FAX [phone]

FAX [phone] (also known as simply FAX or FAX Label^[1][2]) was a German record label founded in Frankfurt^[3] in 1992 by ambient musician Peter Kuhlmann^[4] (who recorded as Pete Namlook, a phonetic inversion of his surname). It was originally devoted to Namlook's collaborations with other German electronic artists, primarily in hard trance and hardcore^[5] styles, but soon expanded with the debut of the ambient Silence and Air projects;^[1][6] consequently, ambient and downtempo music became the predominant focus of the label.^[6]

Recordings

Main label

The main label had three principal subdivisions, indicated by the first two letters of a given record's catalog number.^[4]

• PK was typically for Namlook's solo releases.

• PW ('Peter's World') was for collaborations with international artists – including Turkish folk musician Burhan Öçal as Sultan, English DJ Mixmaster Morris as Dreamfish and Japanese ambient artist Tetsu Inoue as Shades of Orion, 2350 Broadway and 62 Eulengasse.

• PS ("Peter's Sublabel") released records by other artists^[1][4]—without Namlook—of diverse nationalities and idioms, including US guitarist Robert Musso, bassist Bill Laswell, German techno producer David Moufang (aka Move D), and British sound artist Chris Meloche.^[4]

Sub-labels

In addition to these divisions, there were three sub-labels: Yesterday & Tomorrow (YT), Ambient World (AW) and Rather Interesting (RI).

• The Yesterday & Tomorrow sub-label issued a series of albums juxtaposing ambient and the "ambient side" of classical chamber music^[7] (which has been unofficially discontinued, with no releases since 1995).
• Ambient World was dedicated to the re-issuing of otherwise out-of-print FAX discs, particularly those from the 1990s.^[8]
• Rather Interesting was a label maintained by German IDM musician Uwe Schmidt, with the vast majority of its catalog being his solo material, issued under a multitude of aliases.^[1][9]

Further details

Until the creation of the Ambient World sub-label and the subsequent release of its discography on the iTunes Store,^[10] all FAX records were issued in extremely limited quantities, with typically 500–1000 pressings depending on the project.^[1][4] This resulted in FAX originals fetching high prices on eBay and other online auction Web sites.^[1]

Label founder Pete Namlook died of a heart attack on 8 November 2012,^[11] although no official statement regarding the label's future was ever made.^[12][13][14]

See also

• List of electronic music record labels
• Krautrock
• Kosmische
• Music of Germany
• 1995 in music

External links

• The official site of FAX and Pete Namlook
• 2350.org Reviews of FAX material
• FAXGalleria, a FAX fansite
• A spin-off of the official site; includes extensive discography information
• The FAX page on discogs

References

1. barcodexl. "Peter Namlook Interview". Barcodezine.com. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
2. "FAX [phone]". Music.hyperreal.org. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
3. "Pete Namlook Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
4. "Fax [phone] – CDs and Vinyl at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
5. "FAX [phone]". Music.hyperreal.org. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
6. "Information about FAX [phone]". Music.hyperreal.org. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
7. "Yesterday & Tomorrow – CDs and Vinyl at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
8. "Ambient World – CDs and Vinyl at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2 December 2005. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
9. "Rather Interesting—CDs and Vinyl at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
10. "FAX [phone]". Namlook.de. 5 November 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
11. http://nmlkfax.blogspot.nl/2013/07/pete-namlook-official-statement.html
12. German synth pioneer Pete Namlook passes away | MusicRadar
13. RA News: RIP Pete Namlook
14. R.I.P. Pete Namlook – Stereogum