Ellen Fraatz,known professionally asEllen Allien,is a Berlin-based Germanelectronic musician,music producer,and the founder ofBPitch Controlmusic label.Her albumStadtkindwas dedicated to the city ofBerlin,and she cites the culture ofreunified Berlinas one of the main inspirations for her music.[1]She sings in both German and English. Her music is best described as a blend ofIDMandtechnomusic, which is dance-floor oriented and has noticeable experimental elements.
Ellen Allien | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Ellen Fraatz |
Origin | West Berlin,West Germany |
Genres | |
Occupations |
|
Instrument | Vocals |
Years active | 1992–present |
Labels | |
Website | ellenallien |
Career
editEllen Allien was born and grew up inWest Berlin.[2]During 1989, she lived in London where she first came into contact with electronic music.[1]When she later returned to Berlin, electronic music had become increasingly popular in Germany.[1]In 1992, she became resident DJ at the Bunker,Tresor,and E-Werk.[3][2]She started her own show on the Berlin radio stationKiss FMand created her own record label, calling them both "Braincandy". Due to problems with distribution, she gave the Braincandy label up in 1997 and instead began organizing parties with the name, "Pitch Control".[2]
She released her first album,Stadtkind,in 2001, and her second album,Berlinette,in 2003. In 2005, she released the albumThrills,followed byOrchestra of Bubbles,a collaboration withApparat,in 2006. During the same year, Allien launched her own fashion line, "Ellen Allien Fashion".[4]
After the minimalisticSoolin 2008, she released her fifth solo album,Dust,in 2010.
Allien made a brief appearance in the 2009 electronic music documentarySpeaking In Code.[5]Then she worked on the music for the dance performance "Drama Per Musica", which has been premiered in Paris in March 2011 under the direction of Alexandre Roccoli and Sevérine Rième. An accompanying album "LISm" was released in 2013. It has been described as a homogeneous mix of various genres, akin to her DJ sets.[6]Her next album "Nost" also sets on variety, but only within the electronic spectrum.[6]In 2019 Ellen Allien launched her UFO Inc. label with her "UFO" acid techno EP.[7]
Ellen Allien holds residencies in the clubs Nitsa, Barcelona and Circoloco at DC10, Ibiza. In 2019 she launched her bi-monthly rave "We Are Not Alone" at Griessmühle, Berlin, Upon the venue's shutdown in 2020, the event has been moved to RSO.berlin.[8]
Record labels
editAllien created the techno label BPitch Control in 1999.[2][9]Earlier in her career, around the time she hosted 'Braincandy' on Berlin's Kiss-FM, she launched her first record label name using the same name, this paved the way for the BPitch Control imprint. The label has launched the careers of popular artists, such asModeselektor,Paul KalkbrennerandApparat.In 2005 Allien created a BPitchsublabelcalled "Memo Musik" for minimal tech and minimal house.
Discography
editAlbums
edit- 2001 –Stadtkind(BPC021)
- 2003 –Berlinette(BPC065)
- 2004 –Remix Collection(BPC080)
- 2005 –Thrills(BPC106)
- 2006 –Orchestra of Bubbles(BPC125)
- 2008 –Sool(BPC175)
- 2010 –Dust(BPC217)
- 2013 –LISm(BPC264)
- 2017 –Nost(BPC330)
- 2019 –Alientronic(BPX001)
- 2020 –AurAA(BPX009)
EPs / singles
edit- 1995 – "Ellen Allien E.P."(XAMP03)[10]
- 1995 – "Ellen Allien Vol. II [Yellow Sky]"(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" (withAudion)(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)[11]
- 2014 – "Freak" EP(BPC300)[12]
- 2015 – "Allien RMXS"(BPC313)
- 2015 – "High"(BPC315)
- 2016 – "Turn Off Your Mind"(BPC324)
- 2016 – "Landing XX"(BPC328)
- 2018 – "Take A Stand"(NONPLUS064)[13]
- 2019 – "Ufo"(UFO INC001)[14]
- 2019 – "La Música Es Dios"(UFO INC003)
- 2020 - "Auraa"
- 2021 - "Rosen EP"
- 2023 - "Dance And Kill" withAsh Code
Mix CDs
edit- 2001 –Flieg mit Ellen Allien( "Fly with Ellen Allien" )
- 2002 –Weiss.Mix( "White mix" )
- 2004 –My Parade
- 2007 –Fabric 34: Ellen Allien
- 2007 –Time Out Presents – The Other Side: Berlin
- 2007 –Bpitch Control Camping Compilation 03
- 2008 –Boogybytes, vol. 04
- 2010 –Watergate 05
- 2011 –On The Road Mix (Bpitch Control) – For the German issue ofDJMag
Remixes
edit- 1996 – Gut-Humpe – "Butterpump (Ellen Allien rmx)"
- 1996 – Gut-Humpe – "Butter (Ellen Allien dub)"
- 2001 – Malaria! – "Eifersucht (Ellen Allien rmx)"
- 2001 –Miss Kittin& Goldenboy – "Rippin Kittin(Ellen Allien rmx) "
- 2001 – PeterLicht – "Die Transsylvanische Verwandte Ist Da (Ellen Allien Fun Maniac mix)"
- 2002 – Covenant – "Bullet (Ellen Allien rmx)"
- 2003 –Apparat– "Koax (Ellen Allien rmx)"
- 2003 –Barbara Morgenstern– "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 – 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 –Audion– "Just A Man (Ellen Allien rmx)"
- 2007 –Beck– "Cellphone's Dead (Ellen Allien rmx)"
- 2007 –Louderbach– "Season 6 (Ellen Allien Away rmx)"
- 2007 –Safety Scissors– "Where Is Germany And How Do I Get There (Ellen Allien Germany rmx)"
- 2009 –Uffie– "Pop The Glock (Ellen Allien Bang The Glock Mix 2009)"
- 2010 – We Love – "Hide Me (Ellen Allien Remix)" (BPitch Control)
- 2011 –Moderat– "Seamonkey (Ellen Allien Remix)" (BPitch Control)
- 2011 –AUX 88– "Real To Reel (Ellen Allien Remix)" (Puzzlebox Records)
- 2012 –Telefon Tel Aviv– "The Birds (Ellen Allien Remix)" (BPitch Control)
- 2014 – Shinedoe – "Panomanic (Ellen Allien Remix)" (Intacto Records)
- 2017 – Skinnerbox – "Gender (Ellen Allien Remix)" (Turbo)
- 2017 –Depeche Mode- "Cover me (Ellen Allien U.F.O. Remix)" (Mute Records)
- 2018 –Mount Kimbie- "T.A.M.E.D. (Ellen Allien U.F.O. Rmx)" (Warp Records)
- 2019 –Loco Dice- "We're Alive (Ellen Allien About XX Remix)" (Desolat)
- 2019 – Shlømo - "Mercurial Skin (Ellen Allien Remix)" (Taapion Records)
- 2020 – Amotik - "Tetalis (Ellen Allien Remix)" (AMOTIK)
References
edit- ^abc"Ellen Allien Interview".11th-hour.2002. Archived fromthe originalon 21 October 2007.Retrieved11 September2014.
- ^abcd"Ellen Allien".Index Magazine.2004.Retrieved11 September2014.
- ^"EX.180 Ellen Allien".Resident Advisor.27 December 2013.Retrieved11 September2014.
- ^Dannon, Allura (5 September 2008)."Fashions from Ellen Allien".XLR8R.Retrieved12 March2020.
- ^"Speaking in Code - Showing 04/17/2009 at International Film Series".International Film Series at CU-Boulder.Retrieved24 May2019.
- ^ab"Ellen Allien – laut.de – Band".laut.de(in German).Retrieved8 January2019.
- ^"Ellen Allien inaugurates new label, UFO Inc., with her two-track UFO EP".Resident Advisor.Retrieved29 January2019.
- ^"Ellen Allien - Official Web Page".www.ellenallien.de.Retrieved8 January2019.
- ^Glasby, Taylor (8 April 2014)."Interview: Ellen Allien".Retrieved11 September2014.
- ^"Ellen Allien – Ellen Allien E.P. (Vinyl)".Discogs.Retrieved5 October2014.[better source needed]
- ^"Ellen Allien – Dust (Remixes) (Vinyl)".Discogs.Retrieved5 October2014.[better source needed]
- ^"Ellen Allien – Freak (Vinyl)".Discogs.Retrieved5 October2014.[better source needed]
- ^"Ellen Allien - Take A Stand".BPitch Control.Retrieved8 January2019.
- ^"OUT TODAY | UFO01 Ellen Allien – 'UFO' EP".BPitch Control.28 January 2019.Retrieved29 January2019.