Elektronische Musik Aus Köln ~ A Synthetic History Of E.M.A.K. 1982-88

01 Alhara
02 Filmmusik
03 Ohne Titel
04 Biela
05 Gewitterluft
06 Schlammgang
07 Bote des Herbstes
08 Nupsa Puntsch
09 Wenn Mr. Reagan es will
10 Aranea
11 Sein und Schein
12 Tanz der Vampire
13 A L'Horizon
14 Traumreise



“E.M.A.K. [Electronische Musik aus Köln] was founded in Cologne in autumn 1981. Situated in the basement of a music store called ‘Hört-Hört’ [‘Listen-Listen’] was a small 8-track studio run by Matthias Becker. It was here at the ‘Originalton West’ studio that Becker and Kurt Mill, along with Michael Filz and Klaus Stühlen, formed E.M.A.K. and here also where Becker launched the Originalton West label with the release of ‘E.M.A.K.1’ in January 1982.

E.M.A.K. originally functioned more as a collective of individuals than a traditional group. Filz and Stühlen worked on tracks individually and Mill and Becker worked on material at the studio. Kurt Mill and Mathias Becker were the producers and chose all the tracks and final mixes.

Matthias Becker:‘ I grew up to the music of Kraftwerk and Amon Düül. I remember that in 1970, when I was 15, there was a ‘Kommune’ living in the house next door and shortly after the release of ‘Kraftwerk’ for more than a week or two each day the sounds of ‘Ruckzuck’ and ‘Stratovarious’ vibrated through the walls of our living room, (very much to the irritation of my parents).

Although E.M.A.K. were not part of any larger electronic scene in their local city, Cologne was nevertheless still the base of Can, and Holger Czukay’s own studio was barely 200 metres from Originalton West. There was also nearby Johannes Fritsch’s ‘Feedback’ Studio. Fritsch was a serious composer of ‘Neue Musik’ who had collaborated with Stockhausen, who – incidentally – lived and worked in Kürten, a small village about 35 kms from Cologne'

snap up the rish

another fun one found floating around in the dark recesses of the netherwebs. pirty smooth minimal & cosmic synth type schtuff comin str8 outta Köln