Christian Morgenstern

Born Götz-Christian Morgenstern in Düsseldorf, Germany in 1975, Christian Morgenstern helped shape the rise of European electro-techno during the mid- to late '90s. Across numerous recordings issued throughout the '90s and 2000s, he explored punchy techno, atmospheric electronica, and stylized electropop in distinctive combinations.

He first began producing tracks in his late teens, relying on a Commodore Amiga originally used for graphic design and rudimentary computer animation. In 1995 a friend, Elef Tsiroudis, introduced him to a Yamaha SY85 digital workstation; several months later, after acquiring further gear, the pair issued a 12" single on their own ? Records imprint under the name Human Target. Going solo, Morgenstern then put out the single "... Minus 38 and Counting…" as CHRS on Important Extracts in 1997. Shortly afterward he issued the EP Miscellaneous on Kanzleramt Music under his own name, followed by Miscellaneous II before the year ended. He subsequently founded the label Forte, releasing Death Before Disko in 1999 and the companion remix collection re: Death Before Disko in 2000. The following year The Lydia EP explored a tech-house direction, while the full-length Hawaii Blue presented a more polished sound.

Morgenstern died unexpectedly on June 19, 2003, at age 27, alone in his apartment. His final album, Carolea, which leaned toward more structured electropop, appeared later that fall on Forte, issued by friends. In 2016 Konsequent handled the digital reissue of his complete catalog and also coordinated eight tribute remix EPs featuring contributions from artists including Henning Baer, Jeroen Search, and Maral Salmassi.