Richard Bartz

Richard Bartz is a unique resident of the Cocoon parties at Amnesia Club (Ibiza), using self-made synthesizers in his performances, and a favorite of techno luminaries Sven Väth and DJ Hell. Born in Munich, Richard Bartz first heard techno in 1991 at a party where he met the legendary German DJ Hell, owner of the label International DeeJay Gigolos. Richard and Hell became friends: Bartz participated in producing DJ Hell's album Geteert & Gefedert and released his works on the German's side label Disko B. At first, Richard created quite commercial disco mixes of acid house and techno under the pseudonym Acid Scout, releasing the record 4 Degrees and then the albums Safari and Sci-Fi. Critics noted the hints of soul music in Richard's works, hastily dubbing his early music rather extravagantly as techno-soul. However, in 1995, Bartz founded his own label Kurbel, joined by Sebastian Nissen, who had worked with the band Kraftwerk, and began writing somewhat different music. Nissen taught Richard not just to record electronic loops on drum machines and synthesizers but to modify the synthesizers themselves. The last ten years, the German spent in a laboratory tinkering with hardware: crafting, soldering, inventing, ultimately creating equipment with new capabilities. In 1998, Bartz released the vinyl Subway on the Kanzleramt label, solidifying his reputation on the European club scene; however, the real breakthrough was the last album Big, which the German released in early 2006. Big is not just the album's title but the name of the system of analog synthesizers constructed by Bartz, which he had been working on for the past decade. Critics claim that such a rich sound as on Richard's latest longplay can be found only in recordings from the late 80s made on 4-track tape recorders. Additionally, Richard Bartz never performs as a DJ playing records or CDs but prefers to surround himself with his hardware and perform live.