Cosmic Baby

Harald Bluechel, who records as Cosmic Baby, entered formal musical instruction earlier than nearly any other figure in techno. Born in Nuremberg in 1966, he began piano lessons at three and entered the Nuremberg Conservatory at seven. Six years afterward he encountered electronic music; by fourteen he had already completed his first synthesizer piece. Early exposure to Bela Bartók and Igor Stravinsky gave way to the sounds of Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream, prompting him to leave the conservatory, acquire electronic instruments, and pursue his own compositions. Relocating to Berlin for study at the University of Arts, he earned degrees in both composition and sound engineering.

Acid-house reached Berlin in 1988 through pioneers such as Westbam and Kid Paul, and Bluechel immersed himself in the emerging scene. After writing for radio in the late eighties, he began releasing material in 1991 under several names, among them Energy 52 alongside Kid Paul, Futurhythm, and Brainmelter with DJ Moony Jonzon. His first solo album, Transcendental Overdrive, appeared that same year on MFS Records and quickly registered as a landmark release within German techno. Reflecting Bluechel’s conservatory background, the record delivered mature, melodic trance; its 1992 successor, Stellar Supreme, extended that achievement. Under the Visions of Shiva alias with Paul Van Dyk, he scored a British hit with “Perfect Day,” which led to a Logic/Arista deal for his next project. Issued in 1994, Thinking About Myself ranged widely, incorporating trance cuts such as “Cosmic Greets Florida,” classical-techno reworkings of Debussy, and exploratory pieces like “Loops of Infinity.”

In 1995 Bluechel scored the film Futura and strengthened his reputation as a live performer through appearances across Europe and America. Fourteen Pieces followed in 1996, with Heaven arriving three years later. Bluechel oversees the label Time Out of Mind through his company Cosmic Enterprises.