Âme

The winter when "Rej" took over everything

During the winter of 2005 and throughout 2006, the theatrical arpeggio of "Rej" slipped into house and techno booths around the world. The track, the second release on the Berlin label Innervisions, sounded neither like the then-hegemonic minimal nor festival electro-house: it had analog warmth, harmonic shifts, and a pulse that Richie Hawtin, Sasha, or Timmy Regisford could all make their own. Âme, the duo formed in Karlsruhe by Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann, went from the back room of the record store to the big dance floors without trying to repeat the formula.

Plattentasche, Jazzanova and a home of their own

They met in 2000 at Plattentasche, Beyer's record store in Karlsruhe, united by Chicago house, Detroit techno, and the habit of listening with patience. In 2001 they started producing together. In 2003 they released on Sonar Kollektiv, Jazzanova's label, and in 2004 they gathered that first chapter on the self-titled album Âme. With Steffen Berkhahn, Dixon, they founded Innervisions in 2005: first as a sub-label and very soon as an independent home, with Berlin as their base of operations. Mixmag named them duo of the year in 2006. Mixes for Fabric (Fabric 42, 2008) followed, as did the extended piece "Fiori" on Ostgut Ton and collaborations with Henrik Schwarz and Derrick Carter. The remix of "Howling" (2012), born from Wiedemann's project with RY X, became another emotional club standard, alongside re-readings for The xx, Osunlade, or Moderat.

Booth, live act and Âme II Âme

In concert, the name does not describe a single figure. Beyer tours the international circuit as a DJ; Wiedemann reconstructs the catalog in the Âme Live key, with improvisation and machines. When they coincide, the Âme II Âme format mixes both disciplines. They have played at Panorama Bar, Robert Johnson, Pacha, DC-10, or Tomorrowland. An ecosystem grew around the duo: the Muting The Noise store, the Lost In A Moment parties in unexpected locations, and the immersive Transmoderna series, designed to fuse sound, space, and technology.

Dream House and the pulse of now

The album Dream House (2018) shifted the center of gravity toward home listening—with Matthew Herbert, Planningtorock, Gudrun Gut, or Roedelius—without abandoning the dance floor journey. They signed the Innervisions centenary themselves with The Witness. They continue to release demanding club music, from "Asa" to "Shadow Of Love" with Curses and "Love Is The Dance" with RY X, and they curate a label with few releases and high standards, with booking through T S agency. Âme does not chase nostalgia: it uses the history of house to sound, still, like the present.