Rob Acid Added by Goedie, 12 November 2004
On January 5th 1973 Robert is born in Poland. Since 1980 he’s living in Germany and since the beginning of the nineties he released 5 albums and multiple maxi singles on labels like Disko B, Force Inc, Mille Plateaux, Bpitch Control, PAR, Taktik, Junkfood, Important Records or Knee Deep – the Label of DJ Rush. His pseudonymes Rob Acid, Robert Babicz, Sontec, Dicabor or Atlon Inc impart the wide range of his musical outgrowths; he hits different spots and leaves his marks.
Robert was led to music through a mixture of accident and frustration. Dedicated to his profession as programmer, his frustration about an undiscoverable error drove him to the tracker program of his Commodore Amiga, in a sleepless night. This was the last time, he set down on the Commodore to use it for programming – since that night he was driven to the Computer by music.
His first Maxi Single he released on Holger Wick’s Label “Labworks” (Holger Wick turned out to run the “Sense” Label and become product manager for EFA today).
Already his second Maxi, found its way through multiple DJ loud speakers and got licensed to “ffrr”, England. In England it entered the Bullets and almost made it into the official sales-charts. And all Robert needed for his first success, was the rented equipment of Oliver Bondzio (memorized as one half of “Hardfloor”) – a 909, 303 and a 606.
1993 his first production on „Junkfood“ was released – one of the best Labels, at the height of Acid. He dedicated the tracks to his 4 friends: Claus Bachor (D2000), Roland Casper, Malte Galic (today executive board of Native Instruments), Sascha Kösch (runs the De-Bug magazine / DJ in Berlin) and Riley Reinhold (organizer of the Cosmic Orgasm Parties).
His first step into the Clubs followed under the pseudonym “Acid Warrior” on “Junkfood”. DJs like Sven Väth hosted the Vinyl for several months in their cases and so followed the logical consequence: Rob’s first live appearance in Sven’s legendary OMEN club – a club which fascinated Ravers from all over Europe in the nineties.
1994 the next Ravemonster „Ein Blick ins Nichts (a view into nothing)“ was released on Bob Humid’s Label (today the technical editor of Groove Magazine). Since he is known in the scene, Rob Acid’s productions are as demanded as the entry to Sven Väths OMEN temple.
Therefore it came to a signing on “Important Records”, which has been one of Germany’s major labels, among “Jungfood” and “Harthouse”.
Robert also discovered his love to abstract sounds, Chill Out and Ambient music celebrated by artists like “Mixmaster Morris” or “Aural Float”. And especially the very, listed his first “Dicabor” Album in their Playlists and Mixmaster Morris even posted it in his ‘charts of the year’. The artwork got released on the Label of Matthias Roeingh aka Dr. Motte, who became one of the most outstanding protagonists of the young scene by inventing the “Love Parade”. Still, Matthias Roeingh, as well as Mate Galic and Roland Casper, is a good friend and latterly also part of one of Rob Acid’s Projects.
95 and 96 could be called “Rave Years”, Rob is well known as Live Act and rocks all popular Main Events like “Mayday”. The first abroad-bookings bring him to the USA, Canada, Malta, Estonia and other European countries, of course.
During this time, Rob Acid finds less time for his productions because he’s booked about every weekend. To play “really live” is most important to him. Till today, he improvises instead of coming up with a ready-made-Set. Therefore his Live Acts are celebrated as unique events. “Playing live is for the moment, not for reproduction”. Which you could interpret in reverse: reproductions are not made for the situational, enthusiastic Party-Event of his understanding.
In the end of 96 Rob teamed up with Mate Galic, who moderates the legendary „Housefrau TV“-Show together with Sabine Christ at that time. (Remember the washing machine!) The team is not to apart for years. Psychedelic experiences of every kind follow. Excessive Sound-research and absurd Parties. Out of transistor radio, bunker and porn films on big screen, the two filtered the essence which is reflected on the “Taktik” Label, arisen in 97.
“Taktik” pushes forward, car racing house, extreme sound research or Minimal might be helpful terms to subscribe the sound – but maybe they are not.
Meanwhile Techno became more than a homogenous, ecstatic body. Separate Groups appeared, the Cologne Minimalism was born and between Frankfurt and Berlin a strange correlation became present.
2000 Robert is gifted by a daughter and does another important Step. Influenced trough powerful productions in the R’n’B Scene, he starts to search after a new sound. The Project “Atlon Inc” is found and hosted by Achim Sczepanski’s Label “Mille Plateaux”.
Body focusing Rave ecstasy is taking place on Achim’s “Force Inc” Label.
After his time with „Junkfood”, Rob founds his own label again in 2001. It’s named “Short cuts” and Rob brought out 6 releases on it. The soon following Sub label “TB International” stands for the early Acid/Jack Sound of Chicago in the late eighties.
At the same time, multiple requests of Hard- and Software producers ask for Sound design. He programs Pre-sets for “Native Instruments”, Steinberg, and gets adopted to the endorsement of Native right away.
As a result of it and the influence of Ivo Malek, Morton Subotnic and Karl-Heinz Stockhausen (who is now living in the neighbourhood) he is doing sound research again. 2 albums appear under his real name Robert Babicz on “Mille Plateaux”, which transfer the language of the experimental music of the 60’s and 70’s (musique concrète) into our days.
2003 again, is a year of action.
On one hand he starts a Jazz project (trumpet: Matthias Mainz, drums: Tom, guitar: Alexs Gunjah plus other guest musicians) and on the other hand he is breaking out the Rave animal and alias “Sontec” he releases the Track “Inside” on the newly founded Label “PAR”, which Sven Väth was playing on and on after he got the Dubplate of it. The official release is just as popular and again Robert is listed in several DJ Playlists (such as Dave Clarke’s for example). In the Groove Magazine “Inside” entered Chart Position 8.
2004 Robert is still true to his primary-soup Techno, but still he is one of those musicians who keep searching constantly and while the tracks of one project are released he’s already scouting out new paths.
To special events Rob Acid comes together with drummer and guitarist.
For the rest of 2004, the rebirth of “Dicabor” and “Atlon Inc” are planned and also the first film soundtrack for ARTE will be produced. Idea and conception: Nikolas Rousseau. Project name: “Sor-Terre.
Peter Armster, April 14th 2004
Performances
Retro Acid, 17 March 2005
Fuse, Brussel
Hörspielmusik Labelnight, 2 December 2004
U60311, Frankfurt
Planet Rose, 10 December 2004
Doornroosje, Nijmegen