|
Peter Namlook is one of the most influential figures of electronic
and ambient music in the 1990s.
Inspired by Oskar Sala, one of the pioneers of electronic music, Namlook
focused on the untapped potential of analogue synthesizers, often developed
or extended in his laboratory.
Unfortunately his career also embodies the drawback of so
much electronic music of the 1990s: quantity instead of quality.
During that decade he released over 200 albums and collaborated with literally
dozens of musicians. The average quality of those albums and collaborations is
sub-standard: Namlook can make an album out of the silliest idea, which gets
stretched to the point of becoming unbearably tedious.
Freshly educated in composition from Goethe University,
Pete Namlook (Pete Kuhlmann) started his career in Frankfurt playing in
the electronic ensemble Romantic Warrior that was loosely
part of the new age and electronic scene. They cut
Romantic Warrior (Frog, 1985),
Himalaya (Frog, 1986),
Planet (Blue Flame, 1988).
In 1991 he began a second life as a disc jockey playing techno music under the
moniker Sequential.
The single True Colours changed his career and a good chunk of modern
music. Kuhlmann assumed the identity of Pete Namlook, opened hiw own Fax label
and made his first album, Silence (Fax, 1992), a collaboration with Dr
Atmo (and one of the first albums released only on compact disc).
Namlook understood that producing was more important than recording and he
set out to discover, encourage and promote music by ambient electronic artists.
During the first year alone, his label released over 100 records and CDs.
The label name refers to the "fax" as a medium for fast and cheap distribution
of ideas. Its humble weekly releases are equivalent to sending a fax to
a group of friends.
His double albums are containers of lengthy ambient suites reminiscent of
Germany's kosmische school of the 1970s and of Brian Eno's late 1970s
"discreet" music, but also influenced by his two true love:
eastern classical music. No musical genre was a direct
influence, though: Namlook has always claimed that Nature was his main teacher.
From Within (M-nus) is a three-volume collaboration with Richie Hawtin
The Dark Side Of The Moog (Fax) is an eight-volume collaboration with
Klaus Schulze.
SHADO (Fax) is a two-volume collaboration with Bobby Bird.
The Fires Of Ork (Fax, 1994 and 2000) is a collaboration with Biosphere's
Geir Jenssen.
Alien Community (Fax, 1993 and 1994) is a collaboration with Jonah Sharp.
These are albums that a three-year old could make (possibly with more
imagination).
Air (Fax, 1993) is actually better. The first disc samples his various
techniques, whereas the second is a 60-minute ambient symphony
(Traveling Without Moving).
A View To Chill (Fax) is an anthology of live performances.
The series of New Organic Life is based on Granular Synthesis.
Most of his albums are utterly disposable.
|
Partial discography
Silence I (Fax, 1992) ** with Dr Atmo
Silence II (Fax, 1993) * with Dr Atmo
Air I (Fax, 1993) ***
Dreamfish I (Fax, 1993) * with Mixmaster Morris
Alien Community I (Fax, 1993) ** with Jonah Sharp
The Fires Of Ork (Fax, 1993) * with Geir Jenssen
2350 Broadway 3 (Fax, 1993) * with Tetsu Inoue
Passion (Fax, 1993) *
Air II (Fax, 1994) **
Shades Of Orion (Fax, 1994) * with Tetsu Inoue
Alien Community II (Fax, 1994) * with Jonah Sharp
Psychonavigation I (Fax, 1994) *** with Bill Laswell
From Within I (Fax, 1994) * with Richie Hawtin
The Dark Side Of The Moog I (Fax, 1994) *** with Klaus Schulze
Psychonavigation II (Fax, 1995) ** with Bill Laswell
reissued as Psychonavigation (Subharmonic, 1995)
Jet Chamber (Fax, 1995) * with Atom Heart
From Within II (Fax, 1995) * with Richie Hawtin
Koolfang I (Fax, 1995) * with David Moufang
Koolfang II (Fax, 1995) * with David Moufang
Dreamfish II (Fax, 1995) * with Mixmaster Morris
The Dark Side Of The Moog II (Fax, 1995) * with Klaus Schulze
The Dark Side Of The Moog III (Fax, 1995) * with Klaus Schulze
Air III (Fax, 1996) *
Sultan Osman (Fax, 1996) * with Buthan Ocal
Silence III (Fax, 1998) * with Dr Atmo
The Dark Side Of The Moog VIII (Fax, 1999) * with Klaus Schulze
The Retro Rocket (Fax, 1999) * with Move D
The Dark Side Of The Moog VIII (Fax, 1999) * with Klaus Schulze
Sultan Orhan (Fax, 2004) * with Buthan Ocal
|
