Andy Vaz
location . Koeln, DE
personal website . Andy-vaz.de

Andy Vaz hails from Düsseldorf, Germany, the breeding ground of Kraftwerk. Andy manages and curates Background Recordings, internationally acclaimed as being the most instrumental label to originate from Düsseldorf in the past decade. Andy has been a pinnacle cornerstone of the German electronic music movement.

He is highly regarded as one of the essential individuals on the global front for providing a cultural conduit for electronic music, between Düsseldorf, San Fransisco, Detroit, Montreal, Toronto, London, South Africa and countless other cities around the world. Some of the most influential artists and musicians of the minimal electronic music movement around the world have had some of their most important works presented on his Background Imprint. Artists such as : Sutekh, Jan Jelinek, Todd Sines, Terrence Dixon, Algorithm/Jeff Milligan, Akufen, Submania, Dean DeCosta, Rhythm Maker, Kit Clayton, Ectomorph, Deadbeat, Baby Ford, Stewart Walker, Donnacha Costello, * Geoff White and Smyglyssma, have graced the Background stage. Background recordings has been a major force in the presentation of minimal techno, introducing and educating the world to the geographic variable influences that exist within the genre.

As the years have passed, house music and techno have fused, segregated, split and recombined in countless ways. Both techno and house have drawn influences from one another to create hybrids that have changed the face of music as we know it. Andy could not ignore his undeniable appreciation for the house movement and therefore, decided to start a second label in order to help facilitate the growing relationship between global house and techno music. The label under Andy’s belt names “ATC”, launched two years ago : dedicated to modern deep house with artists such as : Düsseldorf’s “Repeat Orchestra” (Antonelli Electric), Detroit’s Rick Wade, London’s Si-Cut.db, and the new ATC artist, Anna Kaufen (Akufen).

In 2000, Andy Vaz has released his own material. After many years of work in the studio, Andy was reluctant to release his music. taking the time needed to polish and refine the sound, and feel that it was on par with his contemporaries, his first 12”, “Sounds Variation 1-1” was met with incredible international acclaim. Andy’s most notable review appeared in Berlin’s “De:Bug” magazine, charting #2 in the first week of it’s release. Andy’s first works have been given interviews (fullpage) in such notable magazines as “Overload”, “Groove Magazine”, De-Bug, DJ Mag (UK), BPM, Fader (Japan), OUK, e.i (US) and many others. Andy’s sound can be defined by the criteria of one's imagination constrained only by the definition of it being 4/4 based electronic music without following any clearly defined linear sound aesthetic or concept. Each release can be concept oriented or non-conceptual! All works simply defined by the criteria of re-use, recycling of same instrumentations, within the context of boundless compositional approaches. Sounds_variation is based on the use of the same sounds, re-used throughout, giving each track another musical approach by pushing each instrument in a different compositional direction by re-arrangement, toneshifting and by adding/changing effects in order to demonstrate that a defined production criteria brings forth maximal results through the process of limitation within a lo-fi aestethic. The first edition of the Andy Vaz vinyl series on the elusive and nameless label is therefore entitled [- - -]. The name of a record label usually represents a specific genre of musical releases of a specific sound.

The [- - -]series shall remain nameless. This series shall not be associated with any specific production style, and the musical vision shall not be limited by expectings based on a record label’s static, given name.

Just recently released was the “Andy Vaz –LIVE IN TOKYO CD”: Live in Tokyo contains 13 tracks incl. many unreleased new & exclusive tracks and new live versions which original versions already appeared on the sound_variation vinyl series 1-1 - 6-6 >> this cd was recorded Live @ ISM/Tokyo on september 22.2002 and was not re-edited, but kept 100% (except that it has been mastered for an better optimized sound) as spontaneously recorded in order to keep an authentic live-feeling and spirit alive. all mistakes & nonsense keeps it human and real. Andy has been touring in japan alone three times within the year mid 2002 to mid 2003, last for Fumiya Tanaka´s 10th anniversary tour in september 2003 for Torema records, playing at the world famous “liquid room” in tokyo, among other cities.

Andy has joined the global stage, performing such critically acclaimed venues as:

Tresor (Berlin,Germany)
Ostgut/Panoramabar(Berlin,Germany)
Rohstofflager (Zürich, Switzerland)
Cube 326 (Tokyo,Japan)
Doornroosje (Nijmegen,Netherlands)
De Rechter (Eindhoven, Netherlands)
Element (Toronto, Canada)
Forance (Detroit, USA)
Lush (Detroit, USA)
U-club (Bratislava, Slovakia)
ISM (Tokyo, Japan)
Haktek (Kyoto,Japan)
Club Rockets (Osaka, Japan)
Orion Hall Rave (brno, Czech Rebulic)
Carovna (bruno, Czech Republic)
Kiosk (Frankfurt, Germany)
Die Lounge (Mannheim, Germany)
Volksgarten / Real Audience (Vienna, Austria)
Privat ! (Mannheim, Germany)
Coffy´s (Düsseldorf, Germany)
Club Maria am Ostbahnhof (Berlin, Germany)
Robert Johnson (Frankfurt, Germany)
Dnoise club (Madrid, Spain)
and more...

Discography
* 2-2 (12") Soundvariation 2000
* 6-6 (12") Soundvariation 2000
* 7-7 (12") Soundvariation 2000
* 1-1 (12") Soundvariation 2001
* 3-3 (12") Soundvariation 2002
* 4-4 (12") Soundvariation 2002
* Live In Tokyo (CD) Soundvariation 2003
* Soundvariation Remixes (2x12") Soundvariation 2003
* Shrinking Cities EP (12") Telegraph 2004
* 8-8 (12") Soundvariation 2005
* First Aid Course (12") Persistencebit Records 2005
* Live in Detroit (CD) Persistencebit Records 2005
* People Inside / Outside (12") Persistencebit Records 2005
* 9-9 (12") Soundvariation 2006
* Repetitive Moments Last Forever ... (2x12") Persistencebit Records 2006
* Repetitive Moments Last Forever... (CD) Persistencebit Records 2006

Remixes
* Newfound Urban Calm (2xCD) "No Pecos (Andy Vaz Remix)" BiP_HOp 2004
* Troon EP (12") "City Of Dreams (Andy V..." Background 2004

Tracks Appear On
* Werkbund 1 (12") "Untitled" Funkfahrt Rhythm Architecture
* Potlatch EP (12") "White X Variation" Bruchstuecke 2002
* Futuristic Experiments #006 (CD) "Last Minute Variation" Background 2003
* Futuristic Experiments #006 (2xLP) "Last Minute Variation" Background 2003
* Microfunk Klickhouse (2xCD) "Sound Variation" Neuton 2003
* What Was It Like Before I Got Into Electricity (CD) "Süd Variation" Süd Electronic 2003
* What Was It Like Before I Got Into Electricity (2x12") "Süd Variation" Süd Electronic 2003
* Quartett EP (12") "Glitchbitch" Level Records 2004
* The Essential Blank Dirty Grind EP 1 (12") "Hardboiled Wonderland ..." Blank Records 2004
* Hold It Down No. 1 (CD) "Dark Inclination" Nice & Nasty Records 2005
* Minimarista (Background Records Compilation) (CD) "Last Minute Variation" Ward Records 2005
* Background Records 050 (CD) "We're Not Gonna Diss Y..." Background 2006
* Background Records 050 (2xLP) "We're Not Gonna Diss Y..." Background 2006

» Read more at Background-records.de