). His need to create the perfect dj tool gave rise to the launch of the Drumcode label allowing him total musical freedom.

The label's strong concept and high production levels meant it enjoyed immediate success. After six releases Beyer launched his second label Code Red focusing on a slightly softer side of techno. Code Red finished with its 10 th and final release Stand Down (Code Red 1999) which was a compilation of remixes from various international artists. His production skills soon brought Beyer to the attention of djs worldwide and global bookings soon followed. His meteoric rise has been cited as one of the catalysts for Swedish techno's current influence. He pinpoints the Stockholm sound as being closely linked to his network of friends in the city aswell as the triumvirate of himself, Joel Mull and Cari Lekebusch. After many releases and remixes on various labels he launched the second album Protechtion (Drumcode 1999). While the market was being flooded with monoton loop oriented techno Beyer worked on strengthening the arrangements that characterised his earlier works, aswell as adding melodic strings. Still with a clear focus on the dance floor. The same year Adam Beyer and Cari Lekebusch linked up to create a stunning live act first witnessed in London to instant acclaim. The act created the intense feeling of a creative dj set while the duo played back to back mixing their production styles.


A Guy Called Gerald
Since the 80's, Manchester UK native, A GUY CALLED GERALD, born Gerald Simpson, has proven to be among the most innovative modern music figures. His influence is international, and through his versatility he has spawned genres and generations of music culture. From his early experimentation with techno and acid house to his groundbreaking contributions to drum'n'bass, Simpson's art and craft has perpetually evolved regardless of his individual successes in each of those genres.

Jamaica was the drum-beat of his early years; from his father's blue-beat, ska and Trojan reggae record collection, his mother's pentecostal church sessions to the Jamaican Sound System parties in Manchester's Moss Side area. In the early - mid 80's Manchester dance floors at clubs like Legends were vibing to jazz funk, jazz fusion and electro and Gerald took full advantage hitting the dancefloors at night while studying contemporary dance by day. But later when electrofunk, breaking and b-boy culture fully hit the UK he left college to immerse himself in the music. He began rigging analogue and drum machines up together making his own formations inspired by the new sounds filtering into Manchester's import recordstores from Detroit and Chicago.

His first creative efforts were in The Hit Squad, a Manchester hip hop collective. There was one release Wax On The Melt before Simpson, Massey and Price formed 808 State. It was a brief collaboration re-sulting in one album Newbuild and their biggest hit Pacific State (although not credited until later after a court battle). By then, Gerald had gone solo releasing the album Hot Lemonade and unwillingly scoring a Top 20 smash worldwide with the seminal Voodoo Ray, a track cited as the first to put British House music firmly on the map.

In 1992, following a brief period signed with major label CBS/Sony and resulting in his 2nd album Automanikk, he discovered the glory of breakbeats and began releasing a series of genre defining records on his own Juice Box Records label. The first singles were compiled and released on the LP 28 Gun Bad Boy. "If there was a blueprint for what would transform rave into jungle/techno, then this is it." Simon Reynolds said in Melody Maker at the time.

After moving the label to London in 1995 he followed up with the critically acclaimed Black Secret Technology LP incorporating Goldie and the vocals of Finley Quaye. A busy period followed performing around the globe spreading the drum'n'bass sound, touring with Tricky and working with the likes of David Bowie and Herbie Hancock. In 1998 he closed the label and moved operations to New York.

In 2000 came Essence (!K7 Records), an experiment in transforming the stereotypically aggressive drum'n'bass sound into soulful arrangements. It featured musicians such as Lady Kier, Louise Rhodes (Lamb), David Simpson and the singer/songwriter Wendy Page. The UK's Guardian newspaper described it as "A perfect synthesis of Gerald's rhythmic technique and soulful drum'n'bass... a triumph". He took a live band on the road in 2001 touring the US and Europe jamming live the sounds on Essence. Other projects followed; a remix for the soundtrack to the movie Requiem For A Dream and a collaboration with Bill Laswell and Herbie Hancock and a tour with Bebel Gilberto.
In 2002 he moved back to Europe and disappeared deep into the studio to work on a new album.


Alexander Robotnic
Alexander Robotnick aka Maurizio Dami is an Italian music producer. He makes his debut on the Italian music scene as the founding-member of Avida, a "dance -cabaret band" featuring Daniele Trambusti and Stefano Fuochi and releasing a 7"track "La bustina" published by Materiali Sonori in 1981.

In 1983 he then attains international popularity under the pseudonym "Alexander Robotnick" and his track "Problemes d'amour", published first by the Italian label Materiali Sonori and then by Sire-Wea , becomes a "cult track" of dance music.

In 1984 he joins "Giovanotti Mondani Meccanici" a multimedia -oriented group and composes sound-tracks for theatre works, videos and video-installations.

Still in the 80s he gains a reputation as the creator of ambient music for special events and fashion exhibitions (Pitti Immagine, Prato Expo, Capucci, Missoni) .

He also composes sound-tracks for films and theatre works by Italian directors such as Alessandro Benvenuti, Antonio Climati, Marco Mattolini, Marco Risi.

In 1987 he turns his interest to World Music, meeting African, Kurdish and Indian musicians who live in Italy and making music with them.

"Data from Africa", the band he puts up with Niba Boniface (Camerun) , stages numerous concerts until 1990.

In 1993 he meets an Indian flute player, living in Italy: Boliwar Miranda. With him and Ettore Bonafe (tablas) he founds the band "Music for Meditation" later renamed "Masala" and published by Materiali Sonori.

In 1994 he starts a collaboration with the Indian-Italian band "Govinda" leading to the production of two tracks "Devotion" and "Transcendental Ecstasy" for Govinda's first album "Selling India by the pound".

In Summer 1995 he conceives and organises the I Ambient Music Festival in Florence at Anfiteatro delle Cascine.

In 1996 with Nazar Abdulla and Rashmi Bhatt he creates "The Third Planet" , a multi-ethnic band that blends traditional music from Kurdistan, Algeria and India with modern sounds.

From 1997 to 2001 Maurizio Dami develops several projects of innovative World Music.

With "The Third Planet" he produces 2 albums "Kurdistani" and "The Third Planet" published by CNI (Italy) and licenced by Blue Flame (Germany). The band gives numerous concerts in Italy whilst one of its tracks features in "Nirvana Lounge".

In 1997 his collaboration with Lapo Lombardi and Ranieri Cerelli leads to the "Alkemya" project, releasing an album with CNI.

With the band "Masala" he produces 2 albums (1998-2000) published by Materiali Sonori, the Italian label the artist has been long associated with.

In 2000 he establishes a label of his own, Hot Elephant Music, to give expression to the different experiences with music developed sofar in his artistic career. In the same period, in collaboration with his friend Ludus Pinsky (Lapo Lombardi) he explores new sounds and technologies, resulting in the production of Underwater Cafe. He also produces E.A.S.Y. vol1 (Elephants Are Sometimes Young).

In 2002 he turns back to the "Electro" style that so strongly and succesfully characterized his musical debut and, on that wake, produces "Oh no...Robotnick" in collaboration with Max Durante and Teomad. The album,despite its somewhat dark humor, so typical of Robotnick's early tracks, is not enough disco-dance and fashion-conscious and therefore receives mixed reviews.

With Max Durante he gives a live concert at DF03 in Bologna (Link), which is enthusiastic by received.

In 2002 he releases "Melt in Time", the third album by The Third Planet.

In April 2003 he can finally get hold of a professional lap-top and sets of to undertake DJing, an activity he had never considered before because Robotnick never liked vynil (but he does like audiocassettes a lot. It's Fabrice Guarnascione (Grossomodo Productions) who offers hem the opportunity to make his debut as a DJ at Spartacus Club in Aix-En-Provence with Kiko and The Hacker. The night is a success that encourages him to do more DJing. As of June 2003 Robotnick has been djing in a number of clubs around Europe (see Robotnick DJ's page).

In Summer 2003 he works with Kiko and The Hacker on a new track "Viens Chez Moi" that will feature in the EP "Les Grands Voyages de l'Amour" (Hot Banana). Robotnick is still strongly fascinated by the old analogic synts and TB303 he works with in Kiko's studio and he soon realises the present impossibility of reproducing, with plug-in software instruments, the typical sound of the 80s that made of him a cult for some.

In October 2003 he publishes "Rare Robotnick's" a collection of his vintage tracks. The album is distributed by Audioglobe.

In Winter 2003 Alexander Robotnick and Ludus Pinsky decide to collect old analogic synts and use them to combine the peculiar quality of analogic sound with the advantages of digital production. The result is "Italcimenti" a new project mixing the sound of Italo-Disco and that of Electro-Clash... with a considerable amount of humour.

In the same period he puts together a mixed compilation to be released by Yellow Productions : "The Disco Tech of...Alexander Robotnick" offers a taste of Robotnick's lap-top DJing style, despite the limits due to the licensing mechanism.

In February 2004 he travels to India, a country he's very fond of and keeps going back to since the early 80s; this time also to define the licensing deal of some of Hot Elephant Music's productions with an important Indian label (Times Music).

In October 2005 starts his collaboration with Creme Organization (NL). They release Krypta 1982 (Rare Robotnick's 2) a couple of 12" including a remix by Bangkok Impact (Clone distribution).

In 2006 he consolidates his worldwide DJing activity performing more than 40 gigs.

In 2007 he releases a new CD-album called "My la(te)st album" and edits a new release of "Problemes d'amour" by Materiali Sonori / Clone.

Since 1984 Maurizio Dami has been living exclusively on his work as musician and more recently as DJ too. This doesn't make him a wealthy man but is no reason to make him change his original choice.

In September 2006 opens an account in myspace.com, as everybody did, expecially to avoid to be cloned there...;)

In May 2007 he releases a CD "My La(te)st Album" (Hot Elephant Music - distr. Audioglobe).

Robotnick is getting into his 5th year of DJing. His DJ-Set now covers different styles of dance music. Beside Italo-Disco and New Wave from the 80s, he plays the most interesting tracks of contemporary electro-house and minimal-techno.

Robotnick's next projects are:

"I'm getting lost in my brain", a compilation of remixes taken by Detroit Grand Pubahs, Kompute, Microthol, Robosonic, Lore J, Italcimenti, Alexander Robotnick from his latest album. Release: January-February 2008.


Alter Ego
Alter Ego is an acid house music group made of Roman Flugel and Jorn Elling Wuttke. They achieved notability in 2004 with their track "Rocker", which became one of the year's defining Dance anthems, especially in Europe, and getting played on heavy rotation amongst the most popular Electroclash DJs such as Felix Da Housecat and 2 Many DJs.
In the 2004 Groove Magazine Readers Poll, Alter Ego won three categories, taking out the award for Best Single for "Rocker", Best Album for "Transphormer", and also Best Live Act. French group Black Strobe took out Best Remix honours with their remix of Alter Ego's track, "Rocker".


Andrew Weatherall
Andrew Weatherall has carved out a well-respected career in British techno. As a producer moving from the sounds of Madchester to downbeat to experimental techno through the '90s, Weatherall could've easily ridden the big beat (Chemical Brothers) or high-profile-DJ (Paul Oakenfold) waves at the end of the decade, choosing instead to pursue - and in many ways define - a more cutting-edge, IDM approach. He participated in two big-name collaborations which would appear on Warp Records, beginning early on in the label's now highly respected run and remains one of the world's most dedicated and top DJs.

Weatherall founded a fanzine called Boys Own in the late '80s and soon established himself as a leading DJ in London's acid house scene. That association led to Weatherall remixing New Order's "Worlds in Motion" and, along with Paul Oakenfold, the Happy Mondays' "Hallelujah." Primal Scream, which at the time was a middling band on Creation's roster, sought out Weatherall for what would become the Top 20 single "Loaded" and production on the groundbreaking Screamadelica. The overwhelming success of Screamadelica led to Weatherall's place as one of the U.K.'s top remixers and producers. After a stint DJing on London's influential KISS-FM, he ran two clubs in London, and in 1993 worked fairly extensively with techno-pop act One Dove. That same year, Weatherall formed the Sabres of Paradise with Jagz Koomer and Gary Burns, who released a series of pioneering, ambient experimental techno singles and EPs on Weatherall's Sabrettes label (also collected on two Warp Records compilations). He went on to produce and remix several tracks by Beth Orton and, in 1996, form the Two Lone Swordsmen with Keith Tenniswood and the Emissions Audio Output label. After working again with Primal Scream to produce the track "Trainspotting" for the movie of the same name, in 1999 Weatherall mixed the third volume of the Heavenly Presents: Live at the Social series. The disc showcased, as had become the norm, his finger-on-the-pulse awareness of electronic music both old and new, proving that a decade of work in the semi-spotlight had in no ways dulled his senses. 2000-2001 saw two more mix records from Weatherall, as he and Tenniswood began the decade focused on DJing across the globe. Stating in a 2000 interview with NME that "dance culture now is the predominant pop culture, and sometimes pop culture annoys me," Weatherall - as a DJ, producer, and collaborator - continues to shape the more progressive landscape of British electronic music.


Anthony Rother
The 30-year old producer and label owner from Offenbach (Frankfurt) obviously knows what he's talking about when calling a compilation "In Electro We Trust" as he did not so long ago. For over 17 years, he has been working, playing, living and representing electro. Always believing in this kind of music, Rother went through all its ups and downs. With his club label Datapunk he has been transforming the aesthetics of electro into today's music for over a couple of years now. Some extraordinary successful maxis, like productions for Sven Vath's Cocoon label, and Rother's fifth studio album "Popkiller" prove the timelessness of his sound. Not only was "Popkiller" on top of all the 2004 charts but also it was crowned album of the year by the Raveline Magazine readers. All in all, enough proof of how up-todate electro still is today.

Anthony Rother's career started in the late eighties. His first record releases were strongly inspired by the spherical sound collage of director and composer John Carpenter ("Die Klapperschlange", "The End"). From 1994 on, Rother was one of the most important producers of Heiko Laux's Kanzleramt label, which, at that time, was located in rural Hessen and has remained one of the few German labels releasing techno on a qualitatively high level.

Three years later, a sub label of Kanzleramt was founded especially for Rother's long player "Sex with the machines", Kanzeleramt's first artist album to be released. It added a long lasting dynamic to Rother's career. With "Sex with the machines" Rother realised for the first time the synergy of clubbing expectation and the intensity of electro beats typical for his sound. "The unbelievable feedback from different people was the first proof for me of how much energy I can get out of my music and all of a sudden, everything was clear to me! The success I had later on has confirmed me on what I am doing and has shown me my way to better understand myself as an artist."

As a consequence, Rother started to go his own way in 1998 and founded his own label PSI49NET, an artistic platform to release his own productions as well as a variety of collaborations with fellow producers and innovative musicians for whom PSI49NET represented the right medium. It was this label on which celebrated albums like "Simulationszeitalter" (2000), "Little Computer People" (2001) and "Hacker" (2002) were released. Not only were these records musical statements, but they also convinced with their critical vocals which are rather unusual in electronic music. Over the years, a musical friendship with Frankfurt's legendary DJ Sven Vath resulting in several common productions has developed. Rother produced the two Sven Vath albums "Contact" und "Fire" as well as several other collaborations, like "Komm" and "Magie", for Vath's Cocoon label under the name of Vath & Rother.

Recently, he produced their remix of Nena's chart hit "Willst Du mit mir gehen?". Other artists he worked with are Thomas Schumacher and Karl Bartos from Kraftwerk as well as this year's collaborations/remixes with Miss Kittin, Erick Morillo and DJ Hell.

An important aspect for Rother's musical career are his celebrated live acts which have made him and his vast equipment a popular guest in clubs and on festivals around the world.


Aphex Twin
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