Ellen Allien
Encyclopedia
Ellen Allien, born Ellen Fraatz (born 1969), is a German electronic music
ian, music producer and founder of BPitch Control
music label. She lives in Berlin
, Germany
. She sings in both German
and English
. She has said that one of the main inspirations for her music is the culture of reunified Berlin
; her album Stadtkind
was dedicated to the city. Her music is best described as a blend of IDM
and electro
music, which is dance-floor oriented, yet at the same time has noticeable experimental elements.
and in E-Werk. She started her own show on the Berlin radio station Kiss-FM and created her own record label, calling them both "Braincandy". Due to discrepancies with disk sales, she gave Braincandy up in 1997 and instead, organized parties with the name, "B Pitch". Allien created the label BPitch Control
in 1999. The label's releases from Sascha Funke and Tok Tok were particularly successful. Allien released her first album, Stadtkind
("city child"), in 2001, and Berlinette in 2003, After releasing Thrills, Allien created a BPitch sub-label for minimal tech and minimal house, called "Memo Musik", in 2005. Orchestra of Bubbles
, in collaboration with Apparat
, featurings songs like "Way Out" and "Jet", was released in 2006.
During the same year, Ellen Allien launched her own fashion line, which can be seen as "an extension of her philosophy of life“. Ellen Allien Fashion combines a smart perspective onto fashion, music, art, and traveling to an overarching existence, which is meant to be shared. Exploring the globe, street life, Ellen Allien develops her own intuition for materials, forms and designs.
In her most recent collection, Night Flowers (Ellen Allien Fashion spring/summer 2010), she created a complete look made of a mixture of black floral lace, white and black floral stitched cotton and summer wool. Featuring hazy prints of dancing people on loose cut t-shirts, each detail transports the feeling of Night Flowers -- "we are the night flowers, and in those special moments, when the music and the crowd become one, we magically blossom at the turn of dusk…."
After the minimalistic Sool
in 2008, she released her fifth solo album Dust
(BPC217) in May 2010.
Allien made a brief appearance in the 2009 electronic music documentary, Speaking In Code
.
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
ian, music producer and founder of BPitch Control
BPitch Control
BPitch Control is a German techno record label founded in 1999 in Berlin by DJ and producer Ellen Allien. In 1992 she became resident DJ at the legendary Tresor club in Berlin's Potsdamer Platz...
music label. She lives in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. She sings in both German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. She has said that one of the main inspirations for her music is the culture of reunified Berlin
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
; her album Stadtkind
Stadtkind
Stadtkind is the debut album by German experimental techno musician Ellen Allien. Released on Allien's own label, BPitch Control in 2001, it was an homage to the city of Berlin, whose post-reunification culture inspired the work...
was dedicated to the city. Her music is best described as a blend of IDM
Intelligent dance music
Intelligent dance music is a term that describes an electronic music genre that emerged in the early 1990s. The genre is influenced by a wide range of musical styles particularly electronic dance music such as Detroit Techno...
and electro
Electro (music)
Electro is a genre of electronic dance music directly influenced by the use of TR-808 drum machines, Moog keytar synthesizers and funk sampling...
music, which is dance-floor oriented, yet at the same time has noticeable experimental elements.
History
Ellen was born in Berlin in 1969. Her father played guitar and piano. During 1989, she lived in London where she first came into contact with electronic music. When she later returned to Berlin, electronic music had become increasingly popular in Germany. In 1992, she became resident DJ in the Bunker, TresorTresor
Tresor is an underground techno nightclub and record label. The club was founded in March 1991 in the vaults of the former old Wertheim department store in Mitte, the central part of the former East Berlin, next to the famous Potsdamer Platz, however the history of the club goes back to 1988 when...
and in E-Werk. She started her own show on the Berlin radio station Kiss-FM and created her own record label, calling them both "Braincandy". Due to discrepancies with disk sales, she gave Braincandy up in 1997 and instead, organized parties with the name, "B Pitch". Allien created the label BPitch Control
BPitch Control
BPitch Control is a German techno record label founded in 1999 in Berlin by DJ and producer Ellen Allien. In 1992 she became resident DJ at the legendary Tresor club in Berlin's Potsdamer Platz...
in 1999. The label's releases from Sascha Funke and Tok Tok were particularly successful. Allien released her first album, Stadtkind
Stadtkind
Stadtkind is the debut album by German experimental techno musician Ellen Allien. Released on Allien's own label, BPitch Control in 2001, it was an homage to the city of Berlin, whose post-reunification culture inspired the work...
("city child"), in 2001, and Berlinette in 2003, After releasing Thrills, Allien created a BPitch sub-label for minimal tech and minimal house, called "Memo Musik", in 2005. Orchestra of Bubbles
Orchestra of Bubbles
Orchestra of Bubbles is an album by Ellen Allien and Apparat, released in 2006.- Reception :It was named the 48th best album of the decade by Resident Advisor.- Track listing :#"Turbo Dreams" – 4:10#"Way Out" – 3:43#"Retina" – 4:03#"Rotary" – 4:24...
, in collaboration with Apparat
Apparat (musician)
Apparat is a German electronic musician living in Berlin and was previously a co-owner of Shitkatapult records. Starting out with dance floor-oriented techno, he later started to create ambient music and more recently became "more interested in designing sounds than beats".In 2004, he appeared at...
, featurings songs like "Way Out" and "Jet", was released in 2006.
During the same year, Ellen Allien launched her own fashion line, which can be seen as "an extension of her philosophy of life“. Ellen Allien Fashion combines a smart perspective onto fashion, music, art, and traveling to an overarching existence, which is meant to be shared. Exploring the globe, street life, Ellen Allien develops her own intuition for materials, forms and designs.
In her most recent collection, Night Flowers (Ellen Allien Fashion spring/summer 2010), she created a complete look made of a mixture of black floral lace, white and black floral stitched cotton and summer wool. Featuring hazy prints of dancing people on loose cut t-shirts, each detail transports the feeling of Night Flowers -- "we are the night flowers, and in those special moments, when the music and the crowd become one, we magically blossom at the turn of dusk…."
After the minimalistic Sool
Sool (album)
Sool is a 2008 album released by German electronic musician Ellen Allien, released on her BPitch Control music label. It is her sixth studio album.- Track listing :#"Einsteigen" – 3:08#"Caress" – 4:29#"BIM" – 5:30#"Sprung" – 4:59#"Elphine" – 4:48...
in 2008, she released her fifth solo album Dust
Dust (Ellen Allien album)
Ellen Allien is known as a DJ, fashion designer, and label head, but she is most famous for her production work. Dust is her seventh full-length as a producer. This time around she worked with the similarly busy Tobias Freund, who is also a mainstay in the Berlin electronica world...
(BPC217) in May 2010.
Allien made a brief appearance in the 2009 electronic music documentary, Speaking In Code
Speaking in Code
Speaking in Code is a character-based documentary directed by Amy Grill about people who are lost in the electronic music lifestyle.Shot in 11 cities and 5 countries, Speaking In Code provides a glimpse into the techno world through the eyes of Modeselektor, the Wighnomy Brothers, Philip Sherburne,...
.
Albums
- 2001 - StadtkindStadtkindStadtkind is the debut album by German experimental techno musician Ellen Allien. Released on Allien's own label, BPitch Control in 2001, it was an homage to the city of Berlin, whose post-reunification culture inspired the work...
(BPC021) - 2003 - Berlinette (BPC065)
- 2004 - Remix Collection (BPC080)
- 2005 - Thrills (BPC106)
- 2006 - Orchestra of BubblesOrchestra of BubblesOrchestra of Bubbles is an album by Ellen Allien and Apparat, released in 2006.- Reception :It was named the 48th best album of the decade by Resident Advisor.- Track listing :#"Turbo Dreams" – 4:10#"Way Out" – 3:43#"Retina" – 4:03#"Rotary" – 4:24...
(BPC125) - 2008 - SoolSool (album)Sool is a 2008 album released by German electronic musician Ellen Allien, released on her BPitch Control music label. It is her sixth studio album.- Track listing :#"Einsteigen" – 3:08#"Caress" – 4:29#"BIM" – 5:30#"Sprung" – 4:59#"Elphine" – 4:48...
(BPC175) - 2010 - DustDust (Ellen Allien album)Ellen Allien is known as a DJ, fashion designer, and label head, but she is most famous for her production work. Dust is her seventh full-length as a producer. This time around she worked with the similarly busy Tobias Freund, who is also a mainstay in the Berlin electronica world...
(BPC217)
EPs / singles
- 1995 - "Ellen Allien EP" (XAMP03)
- 1995 - "Yellow Sky Vol. II" (MFS7074-0)
- 1997 - "Be Wild" (BRAINCANDY002)
- 1997 - "Rockt Krieger" (BRAINCANDY003)
- 2000 - "Last Kiss '99" (BPC008)
- 2000 - "Dataromance" (BPC013)
- 2001 - "Dataromance" (Remixes) (BPC029)
- 2001 - "Stadtkind" (Remixes) (BPC030)
- 2002 - "Erdbeermund" (BPC041)
- 2003 - "Trash Scapes" (Remixes) (BPC066)
- 2003 - "Alles Sehen" (Remixes) (BPC073)
- 2004 - "Astral" (BPC085)
- 2005 - "Magma" (BPC105)
- 2005 - "Your Body Is My Body" (BPC113)
- 2006 - "Just A Man/Just A Woman" (with AudionMatthew DearMatthew Dear is an American music producer, DJ and electronic avant-pop artist.-History:Texas- born Dear moved to Michigan as a teenager, where he was inspired by the sound of Detroit Techno...
) (SPC36) - 2006 - "Down" (Remixes) (BPC116)
- 2006 - "Turbo Dreams" (BPC124)
- 2006 - "Way Out" (Remixes) (BPC129)
- 2006 - "Jet" (Remixes) (BPC135)
- 2007 - "Go" (BPC160)
- 2008 - "Sprung / Its" (BPC176)
- 2008 - "Out Remixes" (BPC178)
- 2008 - "Elphine Remixes" (BPC181)
- 2008 - "Ondu / Caress" (BPC186)
- 2009 - "Lover" (BPC199)
- 2010 - "Pump" (BPC209)
- 2010 - "Flashy Flashy" (BPC216)
- 2011 - "Dust Remixes Ep " (BPC232)
Mix CDs
- 2001 - Flieg mit Ellen Allien ("Fly with Ellen Allien")
- 2002 - Weiss.Mix ("White mix")
- 2004 - My Parade
- 2007 - Fabric 34: Ellen AllienFabric 34Fabric 34 is a DJ mix compilation album by Ellen Allien, as part of the Fabric Mix Series.-Track listing:# Schubert - S1 - Statik# Larry Heard Presents Mr...
- 2007 - Time Out Presents - The Other Side: Berlin
- 2007 - Bpitch Control Camping Compilation 03
- 2008 - Boogybytes, vol. 04
- 2010 - Watergate 05
Remixes
- 1996 - Gut-Humpe - "Butterpump (Ellen Allien rmx)"
- 1996 - Gut-Humpe - "Butter (Ellen Allien dub)"
- 2001 - Malaria! - "Eifersucht (Ellen Allien rmx)"
- 2001 - Miss KittinMiss KittinMiss Kittin is an electronic music DJ, vocalist, and songwriter. Since rising to prominence in 1998 for her singles "1982" and "Frank Sinatra" with The Hacker, she has worked with other musicians such as Chicks on Speed, Felix da Housecat and Golden Boy...
& Goldenboy - "Rippin KittinRippin Kittin"Rippin Kittin" is the first single from the duo Miss Kittin and Golden Boy's album Or.-Critical reception:Pitchfork Media placed "Rippin Kittin" at number four-hundred thirty-five on its Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s list...
(Ellen Allien rmx)" - 2001 - PeterLicht - "Die Transsylvanische Verwandte Ist Da (Ellen Allien Fun Maniac mix)"
- 2002 - Covenant - "Bullet (Ellen Allien rmx)"
- 2003 - ApparatApparat (musician)Apparat is a German electronic musician living in Berlin and was previously a co-owner of Shitkatapult records. Starting out with dance floor-oriented techno, he later started to create ambient music and more recently became "more interested in designing sounds than beats".In 2004, he appeared at...
- "Koax (Ellen Allien rmx)" - 2003 - Barbara MorgensternBarbara MorgensternBarbara Morgenstern is a German electronic music artist who has released seven full-length albums and seven EPs.-Biography:...
- "Aus Heiterem Himmel (Ellen Allien rmx)" - 2003 - OMR - "The Way We Have Chosen (Ellen Allien rmx)"
- 2003 - Sascha Funke - "Forms And Shapes (Ellen Allien rmx)"
- 2003 - Vicknoise - "Chromosoma 23 (Ellen Allien rmx)"
- 2004 - Gold Chains - "Let's Get It On (Ellen Allien rmx)"
- 2004 - Gudrun Gut - "Butterfly (Ellen Allien Butter dub mix)"
- 2004 - Miss Yetti - "Marguerite (Ellen Allien rmx)"
- 2004 - Neulander - "Sex, God + Money (Ellen Allien rmx)"
- 2005 - George Thompson - "Laid Back Snack Attack (Ellen Allien Via mix)"
- 2006 - AudionMatthew DearMatthew Dear is an American music producer, DJ and electronic avant-pop artist.-History:Texas- born Dear moved to Michigan as a teenager, where he was inspired by the sound of Detroit Techno...
- "Just A Man (Ellen Allien rmx)" - 2007 - BeckBeckBeck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
- "Cellphone's Dead (Ellen Allien rmx)" - 2007 - Louderbach - "Season 6 (Ellen Allien Away rmx)"
- 2007 - Safety ScissorsSafety ScissorsSafety Scissors is Matthew Patterson Curry, a minimal techno artist born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He moved to the San Francisco Bay Area for a short while in order to attend San Francisco Art Institute. Curry then decided to focus more on music and eventually joined Belief Systems/Context Records...
- "Where Is Germany And How Do I Get There (Ellen Allien Germany rmx)" - 2009 - UffieUffieAnna-Catherine Hartley , better known by her stage name Uffie , is a Paris-based underground electronic musician, rapper, fashion designer and socialite signed to French electronic music record label Ed Banger Records. She has been described as a muse for French DJs, and is known for working with...
- "Pop The Glock (Ellen Allien Bang The Glock Mix 2009)"