Look at many things in today's electronic music industry and you shall find that they are most likely in a pseudo state of flux. Artists flutter from genre to genre, established institutions pander to temporary fads and the ideal of artistic integrity hangs by a fraying thread. Beneath the surface there lies an esoteric tier of labels who adroitly steer their artists, fans and selves through the mire in pursuit of a single, simple belief: no frills good music. Enter Raum...musik:
In its thirteen-year lifetime Raum has delivered 46 releases and 7 albums - a carefully measured output. From the skeletal, exploratory albums of Dick Richards and Dub Taylor to the breezy, elemental tech of Funk E, Raum spans a wealth of deliciously intricate sound bubbling up between the boundaries of unconventional house and techno.
Developing the wonky, stripped house sound of the 00s Raum began with an irresistibly textured minimal beat - Sweet N Candy's Phonoautomatiq and Patrick Chardronnet's Ledge releases still hold the same itching, timeless appeal as they did then. Organically building its rock solid roster, 2007 saw Marek Hemmann, Christian Burkhardt and giant Ricardo Villalobos join the fold of the refined, slinking family as its sound traversed the minimal wave towards an intelligent, techy outlook. Increasingly peppered with artists of sublime quality - Kaden, Miss Fitz, Eulberg to name but a few - the latter part of the decade saw a dose of machine eclecticism courtesy of Seuil, Massi DL and Guillaume & The Contu Dumonts. Now - in its current guise - you can expect the crème of rising bright sparks pushing a classically refined sound - beware though that surprise is a commodity in which Raum deals with ease.
Track: Heute Nacht - Phonoautomatiq - Sweet N Candy
Released: 01/12/2003
► At the turn of the century electronic music was marching to a musty, analogue beat. The relentless sound of Acid was fading and the forward thinking labels of Europe - Raum among them - began to shape a new, refined sound: minimal. Sweet N Candy's Heute Nacht, creates a groove with a wriggling, granular twitch. Its skeleton of simple muted bass and razor sharp geometry leaves you asking, 'is less more?'
I spoke to Dorian Paic, Raum...musik's A&R - Artists & Repertoire - man, aesthete and releasing artist about the history of the label, his work and his vision. Beginning his immersal in electronic music with a job in a record store, Paic took up DJing before becoming involved in the label. Now, Paic maintains a position as a respected DJ - playing at Ibiza's Cocoon party this season - with a steady stream of international gigs. In most circumstances, to examine a label would require elaborate comparisons and extensive background knowledge of scene, setting and time, however in this special case interviewing Paic is like interviewing the label entity itself:
You are the A&R man at Raum...musik, can you describe your position and what it involves?
"The job of an A&R person is to give the direction of the label - the general musical direction - and to build good relationships with artists who in the best case are a collective of friends that are supporting you with their music."
How did you come into working for the label?
"It started when I was working at the Freebase Record Shop. Raum was founded in 1998 by my partner Olaf Zern - he still runs the label with me but focuses more on the business side of things - licensing, dealing with the GEMA and taking care of the accounts. He founded it with Peter Armster [Armster left the label shortly after its inception]. In 2001 Olaf asked me if I wanted to join him in running the label by taking over the A&R position - I was already DJ-ing at the time and I guess he just trusted my taste and judgment."
Track: Knisterboogie - Ledge EP - Patrick Chardronnet
Released: 01-06-2004
►Patrick Chardronnet has a knack for machine-made groove. In comparison to today's clean-cut digital production, Knisterboogie drips with analogue warmth. Its old school drum-machine wheeze and super flat, creepy main hook welcomed a dose of 'weird' into the fold.
In your position, how much of your personal values and opinions come through in the label?
"With all of the records that I decide to release I have some kind of attachment with the tracks so it is always a very personal choice - or it can be my reaction to how music is working in the clubs at the time. In general you could say that the releases are always between house and techno in some way but they can be more electronic or more classically deep."
Raum is a true expression of Dorian's mind - Raum is Paic and Paic is Raum. Perhaps this explains the organic feel of the label's development and output: like a true artist, writer or painter - Paic is incredibly careful about what he puts into the world.
Raum shares its geographical living space with the likes of Tretmuehle, Freude Am Tanzen and Gatspiel Recordings. All are tight-knit family affairs and are part of the infamous Frankfurt microcosm. The aforementioned area spawns a disproportionate number of successful parties, labels and artists, Dorian feels it is a simply a logical of a situation:
"The city is very small and has a long and involved history with nightlife. Many very talented people who have been pioneers of the German electronic scene have traditionally hailed from Frankfurt but recently some of this group - some of the people - have left to move to Berlin or other places. This means that those who are left all know, like and support each other. Most people end up collaborating together be it on labels or projects simply as a product of the situation."
In the industry today it is the goal of every fledgling label to achieve this particular 'family atmosphere'. With Raum however, this ethos has existed since its very inception:
"We hardly use any contracts because everyone happens to be closely related friends or artists - you can trust each other and it makes working together much easier. The interactions between the artists and ourselves are always very personal, it is not like we are 'buying' an artists name or 'commissioning' music - which can feel very impersonal."
Hard evidence then, that this is a very human project. If you examine the labels history you can trace with a finger the rise of artists like Dominik Eulberg, Hemmann and Burkhardt. Visionquest alumni Troxler and Reeves, Guti, Seuil, Reboot and Roman Flugel - the list of top tier artists licked by Paic and Raum is extensive and stands as a testament to Paic's darling skill: spotting talent.
"If you examine our back catalogue you will see that many artists took their first steps on Raum. A few people I chose for the label became really big some time later. I'm not saying this happened especially because of Raum but I think we have always had a strong direction and manage to be ahead of the trends."
As the decade progressed Raum continued to deliver an increasingly refined output as the minimal star continued to rise above Europe. German Marek Hemmann, a 'hunter, collector and true connoisseur of tones and sonics' continued to release staples of solid quality.
Track: Tackywakeup (Marek Hemmann Remix) - Tackywakeup Remixes - Sweet N Candy, Marek Hemmann
Released: 14/07/2006
►In my mind the beauty of minimal is that it tells a story - it invites your hopefully active imagination to dance. In Hemmann Remix of Tackywakeup for instance: picture a grand ball, partners twisting and moving to a manic, frenzied quickstep. In the centre is the flirting female prize, male after male - hear the popping synth - comes to try his luck but each one fails and the game continues. Or perhaps its just a collection of nonsensical bleeps.
Artist Spotlight: Marek Hemmann
►Marek Hemmann, along with label mates Christian Burkhardt, Dominik Eulberg, Sascha Dive and Sweet N Candy represent Raum's most prolific contributors. Having released or contributed to over 300 releases, Hemmann can be considered an architect of the house-derived minimal sound. Not content with the boundaries of traditional acoustic instruments Hemmann's goal is to create sounds your ear has never heard before.
From the manic swathes of Agaric's Goose Step and Sweet N Candy's Down the Hatch to the kooky murmurings of Villalobos and Fluegel's Roric, the sound and look of the label has naturally developed over its fifteen-year lifetime. Throughout though Raum has maintained a cohesive vibe striking the balance between new and known sounds.
Since 2001 the label's sound has, of course, developed: beginning in the creeping realms of minimal, pursuing a slightly techier fare and now flirting with classicism, is the direction of the label ever planned or does it progress organically?
"It just happens. As a reaction to my perception of what is happening in the clubs at the moment or from impressions I gain from my DJ gigs. I always try to be ahead of the curve - what I think will happen within the next year or whatever - but nowadays things change so fast it is harder. Crucially, I always trust my own judgment and taste."
Track: My House Your Motel - My House Your Motel EP - Seuil
Released: 26/03/2009
►As the minimal shadow began to lighten somewhat instead of running - tail between legs - into another genre Raum stayed its course towards an intricate tech-house fare. Delicate and complex, Seuil's record- with its stripped crackles and instrumental brass - signaled a new chapter. People can only stay in dark corners so long and as Europe pined for light Raum already held the proverbial torch.
Since its peak in 2006/7 the minimal style has experienced a commercial decline. It is interesting that a lot of the artists who released very minimal tracks at that time are now producing solely tech house sounds, or have departed to another genre entirely.
"I think this is happening all the time. At some point you must be true to yourself and focus on your own identity. So many labels are constantly jumping from one thing to another - five years ago they were doing minimal techno, then deep house and now it is all about analogue sounding material. At some point you must grasp a certain direction - find your own way of doing things and find your own sound."
Grasping a certain direction - and sticking to it - seems like a glaringly obvious maxim from the bible of 'viable lasting success'. Perhaps a want for cohesion is in the past? Is wearing a shifting, adaptable skin the next evolutionary step? Releases on Raum have always floated beyond 'the curve' but in the current climate the curve is less defined; instead of a hard line it is a twisting, rippling helix.
Either way, Raum has kept a firm hold on itself, but how? The sound of Raum is hard to pin down; Dorian himself despises the idea of having a 'certain sound'. We can say it flirts in the space between house and techno but what else? A Raum release is best described in terms of ideals: it has quality, it has been created not out of a desire for profit but of a natural inclination and it exhibits a spark: of emotion, warmth, weirdness or futurism.
Track: Roric - Rirom - Ricardo Villalobos, Roman Fluegel
Released: 08/06/2011
►Artist credentials do not reach much higher than the dark cap of the Chilean minimal don. With a second Raum release due later this year Villalobos is the undisputed master of wandering, scratching beats. A self-confessed audiophile and sound scientist, 'danceable' is a convenient by-product of productions that exists first to please the ear and second to engage the mind.
Do you have control over the visual aesthetic of the label as well? Is the artwork pre-conceived or directly related to the individual tracks?
"It is done by a school friend of mine who I used to do graffiti with. At the moment we pre-produce a certain sleeve and only change the label sticker. By applying a stripped aesthetic to the art and all aspects of the label the music is presented in a more conceptual way - in a more serious way. Of course the cost is also a factor - I would rather invest more money in the technical side of things such as better mastering."
I suppose if you largely keep to the same template with slight differentiations between releases it gives the label and the music a stronger identity - even though from the outset it may seem as if less effort is being applied. It must build familiar trust with the consumer.
"This was always my biggest wish. I think the most horrible thing is when people have a certain idea of what your record will sound like - this and this artists with this and this sound. In the best case people see a new record and think 'ah cool that's the new Raum I really need to check this' - this is what I am trying to achieve."
Raum is dedicated to giving a complete product. Every inch of the label - its visual aesthetic, parties, website design and nature - exist to accentuate your musical experience. As mentioned the ability of the label to procure a soundless-sound - recognisable yet essentially different - is a testament to the vision of Zern and Paic. Raum is one of a few labels that can be relied upon to produce constantly surprising, exciting material; over thirteen years in the making we still don't know what's coming next.
Track: Taiko - The Rell EP - Julien Bracht
Released: 13/06/2012
►In its current guise Raum remains a beacon of quality and interest. Bracht - touring this year with his live percussion show - is one of an exciting cohort of young artists still actively seeking a need for freshness - for the continuing development of the deliciously grey area between house and techno.
Although labeled as 'tech house' Taiko drips with the dark and shadowy licks of Raum's past - it represents the evolution of the label's sound from inception to the present day. Paic means to continue the label's current direction - music with a stripped back, classic feel - fusing warm groove with laser cut production.
With such a stoic commitment to its vision Raum lends itself a romantic air. It is a label with strong ideals, possessing many things which many labels of today do not: unflinching integrity and a very organic, human feel - the fleshy feel of Dorian Paic's mind. Eager to uncover more about the man behind the curtain, I asked Paic to examine the roots of his inspirations, "Most of my inspiration comes from life in some way. The way I am living my life or what is happening during the week - or on certain days. To be really honest most of the time when I'm at home I just enjoy silence. People think I'm crazy..."
