Pita

Running the respected experimental imprint Editions Mego, Peter Rehberg recorded his solo output chiefly under the Pita name, moving between abrasive glitch, noise with shoegaze affinities, and disquieting drone. His first appearances arrived in 1995 via two projects with General Magic that fashioned abstract techno from refrigerator-derived sounds. Acclaimed albums followed, among them Get Out in 1999 and Get Down in 2002. Further partnerships included work with Christian Fennesz and Jim O'Rourke under the Fenn O'Berg heading, with Stephen O'Malley as KTL, and with Tujiko Noriko as DACM, while he also belonged to the electro-acoustic collective MIMEO.

Rehberg entered the Mego circle in late 1994, after Ramon Bauer, Peter Meininger, and Andreas Pieper had launched the Vienna label, and in time assumed its direction. Using the Pita moniker he joined General Magic for the imprint’s inaugural item, the Fridge Trax 12" issued in early 1995. Soon after came the live recording Live & Final Fridge, documenting another General Magic encounter at Berlin’s Interference Festival in July 1995. The album Seven Tons for Free nevertheless drew the strongest attention and secured his standing; he then worked with Bauer across 1996, yielding the Touch Records full-length Faßt, the opening chapter of a trilogy completed by ballt in 1999 and passt in 2001. The original Seven Tons for Free was remastered and reissued in 1999, earning the Distinction Prize for Digital Musics at Ars Electronica and additional recognition. Get Out surfaced later that year. A split EP with Kevin Drumm appeared in 2001, followed by Get Down in 2002.

Get Off arrived on Häpna in 2004. Mego ceased operations at the close of 2005, prompting Rehberg to found Editions Mego in January 2006 so the catalog’s legacy could continue alongside new releases. While issuing material under his own name—including Work for GV 2004-2008 in 2008—he occasionally revived the Pita identity. No Fun Productions released the limited LP A Bas la Culture Marchande in 2007; Editions Mego issued Colchester, a live collaboration with percussionist Z'ev, the following year. The Tapeworm brought out Mesmer, a 1995 cassette of ambient pieces, in 2010. Fridge Trax Plus, gathering early General Magic collaborations, appeared in 2015. Solo activity resumed with Get In in 2016 and Get On three years later. Rehberg died of a heart attack in July 2021.