Having started his impressive career as early as 1991, Wolfgang Voigt is without a doubt one of defining figures in German electronic music, commonly credited for pioneering the minimal techno style as a native musical language of Germany's techno scene. Inspired by the British acid house revolution, he began recording under the name
Mike Ink, often together with his long time partner
Jörg Burger, soon releasing under a myriad of pseudonyms and (co-)founding almost as many influential labels of the time, such as Structure or Trance-Atlantic. Many of his early releases are regarded as classics today - the acid-breakbeat anthem 'Paroles' for example or his recordings as Love Inc. on Frankfurt's
Force Inc. label. Not content however with the mere recombination of US and UK techno styles, Voigt developed a musical concept he felt more in line with the musical traditions of his home and which went to be come known as minimal techno (at least in its German variant). Inspired by the Cologne school of experimental music as well as the rhythmic patterns of folk music he recorded a string of releases for his Studio 1 and Profan labels, which heralded a new reductionist era for techno and house music. Having found his very own means of musical expression he consequently began to record under his real name Wolfgang Voigt in 1997, but has continued to use his various other monikers on occasions, such as the project name
Gas for his ambient recordings. He has co-founded the influential
Kompakt label, which he runs together with
Michael Mayer and
Jürgen Paape.