As a member of Kompakt since the early 90s, Reinhard Voigt has been a key player in the development and subsequent success of this legendary Cologne-based record label. Taking early notes from his infamous older brother Wolfgang Voigt (aka Mike Ink), Reinhard has refined and re-tooled his sound in a direction that has become unmistakeably his own in it's dirty, subversive (yet charming) minimal techno pop.
This New Jersey native was initially inspired by England's take on the sound of Detroit, but eventually tracked techno back to its Motor City innovators. When he began listening to music, however, it was the sound of early-'80s synth heroes like Devo, Severed Heads and New Order alongside early hiphop, jazz and 60's Hindi film soundtracks. Geist released his first 12" (via Dan Curtin's innovative Metamorphic label) while studying at Oberlin College in 1994.
Thomas Brinkmann (born 1959) is a highly regarded German producer of experimental minimal techno music. Although experimenting with records since the early eighties, he gained wide reputation with his re-workings of material by fellow artists Mike Ink and Richie Hawtin released in the second half of the 90s. These productions were made by playing physically modified vinyl records on highly customized turntables with an additional tone arm.
Camper Van Beethoven is an alternative rock band that was founded in 1983 in Redlands, California, though the band soon moved to Santa Cruz, California. Camper Van Beethoven mixed elements of pop, ska, punk rock, folk, country, and acid rock into an eclectic, catchy and sometimes mysterious ensemble, years before the so-called alternative rock moniker came to mainstream attention. The group's trademark violin-coated melodies and their ironic take on American culture put them one step away from being a novelty act in the eyes of many critics.