Biography
Rajko Müller, who records as Isolée, crafts minimalist house as a producer drawing on electronic post-punk, synth pop, and dub techno. The worldwide reach of his 1998 single “Beau Mot Plage” elevated him above fellow artists tied to Germany’s cluster of playful, stripped-down, exploratory imprints—Playhouse, Perlon, and Klang Elektronik. His well-received debut album Rest, issued in 2000, helped establish the microhouse sound, while the more intricate follow-up We Are Monster from 2005 drew still greater praise. A quieter set, Well Spent Youth, arrived in 2011, after which Müller concentrated on club tracks and remixes until the euphoric resort island surfaced in 2023.
Isolée’s earliest outing, the System EP, came out on Playhouse in 1996. By late 1998 the breezy, trippy “Beau Mot Plage”—originally the second track on a five-cut EP fronted by “Cité Grande Terre”—unexpectedly drew notice from DJs such as Roger Sanchez, Danny Tenaglia, and Ben Watt. Multiple re-pressings followed, a licensing deal with the Classic label was secured, and the cut turned up on dozens of commercially issued mix CDs. In 2000 Müller released Rest on Playhouse, the first Isolée album, which soon earned recognition as a microhouse landmark.
After handling remixes and issuing scattered singles, he delivered the second Isolée album, the fuller-sounding We Are Monster, in 2005. He then spent several years performing live, producing remixes, and releasing singles on Playhouse, Mule Electronic, and Dial. For the next full-length he moved to DJ Koze’s Pampa imprint, resulting in Well Spent Youth in 2011. Two 2013 singles—“Dennis” and “Allowance”—plus assorted remixes preceded “Floripa” on Pampa in 2015 and “Mangroove” on the German Maeve label in 2017. The decade closed with the dubby Ginster EP on Mule Musiq.
Maeve put out the four-song Candy Apple Red EP in 2020. The dreamy, blissful album resort island appeared in 2023 and inaugurated the label sharing that name.
Isolée’s earliest outing, the System EP, came out on Playhouse in 1996. By late 1998 the breezy, trippy “Beau Mot Plage”—originally the second track on a five-cut EP fronted by “Cité Grande Terre”—unexpectedly drew notice from DJs such as Roger Sanchez, Danny Tenaglia, and Ben Watt. Multiple re-pressings followed, a licensing deal with the Classic label was secured, and the cut turned up on dozens of commercially issued mix CDs. In 2000 Müller released Rest on Playhouse, the first Isolée album, which soon earned recognition as a microhouse landmark.
After handling remixes and issuing scattered singles, he delivered the second Isolée album, the fuller-sounding We Are Monster, in 2005. He then spent several years performing live, producing remixes, and releasing singles on Playhouse, Mule Electronic, and Dial. For the next full-length he moved to DJ Koze’s Pampa imprint, resulting in Well Spent Youth in 2011. Two 2013 singles—“Dennis” and “Allowance”—plus assorted remixes preceded “Floripa” on Pampa in 2015 and “Mangroove” on the German Maeve label in 2017. The decade closed with the dubby Ginster EP on Mule Musiq.
Maeve put out the four-song Candy Apple Red EP in 2020. The dreamy, blissful album resort island appeared in 2023 and inaugurated the label sharing that name.
Albums
Singles
