Press Pack

AXEL
BARTSCH
Artist Presentation
BIOGRAPHY
It’s a long road that leads from the purchase of your first single in the mid-70s to
establishing yourself as a respected solo artist with gigs all over the world today. There
were, of course, the first tentative steps - spinning funk and dance classics at house
parties in the 80s. Bitten by the techno bug relatively early, Axel Bartsch spent his youth
listening to the sounds of Soft Cell, Parliament Funkadelic and Depeche Mode. This led
to promoting some of the biggest raves in North Germany in the 90s, introducing the
sounds of Dave Clarke, Hell and Monika Kruse to thousands in eccentric venues like
abandoned theatres and horse-racing tracks. After setting up his first record label with
production partner Asem Shama, they formed the techno duo Vanguard. Their releases
for venerated labels like Frisbee Tracks, Bush Records and Planet Of Drums were
monuments in European techno. Having experienced huge success with Vanguard,
reaching the top of the German and UK single charts (thanks to a wildly successful
bootleg signed to Virgin Records) and the innumerable live peformances, from Wire
Festival Japan to Mayday in Germany, Sao Paolo Fashion Week to VIVA Music Television.
Axel completed his law studies in 2004 and was finally free to focus all his efforts on
music, and especially his increasingly sophisticated solo works for which he is now
known.
This fresh application of time and energy landed him one side of the now classic
Speicher 26, released on Kompakt’s prestigious Extra offshoot. ‘Galaxy’ was a growling,
bass-driven bomb and deservedly became an international smash, setting dancefloors
alight. “I’d not had previous contact with the Kompakt guys,” Axel says, “But after all I’d
read and heard, I got the feeling we had a lot in common, and that they’d like what I was
doing.”
And like it they did, commissioning another mighty Speicher production ‘Was Bleibt Ist
Die Musik’ and acting as distributor for the newly minted Sportclub label, which Axel
founded in 2005. Sportclub has provided Axel with another platform from which to
release his own heady brand of modernist techno - releases like ‘Breakout’, ‘Thunk’ and
the ‘Hola Guapa’ EP have ensured a steep rise in his popularity, and put his name on the
lips of DJs, labels and tastemakers across the globe. Any doubt that Axel Bartsch had
truly arrived was dispelled with the release of his ‘Light in the Dark’ maxi for Kompakt’s
main imprint and the solo Speicher 41. “I produced ‘Light in the Dark’ with Kompakt in
mind.” Axel tells us, “I guess it was meant to be, kind of eerie…”
With three albums in cooperation with Asem under his belt, it became time for his first
solo album ‘Kiss’ which hit the scene on Cologne-based Karmarouge Records in June
2008 and takes him another step ahead, celebrated by almost all upfront DJs and dance
music lovers in the techno circus. In 2009 Axel spends more time connecting with the
scene in Berlin and exploring what the city has to offer than in the studio, but he still
delivers remixes for Gui Boratto and Sian, two Sportclub EPs and a track for Berlin hot
shot Upon You Records before returning with some huge releases in 2010: his debut with
the Get Physical family ‘Gude Laune’, a collaboration with Jake The Rapper called ‘Blam
& Flow’ including a massive remix by Thomas Schumacher, followed by the emotive
deep house stunner ‘Daight’ on the rising Suol label remixed by slo-mo kings Soul Clap,
and the ‘Adebar & Nobel’ EP on Ostwind Recordings.
In 2011 Axel Bartsch is prepared to unveil his most expressive and personal record to
date, the highly anticipated sophomore album ‘Experiment Musik’! After more than
twenty years behind the turntables, in these times of apparently unlimited possibilities,
new production techniques and countless samples and loops, it is a matter of Axel‘s
concern to take a step back and to limit himself, away from the stereotype clean
computer production sound, and to try to conceive the music as an attempt... as an
EXPERIMENT. On his second solo album Axel abstains from omnipresent bongo loops,
native singing and white noise attacks and returns to the classic simplicity of drum
machine and melody. Emotion! - that theme which runs through Axel's work like a
single common thread, giving Axel's music a special warmth and distancing his tracks
from the usual DJ tools. That's why 'Experiment Musik' is not just a stringing together of
dance tracks squeezed into the album format, but a real story, dexterously presenting
many facets of EDM and grooves that are meant to be enjoyed in both clubland and at
home.
So the road’s been long, sure, but Axel remains tireless – his fascination with music and
clubbing keeps him happy and, luckily for us, productive. Wherever he is right now,
whether tweaking away in the studio, gazing out the window of an airplane or maybe
sweating his bollocks off after a 6-hour set at the Panorama Bar, you can rest assured:
he’s doing it for music’s sake, and giving all he’s got to enchant and enthrall us with the
sounds of the 21st century. Get behind him.
Carousel PR & Artist Management | Lauren DeVain | Director
[email protected] | +491777484517
AXEL BARTSCH
Complete Artist Discography 1993-2011
Singles/
Axel Bartsch – Prophetic Dreams (feat. Axel Boman & AKA AKA remixes) –
Sportclub – November 2011
Axel Bartsch – Wir Tanzen (feat. David Labeij + Schäufler & Zovsky remixes)
– Sportclub – September 2011
Axel Bartsch – Adebar & Nobel – Ostwind Spezial - 2010
Axel Bartsch – Body Music – Sportclub – 2010
Axel Bartsch – Daight (feat Soul Clap and Sven Tasnadi & Juno6 remixes) –
Suol Records – 2010
Axel Bartsch & Asem Shama – Drumfiles – Spielzeug Schallplatten – 2001
Vanguard – Alles Oder Nichts Remixes (Chris Liebing) – Frisbee Tracks 2001
Vanguard – Peanutbutter Remixes – Frisbee Tracks – 2001
Vanguard – Shizo Disco – Frisbee Tracks – 2000
Vanguard – Dort wo alles begann Remixes (Thomas Schumacher) – Frisbee –
1999
Vanguard – Dort wo alles begann... – Frisbee Tracks – 1999
Galvano – Electric Drum – 3Lanka – 1999
Vanguard – Frisbee Tour EP Vol. 1 („Swamp“) – Frisbee Tracks – 1998
Vanguard – Running Scared – Frisbee 1998
Axel Bartsch – Gude Laune – Get Digital Music – 2010
Vanguard – March On Washington, Frisbee – 1997
Axel Bartsch feat. Jake the Rapper – Blam & Flow (feat. Thomas Schumacher
remix) – Sportclub – 2010
Asem & Aki – Worldclock – Unknown – 1997
Axel Bartsch – Ah Yeah – Upon.You – 2008
Axel Bartsch – Rakson – Sportclub – 2008
Axel Bartsch – D’accord (split EP with Alex Niggemann) – Sportclub – 2008
Shama & Bartsch – Abstract Matter – Sportclub 2007
Axel Bartsch – Panther – Harthouse – 2007
Axel Bartsch – Easy – Hi Freaks – 2007
Axel Bartsch – In The Country – Sportclub – 2007
Axel Bartsch – Radio Controlled – Spielzeug Schallplatten – 2007
Shama & Bartsch – Fünf Gegen Willy („Reizüberflutung“) – Sportclub – 2007
Axel Bartsch – Speicher 41 – Kompakt Extra – 2006
Axel Bartsch – 02 Remixes (feat. Ruede Hagelstein, Arnaud Le Texier and
Christoph Ehlers remixes) – Sportclub – 2006
Axel Bartsch – Purple Bang/Burn Baby/Raz Faz – Barbarella Music – 2006
DJ Aki & Asem Shama – Six Com Ix – Head In The Clouds – 1996
Vanessa Parker – Untitled – Proxximate – 1996
Asem & Aki – The Surreal E.P. – Bush – 1995
Asem Shama & DJ Aki – Crossroads – Party Rock – 1995
Asem Shama & DJ Aki – Planet Of Drums 5 – Planet Of Drums – 1995
Digital Age – Armageddon – Syndrome Audio – 1994
Digital Age – Danger Ranger – Syndrome Audio – 1994
Digital Age – Renegades of Endorphine – Syndrome Audio – 1994
Digital Age – Sex E.P. – Syndrome Audio – 1994
Digital Age – Revolution Rmxs. (Rob Acid) – Syndrome Audio – 1994
Digital Age – Revolution – Syndrome Audio – 1993
Raveraid – On Acid – Syndrome Audio – 1993
Raveraid – Dawn E.P. – Syndrome Audio – 1993
Zeiger & Bartsch – Nakombi („Thunk“) – Sportclub – 2006
Axel Bartsch – Light In The Dark – Kompakt – 2006
Albums/
Vanguard – Feierarlarm (Vanguard & Speedy J remix) – Frisbee Tracks 2006
Axel Bartsch – Experiment Musik – Sportclub – October 2011
Axel Bartsch – Hola Guapa – Sportclub – 2006
Axel Bartsch – Kiss – Karmarouge Records – 2008
Axel Bartsch – Outasight – Style Rockets – 2006
Vanguard – 1bit Bass – Frisbee Tracks – 2004
Axel Bartsch – Speicher 32 („Was Bleibt Ist Die Musik“ split EP with John
Dahlbäck) – Kompakt – 2005
Axel Bartsch & Asem Shama – Drumfiles 3
Schallplatten – 2003
Axel Bartsch – Speicher 26 („Galaxy“ split EP with Mathew Jonson and The
Mole) – Kompakt – 2005
Vanguard – Alles Oder Nichts – Frisbee Tracks – 2000
Axel Bartsch – Break Out – Sportclub – 2005
Zeiger & Bartsch – Move – Sportclub – 2005
Tube Tech – Kiss In The Storm (Vanguard Remix) – TCLA – 2005
rd
Level Bundle – Spielzeug
Solo Remixes/
Julian Haffner – Magazine (Axel Bartsch Remix) – Semester Music – 2011
Spektre – Sanctum (Axel Bartsch Dominus Remix) – BluFin – 2011
Vanguard – 1bit Bass Remixes (Vanguard and Eric Sneo remixes)– Frisbee
Tracks – 2005
PertHil&Aerts – 1492 (Axel Bartsch Remix) – Society 3.0 Recordings – 2011
Beroshima – The Opression (Vanguard Remix) – TSX – 2004
BVoice & KHz – Hoerle UI (Axel Bartsch Remix) – Highway Records – 2010
Axel Bartsch & Asem Shama – Drumfiles (The Ying Yang Files) Spielzeug
Schallplatten – 2004
Steve Lorenz – Pulsar (Axel Bartsch Remix) – Keep On Ltd – 2010
Vanguard – You Really Got Me! – Frisbee Tracks – 2004
Towie – The Drowing Cat (Axel Bartsch T Like Techno Remix) – No Dough –
2009
Vanguard feat. The Solar Flames – Ultimate Insight – Frisbee Tracks – 2003
Zodiac – Du weißt doch genau... (Vanguard Remix) – East West – 2003
Tube-Tech – The End (Vanguard Remix) – Beatdisaster – 2003
Axel Bartsch & Asem Shama – Drumfiles 3.0 – Spielzeug Schallplatten – 2003
Asem Shama & Axel Bartsch – Creepshow – Masters of Disaster – 2003
Queen & Vanguard – Flash Official Club Mixes (feat. Tomcraft and Smith &
Selway remixes) – Virgin/Frisbee Tracks – 2003
Vanguard – Flash – Frisbee Tracks – 2002
Christian Berg – Supernova (Vanguard Remix) – Frisbee Tracks – 2002
Axel Bartsch & Asem Shama – Drumfiles2.0xe – Spielzeug Schallplatten – 2002
Axel Bartsch & Asem Shama – Timetunnel – Ghostline Electronics – 2001
Max Cavalerra – Eternity (Axel Bartsch Remix) – Broque – 2010
Gui Boratto – Tales From The Lab (Axel Bartsch Dirty Disco Remix) - Defrag –
2008
Sian – The Dogs of Thessaloniki (Axel Bartsch Remix) – Octopus – 2007
Mikro Africano – Mellow Thoughts (Axel Bartsch Remix) – MIS Records – 2007
Arnaud LeTexier – Woowoo Hated This Laughter – The Dude (Axel Bartsch
Remix) – Clic&Cut Rec – 2007
Miss Yetti – Labyrinth (Axel Bartsch Remix) – Gold und Liebe – 2007
Menstruation Monsters – Dirty Soaked Tampon (Axel Bartsch Remix) – Censored
Records – 2006
AXEL BARTSCH
Selected Release Artwork/
AXEL BARTSCH
Selected List of Clubs & Events Played Worldwide/
Berghain – Berlin, Germany
Panorama Bar – Berlin, Germany
Watergate – Berlin, Germany
Bar 25 – Berlin, Germany
Weekend – Berlin, Germany
Tresor – Berlin, Germany
Omen – Frankfurt, Germany
U60311 – Frankfurt, Germany
Mayday – Dortmund, Germany
Nature One Festival – Pydna, Germany
Timewarp – Mannheim, Germany
Ruhr in Love – Gesenkirchen, Germany
HR 3 Clubnight – Hessentag, Germany
Stammheim/Aufschwung Ost – Kassel, Germany
Airport – Wuerzburg, Germany
Pallazzo – Bingen, Germany
Universal D.O.G. – Lahr, Germany
Loft Club – Ludwigshafen, Germany
Douala – Ravensburg, Germany
Puschkin – Dresden, Germany
Registratur – Munich, Germany
Distillery – Leipzig, Germany
Subkultur – Koblenz, Germany
1210 – Hirschau, Germany
Uebel & Gefaehrlich – Hamburg, Germany
Phonodrome – Hamburg, Germany
8.Mai – Chemnitz, Germany
Unity – Erfurt, Germany
Neuroserve – Bielefeld, Germany
Fusion – Munster, Germany
Favela – Munster, Germany
Zoom Club – Nurnberg, Germany
Der Hirsch – Nurnberg, Germany
Artheater – Cologne, Germany
Tiefenrausch – Cologne, Germany
Boot – Cologne, Germany
reSolute – New York City, USA
APT – New York City, USA
Kontrol – San Francisco, USA
Forward – San Francisco, USA
Cargo – San Francisco, USA
Make It New – Boston, USA
Love E – Sao Paulo, Brazil
Loca – Sao Paulo, Brazil
Semana da Moda – Sao Paulo, Brazil
Bunker – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Space Club – Ibiza, Spain
Macumba – Madrid, Spain
Raum – Barcelona, Spain
Loft – Barcelona, Spain
Sonar – Barcelona, Spain
Fever Club – Bilbao, Spain
Boss Club – Almeria, Spain
Chic – Gran Canaria, Spain
Rex Club – Paris, France
Bobino – Paris, France
Nouveau Casino – Paris, France
DV1 – Lyon, France
Bibox – Quimper, France
Totem – Nancy, France
Osophere Festival – Strasbourg, France
Europavox Festival – Clement Ferrand, France
Tunnel – Milano, Italy
Mama’s Beach – Bari, Italy
Aida Disco – Jesolo, Italy
Arma 17 – Moscow, Russia
Krishna Mira – Moscow, Russia
Mix Club – Moscow, Russia
Base – Ekaterinburg, Russia
Kazantip Festival – Kazan Ukraine
Tochka – Kirov, Russia
Forsage – Kiev, Ukraine
Barutana – Belgrade, Croatia
GSG – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Shockers Festival – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Mono Club – Budapest, Hungary
Dunkel – Copenhagen, Denmark
Nadsat – Copenhagen, Denmark
Stora Teatern – Stockholm, Sweden
Bricolage – Stockholm, Sweden
Arto Tron – Cerknica, Slovenia
The Wood – Brussels, Belgium
Empreintes Digitales Festival – Liege Belgium
Prozak – Batumi, Georgia
Fabryczna – Lodz, Poland
T-Bar – London, UK
Error – New Castle, UK
Mutant Pop – Bristol, UK
Flex – Vienna, Austria
Pratersauna – Vienna, Austria
Planetarium – Vienna, Austria
Unity – Innsbruck, Austria
Caveclub – Salzburg, Austria
Rohstofflager – Zurich, Switzerland
Supermarket – Zurich, Switzerland
Energy – Zurich, Switzerland
Planet E – Basel, Switzerland
Wire Festival – Tokyo, Japan
Womb – Tokyo, Japan
Bullits – Tokyo, Japan
Selected Radio & TV Appearances/
Viva Clubrotation, Interaktiv - Germany
Music TV – Belgium
Radio Energy – Belgium
Radio Fritz – Berlin, Germnay
HR XXL Ostermarsch – Frankfurt, Germany
HR 3 Clubnight – Frankfurt, Germany
HR 3 Pitch Control – Frankfurt, Germany
You FM Clubnight – Frankfurt, Germany
Radio Sunshine – Mannheim, Germany
Radio Flora – Hannover, Germnay
R.FM – Stockholm, Sweden
Play.FM – Vienna, Austria
SELECTED RECENT PRESS/
Nachtleben Germany – Cover & Interview
Ibiza Voice - Review
SELECTED RECENT PRESS/
REVIEWS Clockwise from top left –
Raveline Magazine (DE)
The Edinburgh News (UK)
Groove Magazine (DE)
OnlyforDJs (FR)
SELECTED RECENT PRESS/
De:Bug Magazine (DE) - Review
Resident Advisor - Review
3DWorld (AU) – Single of the Week
AXEL BARTSCH -- Feedback on Recent Releases/
________CONTACT________
Management &
Publicity
Axel Bartsch
Booking
Lauren DeVain
Carousel PR
Robert Richter
Sportclub Booking
[email protected]
+491777484517
[email protected]
axelbartsch.com
facebook.com/axelbartschofficial
soundcloud.com/axelbartsch
myspace.com/axelbartsch