Alter Ego

Roman Flügel and Jörn Elling-Wuttke stand apart within rhythm-driven German electronic music by issuing what many regard as the nation’s first example of “listening techno” through their 1994 self-titled debut album as Alter Ego. Later releases expanded on that direction. Although they enjoy greater recognition and esteem in England—where introspective, dance-rooted electronics had already become commonplace for nearly a decade—the duo also guided fellow Germans and Harthouse labelmates such as Hardfloor and Yokota away from the country’s growing commercial trance and techno currents toward denser, more exploratory territory.

The pair joined Sven Väth’s trance-oriented Harthouse roster in 1993 once a self-titled album they had issued on their own Klang Elektronik label under the name Acid Jesus attracted Väth’s interest. Flügel had previously worked as a jazz drummer before collaborating with Wuttke; the two first encountered each other in the late ’80s amid the expanding German trance movement. They began crafting material in the studio Wuttke was then assembling and scored an immediate success as Acid Jesus with the debut single “Move My Body.”

By the time they signed to Harthouse, however, Flügel and Wuttke had lost interest in club-focused dance music. Disheartened by the steady commercialization of German trance and techno, they sought to refresh local techno through greater stylistic range. Although originally planned for Harthouse’s ambient sublabel Recycle or Die, the Alter Ego album appeared on the main imprint instead. Together with the follow-up Decoding the Hacker Myth, the records slowed the prevailing pace of German techno while incorporating new influences from U.K. ambient techno acts such as B12 and the Black Dog, as well as hip-hop, electro, jazz, and soul.

Decoding the Hacker Myth received a 1996 reissue that included a bonus disc of remixes by Luke Slater, Two Lone Swordsmen, and Matt “Dr. Rockit” Herbert’s Wishmountain project. Flügel separately released both an EP and a full-length as Ro70 on David Moufang’s Source label. Flügel and Wuttke have continued issuing tracks under additional pseudonyms including Sensorama, Primitive Painter, and Eight Miles High for Ladomat, R&S, and Klang, and they also handled production duties on Väth’s Contact LP.