If you haven’t heard of Âme over the last few months you must have been living on Mars. The German DJ and producer duo of Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann came out of the same scene that gave us Jazzanova and the Sonar Kollektiv, but they’ve created a sound of their own that embraces house and techno, and is aimed squarely at the dancefloor. Theirs is a unique take on the dance music blueprint too and DJs across the board have been seduced by the deep, dark and enveloping Âme sound. What’s more, they’ve only just got started and their best is surely yet to come.

‘Rej’ is their biggest track to date and it has risen up from the underground to become a future classic. It’s a true crossover track that defies genre pigeonholing; from the coolest minimal hangout to the deepest soulful house sessions to big room dancefloors across the globe, ‘Rej’ has become one of the shining lights of the current dance scene.

Not surprisingly, Defected have picked it up for a full UK release with a clutch of new remixes thrown in for good measure. More of that in a moment, however, and let’s get back to its creators Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann who first met in the German town of Karlsruhe. Frank, originally from nearby Mannheim and inspired by his jazz musician father, began playing in local pop and rock bands, but by the age of 16 became hooked on electronic dance music. Several years later he met Kristian in Karlsruhe where they both currently live; Kristian worked in the local Platten:Tasche record shop at the time where Frank was also a regular customer.

Kristian grew up like any other teenager until he visited his first techno club in 1991. He’d never heard electronic music before and from then on there was no turning back. The pair soon found they were travelling in the same circle of friends and by this time Frank had already started making music in a jazzy style under the name Soul FC. It was the time of the emerging sounds of Jazzanova, Fauna Flash, A Forest Mighty Black and the Trüby Trio, labels like Compost Records and Sonar Kollektiv, and a richly creative time on the German dance scene.

Frank’s production partner in Soul FC then moved to Barcelona so he was looking for someone new to work with and Kristian suggested they try something with more of a house style and things started from there. There’s significance behind the name Âme too.

“Âme is the French word for soul,” explains Frank, “and we chose it for several reasons. We wanted to have an ethnic-sounding name and it’s something we also do with our track titles. Another reason is that Karlsruhe is very close to the French border and we have a lot of connections to France and visit often. It felt natural. Finally, having your name begin with an ‘A’ means you’re always top of the list and a short word like Âme looks really big on posters!”

The first Âme track, ‘Tonite (Dub Version)’, appeared on the ‘Off Limits 3’ compilation mixed by Dixon on Recreation Recordings followed by their debut single, ‘Sarari’/ ‘Hydrolic Dog’, for the Sonar Kollektiv label which came out in May 2003.

“In the early days we were just sampling and trying things out,” remembers Kristian, “listening to loads of other records to try and figure how they did it. They wanted to find a sound that would really work in the clubs too. It was all trial and error.”

As time went on and their studio skills developed, Âme began to take shape and several more singles for Sonar Kollektiv soon followed. These were also brought together on their self-titled debut album which came out in October 2004 and established Âme as a force to be reckoned with.

“The way we work in the studio is that I am more of the musician and the technician,” continues Frank, “while Kristian is the one with the good ear who can decide after five hours of listening to kick drums which is the right one.”

Both Frank and Kristian are also accomplished DJs and an increasingly hectic schedule sees them spinning both solo and together across Europe and beyond. All of which leads onto ‘Rej’ which received its first release in September 2005 on their own Innervisions imprint in partnership with Dixon, although still part of the Sonar Kollektiv imprint. The quality of the track was obvious to see but its crossover appeal has come as something of a surprise.

“We were surprised just how big the crossover has been,” confirms Kristian. “When we played it out the first time and got a massive reaction we knew it was going to be a big track, but not with so many different people! It’s kind of strange because it’s probably the most electronic record we’ve made but it’s been a big hit with all the New York house DJs. We’ve always had big love for the New York sound and now they are going crazy for everything we do.”

Dennis Ferrer, Joe Claussell, François K, Erick Morillo, Mousse T, Kiki from Berlin, Matthew Dear on his ‘Fabric 27’ compilation and the latest edition of ‘Defected in the House’ have all featured ‘Rej’ on recent mix albums which is testament to its success. Interestingly, Danny Howells, Damian Lazarus, Steve Bug and Rolando have also included other Âme tracks on their albums.

A chance meeting with Simon Dunmore at MIDEM earlier this year sparked a dialogue that has led to Defected licensing ‘Rej’ with new remixes by the Pastaboys, Louie Vega and A Hundred Birds from Japan who will be recording a live version. You can expect to see a crop of Âme remixes over the next few months for labels like Buzzin’ Fly and Ibadan, while Frank and Kristian have promised there will be a follow-up to ‘Rej’ this year for sure.

What’s most remarkable about ‘Rej’ and the Âme sound in general is that it really does join the dots between house and techno, all underpinned by the influences of jazz and leftfield electronica. The sounds of Chicago, Detroit and New York blend with those of London, Paris and Berlin; think Carl Craig and Moodymann, think Blaze and Metro Area, think Chateau Flight, all shaken and stirred with a special Karlsruhe twist.

“I always describe our sound as a mixture between techno and house with a modern touch but still having that old skool New York and Detroit feeling,” concludes Frank.

Words: Matthew Duffield