Eniac

Only a handful of German house producers have managed to register any real presence on the American dance landscape. Eniac, who sometimes records under the alias Electronic Maniac, stands among that select group. Although he spent the greater part of his professional life in Munich, he grew up in the former East Germany—the same divided nation that earlier gave rise to Paul van Dyk and Kai Paul. Kosmo Records signed the teenager at age seventeen, after which he produced and remixed an extensive catalog of successful releases for the imprint. Among the Kosmo roster he collaborated with Niels van Gogh and DJ Tomcraft, yet his highest-profile partnership came with Tom Novy. Performing together as Novy vs. Eniac, the pair arrived in 1997 with the ultra-funky debut single “Superstar,” a track that became an immediate club favorite and achieved robust sales across numerous territories, including the United States. Their follow-up, the infectious house cut “Someday, Somehow,” appeared the next year; featuring vocals by Munich DJ Virginia Hogl, it reached the top of the German charts and enjoyed widespread club play. Eniac has since contributed to or been featured on several prominent compilations, among them Clubber’s Guide to Ibiza 2000, Sasha’s Global Underground: San Francisco, and Gatecrasher.