Âme
Two friends from Karlsruhe, a record shop and a 2005 single called “Rej”: how Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann became Âme and co-founded Innervisions with Dixon.
- German duo of Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann, from Karlsruhe.
- Breakthrough with “Rej” (2005); named Duo of the Year by Mixmag in 2006.
- Co-founders, with Dixon, of the Berlin label Innervisions.
Âme began in a record shop. Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann met in 2000 at Beyer’s shop in Karlsruhe and were making tracks together a year later. In 2005 one of those tracks, “Rej”, put them — and the label they had just co-founded — on the map.
Karlsruhe and Sonar Kollektiv
The roles are clear: Beyer is the DJ who travels, Wiedemann the studio producer who also performs live. Their references reach well beyond house — Detroit techno and Chicago house, but also Krautrock, jazz and Afrobeat.
Jazzanova heard their early material, and from 2003 their singles came out on the Berlin label Sonar Kollektiv: “Kuma / Engoli”, “Mifune / Shiro”, “Ojomo / Nia” and “Sarari / Hydrolic Dog”. A first CD, Âme, gathered them in 2004.
“Rej” and Innervisions
In 2005 Dixon founded Innervisions in Berlin with Beyer and Wiedemann, first as a sub-label of Sonar Kollektiv. “Rej”, the label’s second release, was the duo’s breakthrough: Defected licensed it, DJs everywhere picked it up, and it set Innervisions on its way. In 2006 Mixmag named Âme Duo of the Year. The archive has the full story of “Rej”.
Collaborations and remixes
Âme rarely work alone for long. With Dixon and Henrik Schwarz they released the Where We At EP (2006, with Derrick L. Carter), the D.P.O.M.B. EP (2008), the compilation The Grandfather Paradox (2009, on BBE) and the A Critical Mass Live EP (2010). Outside Innervisions, “Fiori” came out on Ostgut Ton, the Berghain label that also released Len Faki, and “Erkki” on Rush Hour. Other singles followed, among them “Balandine” (2007) and the standalone “Doldrums” (2016). With Henrik Schwarz they also toured as the Innervisions Orchestra, with room for jazz-inflected improvisation, and Âme Live (2012) was assembled in the studio from reworked remixes and new material. In 2018 came Dream House, described as their first proper studio album, with guests including Matthew Herbert, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Gudrun Gut and Planningtorock. On the DJ side, they mixed Coast 2 Coast (2007), fabric 42 (2008) and Primary Structures (2011).
Their remixes include Moderat’s “Running”, The xx’s “Reunion”, Franz Ferdinand’s “Feel the Love Go”, work for Underworld and UNKLE, and Howling’s “Howling” (2012). That last one led Wiedemann further into Howling, his project with Ry X, whose album Sacred Ground came out in 2015.
In the mix
Âme records are long-form club music, built to unfold over ten minutes rather than to hit in thirty seconds. For more from the Innervisions circle, dig into Dixon, and for the Berghain side of their catalogue, Len Faki.
FAQ
Who are Âme?
A German duo: Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann, both from Karlsruhe. Beyer is the DJ; Wiedemann is the studio producer and plays live.
What was Âme’s breakthrough?
“Rej”, released in 2005 on Innervisions, the label they had just founded with Dixon. Mixmag named them Duo of the Year in 2006.
Who runs Innervisions?
Dixon, with Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann of Âme. It was founded in Berlin in 2005, first as a sub-label of Sonar Kollektiv.
