KARAT RECORDS

SONJA MOONEAR

2006-07-12T16:26:13+02:00

Sonja was born in the Swiss Mountains in autumn 78. At the young age of four, she got in touch with her 1st instrument: the piano. Aside her classical music studies, she was on the search for other musical styles. As a depeche mode and david bowie young teenage fan in the late 80's, she was a bit out of her time. With the wonderful discover of KLF, acid music sounds and Electro rhythmic she did while visiting underground and open-air parties all over Switzerland and Germany, she dived into the whirl of electronic music.

In the mid-nineteens, when the rave syndroma turned into a tasteless carnival, she devoted herself to weird parties organizations in several Geneva's squats during 3 years alongside the Mentalgroove crew. From djing to cleaning the floor after the chaos. At this time she gives up her piano studies for a new bought Roland R8, starts to get professional bookings (Weetamix, Usine...) and to search for silence.

She began the new century teaming up with amazing friends. Miss Kittin opened her the doors, while Weetamix gave her a residency alongside Luciano. During one night in Tokyo, she played after dj Hell who decided to take her on the Gigolo roster. Musically speaking, she was not on the same side, but she got many opportunities to play her sound in various cities around the globe (including nice shots from Sweden to Brazil).

After several collaborations with artist- friends (Serafin, Dandy Jack…) and crews (Mutek Chile, Soap System Istanbul, Cosmic Chile Zürich), Sonja starts a new live/dj project named Junction SM in 2004 alongside DandyJack. It consists on an impressive combination of live and dj sessions that lasts for hours. She did several solo-live sets like in august 04 for the Overground festival. Devoted to her studio, she continues to manipulate sounds and silences…

Today, the label/collective ruta5 is under reconstruction and a bunch of label parties are organized. A remix for legendary band T21 will appear in summer on Productions spéciales. Junction SM next release is ready to be listened on Kalk Pets, and Sonja's solo one on Karat.

You can also hear some mixes on her own Internet Radio broadcast on Basic.

DOLIBOX

2006-07-12T16:24:26+02:00

Here we go with a new signature and again a first record, now for Dolibox, the new sensation on Karat. This french man is bringing the atmospheric touch that we were waiting for the label since a while.

We do consider that“ Frizes ” approaches a kind of perfection, that we can compare to the high times of Dial records’ debut.

We are very exciting to meet this guy. Born in Metz, he has created differents musical projects in his city : a net label : Kit Corp, and differents bands electro acoustic.

But he is very influenced by Herbert or Ark and he begin to make alone his sound in 2001

His first ep “Shoes off ep” will be available in September 2006 on Karat and a next ep is already ready…..

MIKAEL WEILL

2006-07-11T15:19:00+02:00

Born in 1978 in Paris, in the now famous Belleville quarter, Mikaël Weill has spent many time in large range of atmospheres that gonna give birth to its artistic sense.

First influenced by accoustic sounds, from blues to reggae music, and even traditional and popular French music, he learns guitar as an autodidact. Far from staying in the sole field of music, he also develops more visual skills by studying in an art school and by learning graphism as well. He will expose his works in a workshop in Nantes. Among a wide bunch of practical knowledge he aquired mainly by himself, he also gave a priority to travels that influenced him quite a lot.

He finally comes back to his first passion in 2000, but on its electronic side this time. This artistic re-birth just coincides with a strong attachment for US house and german electro & minimal sounds. Fond of labels like Perlon, Klang or Kompakt, he usually play live from the year 2001 and go on tour in 2003 with Electromenager as a member of the electro-tech duet Sacco Vanzetti.

Now working in solo, he then brings a whole universe to the label Karat, mainly with a track released on the compilation “Katapult Various Artists#1”. Playing in clubs, as much in France as abroad (the Rex Club, le Pulp, le Nouveau Casino, le Lieu Unique...) . His first EP “Houmous” is available and he prepares actually his second 12 inch. Actually he is working in collaboration with Ark. A new band is born : “Les sereveaux lents”. Soon on karat…..

SKAT

2006-07-10T16:27:22+02:00

Skat, in his early days, was making beats for hip hop MCs and producing rappers. He then shifted to radio production, working for notorious national stations where he gathered many technical skills and started to explore electronic music as a composer. His first release with Karat, the "away ep", is indefinable for general commercial categories. House, pop, dub, techno ? This first release is the mark of his creative freedom. His inner road, variations on love deceptions. His second record, "the day we met", carries this same impression of freshness. One can't sense obvious influences in his compositions, or the weight of specific "school", so he's free to build his own artistic structure through his progressing style.His music is a subtle combo of all the electro worlds. A third ep was released in january (Elusive ep - karat 22) that confirms the skills of this highly productive musician. Still sailing in the cloudy waters of feelings, Skat , in a more functional style, brings us serious groove that reconcile all dance music lovers. His future is to be closely followed, a forth ep is planned for July and a remix for the amazing track 'kitchen' by noze will be released soon on Trapez. Skat is also performing live, and his live performances leave a significant trace in public's memories.

CABANNE

2006-07-10T15:26:35+02:00

Jean - Guillaume Cabanne is a precursor of the French minimal techno scene. Aged of 30 years old, this confirmed jazzman has already collaborated with a large range of labels and artists. After 5 years spent as a guitar player within the funk band Flag and few experiences among the electronic scene, his meeting with John Thomas will confirm his will to go further in this way and will initiate a long and fructuous collaboration between the two musicians.

Logistic, John’s label, will be the first structure to receive the productions of this prolix artist : he signs his two first EPs in 1997 (Log 03 & 04). In 2000, he helps to set up the sub-label Telegraph, exclusively dedicated to the minimal techno sound he likes, and takes the lead of its artistic direction. In addition of his own productions, Cabanne will also be the instigator of the “Post Office” compilation series. Since that time, he had also come out a large bunch of EPs on many labels, Karat in 2002 (Karat 08), Perlon with Ark (under the name Copacabannark), 7^th City – the label set up by the two pionners of the American minimal techno Dan Bell and Claude Young – or Force Inc for a remix of Akufen.

Appart from the solo production, he also works on many group projects, which could be long-lasting – the coproduction of the “Blackstage” album with John Thomas, the Copacabannark and Ultrakurt (Cabanne + David Gluck) duets – or more short-lived, for exemple when he takes part to the “Narod Niki” project during the MUTEK festival of Montréal in 2003 for a several hours live with 8 of the best representants of the minimal movement. Ricardo Villalobos, Luciano, Dimbiman, Akufen or Ritchie Hawtin were acting live with him... With such experiences, no wonder then if people scrutenize to his next releases ! At this day he has created his Label “minibar music” and a new karat is available since few weeks.

ARK

2006-07-10T15:18:24+02:00

Guillaume Berroyer aka Ark is a long time representative of the minimal house style. First guitar player in a funk band during the 80’s, he sets up with the French producer Pépé Bradock the Trankilou duet, responsible of interplanetary anthems like “Saint Glin-Glin” or “Escalope de Dingue” in 1997. As soon as 1999, he underlines the crack in the still triumphant French Touch scene by carrying his groove up to a less polished universe. Ark will then come out on Brif the “Sidérurgie esthétik” and “De derrière les fagots” EPs, and will then collaborate with Losoul and Herbert on “Belle Lurette”. His works for Brif would be finally appreciate with the famous 12’’ of the “Magicien d’Os” in 2001, with its enormous remixes from Herbert and Mr Oizo.

Then comes a whole series of solo productions, of collaborations and remixes, where he will develop his inimitable style, both intimist and explosive. His style alreaddy bloomed on Karat, where he realises the 2 opuses of the “Unknown Mysterioso” series, the LP of Shalark (Shalom + Ark), some EPs with Krikor (Krikark) and Mr Oizo (the “Dépérissement Progressif” project), on the label Circus Company with the “Alleluyark” project and its remixes from Akufen and Losoul, or on Telegraph or Perlon where he actively collaborates with Cabanne (both of them are the Copacabannark duet). In his producer job, Ark also has the gift to collect influences without suffering from any lack of coherence : from dub to techno, groove is always there !

His live sets always include stupendous and now famous surprises. The public of the Pulp in Paris won't forget anytime soon his incredible energy-fuelled mixes from reggae to hardcore with Mr. Oizo , Feadz or Herbert. He's also been heard at the Rex Club, the Batofar, La Scene, the Nouveau Casino in Paris and on many other stages all over the world. When he plays, his hair get moving all around, his body becomes mad with the beat, he becomes the most beautiful man in the world... and the most unforeseeable...... caliente !!!!

AUTOMAT

2006-07-10T14:34:38+02:00

Few of us have forgotten Automat's amazing performance at the We Love AFX party on May 15, 2004. The electronic music giant himself, Aphex Twin, stayed close at hand throughout his entire set, appreciating as a connoisseur the French deejay's deft juxtaposing of electro / techno sounds.
Automat's talent that night was of course hardly a fluke: his deejaying career debuted in 1995 under the name of Tha’Natur, when, closely associated with the Upstream crew, his crashing sounds began revving up the crowds and earning him regular appearances at parties throughout Brittany. Building on the Spiral Tribe electronic sounds coming out of England at the time, his powerful fusion of hardcore and acid house soon had a tribe of enthusiastic rave-goers grooving to his breakbeat, acidcore and hardcore sets. This formative period, whose influence can still be heard in the music played by Automat today, would come to a close with Tha'Natur's appearance at the Astropolis Festival in 1997...

RELEASES

2006-07-10T13:44:52+02:00

NEWS

2006-07-10T13:42:04+02:00