Rej — Âme
The second release on Innervisions became the record that made Âme famous: how Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann’s “Rej” went from Karlsruhe to Defected.
- Made by Âme, the Karlsruhe duo of Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann.
- The second release on Innervisions, the label they founded with Dixon in 2005.
- Licensed by Defected and in heavy rotation through 2006; Mixmag named Âme duo of the year in 2006.
“Rej” is the record that put Innervisions on the map. Released in 2005 as the young label’s second single, Âme’s arpeggio-driven track was soon licensed by Defected and spent the following year in DJ sets everywhere.
A record shop in Karlsruhe
Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann met in 2000 at Plattentasche, Beyer’s record shop in Karlsruhe, and began making tracks together in 2001. Jazzanova noticed them, and from 2003 their singles came out on Jazzanova’s label, Sonar Kollektiv. A first CD, Âme, collected those early productions in 2004.
Innervisions, release number two
In 2005 the pair founded Innervisions with Dixon, at first as a Sonar Kollektiv sub-label. DJ Mag dates the launch to July 2005 with Tokyo Black Star’s “Psyche Dance”; “Rej” followed two months later. The finished track owed a lot to one more person. Wiedemann has said the early demos sounded very different, and credits Andreas Schorpp with the decisive work: “He made that track,” he told DJ Mag.
Groove chart, Defected and the remixes
“Rej” climbed to No. 2 in the chart of the German magazine Groove and into the personal charts of many DJs. Defected then licensed it. According to DJ Mag, the remixes Defected commissioned were never much to Beyer and Wiedemann’s liking, but they kept the track in heavy rotation through 2006. Later reissues carried versions by Pastaboys, Wally Lopez and A Hundred Birds, among others. That year Mixmag named Âme its duo of the year.
After “Rej”
The duo followed it with “Balandine” in 2007, the 16-minute “Fiori” on Ostgut Ton the same year, and mix CDs including Fabric 42 in 2008. Innervisions became self-distributed in 2011. Their first proper studio album, Dream House, arrived in 2018.
In a set, “Rej” is a slow builder: the arpeggio and the bass carry the track, with little else to distract from them. Keep digging with the full Âme profile, their label partner Dixon, and Booka Shade’s “In White Rooms”, another German club record of the mid-2000s.
FAQ
Who made Rej?
Âme, the German duo of Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann. Wiedemann has credited Andreas Schorpp with a major part in shaping the final track.
What label released Rej?
Innervisions, the label Âme founded with Dixon in 2005; it was the label’s second release. Defected later licensed it.
Who remixed Rej?
Reissues of the track carried remixes by Pastaboys, Wally Lopez and A Hundred Birds, among others.
