Further on the trail of 90s sonic specters, Die Orakel releases @ikezwanikken‘s Stone Diviner EP, an affiliate with Index Records. The titular track amalgamates the momentum of sparse yet heavy weight breakbeats with the warmth of lush pads, and literally reverberating 90s trance or IDM elements along granular rave signals. The beauty of its subsequent tracks lies in their well-tempered, fresh exploration of past sonic phenomenons, devoid of today’s retromania. 

A1: Inter
A2: Petale
B1: Stone Diviner
B2: Fight Day
B3: Isobutyl

Written and produced: Ike Zwanikken
Mastering: Lopazz
Lacquer cut: Daniel Krieger at SST
Artwork: Orakel Studio
Cover photo: Neven Allgeier
Words: Patrick Raddatz

Label: Die Orakel
Catalog: ORKL-17
Format: 12" vinyl, digital
Distribution: One Eye Witness
Release: Fri 13 August 2021

Stone Diviner

Ike – Stone Diviner

Die Orakel reveals Lake Lemuria EP by @poly-chain, a full-on electro emission loaded with relics of British 90s IDM. The pun intending Max For Death commences the sonic diffusion with booming bass drums, reverberating acid line, plus an elevating meandering melody. Latter qualities extend and modulate subsequently, in variations joined by slowly shifting atmospheric pads and fast paced electroid geostructures, rendering a polychrome four-track braindance-scape.

A1: Max for Death
A2: Cobalt
B1: Desna
B2: Cloud Animal

Written and produced: Sasha Zakrevska
Mastering: Lopazz at Mixmastering.de
Lacquer cut: Daniel Krieger at SST
Artwork: Orakel Studio
Words: Patrick Raddatz

Label: Die Orakel
Catalog: ORKL-W-04
Format: 12" vinyl
Distribution: One Eye Witness
Release: Friday 15 October 2021

Lake Lemuria

Poly Chain – Lake Lemuria

Die Orakel reveals Lake Lemuria EP by @poly-chain, a full-on electro emission loaded with relics of British 90s IDM. The pun intending Max For Death commences the sonic diffusion with booming bass drums, reverberating acid line, plus an elevating meandering melody. Latter qualities extend and modulate subsequently, in variations joined by slowly shifting atmospheric pads and fast paced electroid geostructures, rendering a polychrome four-track braindance-scape.

A1: Max for Death
A2: Cobalt
B1: Desna
B2: Cloud Animal

Written and produced: Sasha Zakrevska
Mastering: Lopazz at Mixmastering.de
Lacquer cut: Daniel Krieger at SST
Artwork: Orakel Studio
Words: Patrick Raddatz

Label: Die Orakel
Catalog: ORKL-W-04
Format: 12" vinyl
Distribution: @oneyewitness
Release: Friday 15 October 2021

Premiere: Poly Chain – Max For Death | Die Orakel

Die Orakel long time collaborator @edward gracefully reappears with a three track emission called Time Stretch. Edward’s appliance of the titular technique is not restricted to various sonic elements at all, as it extends to the tracks’ mental notes and their trajectories beyond the digital realm. 

Time Stretch fills the entire side A with vibrant sonic elements, a warm bassline along an eerie pad, all on top of a straight and punchy bass drum. La Grotta’s signature melody, plus chirps and cowbells, inject a slight touch of exotica to the musical meta-data, while time stretch artefacts refer back to a befittingly themed EP. Finally, the undercurrents of Black Sea evolve along a modulated melodic pad, a pulsating bass and beat structure, and a light 90s IDM morse figure on top of frequency sweeps.

A: Time Stretch [12:30min]
B1: La Grotta [6:26min]
B2: Black Sea [8:07min]

Written and produced: Gilles Aiken
Mastering: Lopazz at Mixmastering.de
Lacquer cut: Daniel Krieger at SST
Artwork: Orakel Studio
Words: Patrick Raddatz

Label: Die Orakel
Catalog: ORKL-W-05
Format: 12" vinyl
Distribution: One Eye Witness
Release: Friday 4 March 2022

Time Stretch

Edward – Time Stretch

@beliawinnewisser’s debut EP on Die Orakel, 'Mother Earth Took Poison In Her Soil', has her sonic exploration grounded in one of our most pressing topics to day, comprised of braindancing breakbeats intertwined with radiophonic artefacts, lingering between warm melodic pads. 

A1: Mother Earth Took Poison In Her Soil
A2: Interlude 1
A3: Dancing Patterns
B1: Haze
B2: Interlude 2
B3: Unattainable Promises 

With a slightly melodramatic tone, 'Mother Earth Took Poison In Her Soil' sets a pressing call to Side A, while 'Interlude 1' is a short radiophonic story to engage with your own imagination. This blends into a warm and melodic 'Dancing Patterns', embedded in soft pads. 'Haze' presents a darker facet of this EP, using eery synth pads and tension inducing fast arpeggi. 'Interlude 2' literally tells a sonic fireside tale, before 'Unattainable Promises' accelerate their breakbeats, intertwining with lush pads on half-step passages and sonic layers of different tempi.

Written and produced: Belia Winnewisser
Mixdown: Alban Schelbert
Mastering: Lopazz at Mixmastering.de
Lacquer cut: Daniel Krieger at SST
Artwork: Orakel Studio
Cover photo: Neven Allgeier

Label: Die Orakel
Catalog: ORKL-18
Format: 12" vinyl, digital
Distribution: @oneyewitness
Release: Friday 15 April 2022

Mother Earth Took Poison In Her Soil

Belia Winnewisser – Mother Earth Took Poison In Her Soil

The show was broadcast live on 百会 Baihui https://baihui.live on 22 February 2022.

TASCAM SD-20M

Oliver Hafenbauer - 百会 Baihui - 22 February 2022

@o-wells-frankfurtbass is back on Die Orakel with his fourth transmission, called "Moldoom". This 4-track séance is mainly made of uplifiting, spaced out electro tracks, some rolling along with subtle or acid basslines, lush pads and gently subdued detroitish chords. Die Orakel leave it at your sonic discretion, whether the catalogue number references the year 1996.

A1: Conscio
A2: Rhytim
B1: Moldoom
B2: Spectral

Written and produced: Lennard Poschmann
Additional mixing & engineering: Heinrich Matis at Brewery Studios
Mastering: Lopazz at Mixmastering
Lacquer cut: Daniel Krieger at SST
Artwork: Orakel Studio
Words: Patrick Raddatz

Label: Die Orakel
Catalog: ORKL-X-96
Format: 12" vinyl, digital
Distribution: @oneyewitness
Release: Friday 29 July 2022

Moldoom

O-Wells – Moldoom

Die Orakel welcomes Frankfurt based @n9oc to its lookup-tables, hotwiring its community based operating system anew with 'Memory Allocator'. Her sonic information design echoes both fast-paced and beatless, early and spaced out melodic british IDM, complementing any 90s informed chord-code library. Compiling six sense altering code snippets onto vinyl, n9oc’s 'Memory Allocator' is future proof with any higher AI or real life form to come. 

A1: Entity
A2: Q
A3: Explorer 2.0
B1: Inverted Refractions
B2: U
B3: Memory Allocator

Written and produced: N. T. Uyen Nguyen
Mastering: Lopazz at Mixmastering
Lacquer cut: Daniel Krieger at SST
Artwork: Orakel Studio
Words: Patrick Raddatz

Label: Die Orakel
Catalog: ORKL-W-06
Format: 12" vinyl, digital
Distribution: @oneyewitness
Release: Friday 10 February 2023

Memory Allocator

n9oc – Memory Allocator

3h25min Roman Fluegel B2B Oliver Hafenbauer recorded at Rashomon in Rome, April 2014

Roman Fluegel B2B Oliver Hafenbauer at Rashomon, April 2014

60 min of pure leftfield vibes by Oliver Hafenbauer on @noodsradio.

Oliver Hafenbauer – Noods Radio 29 March 2023

Resident Advisor Podcast 426: Oliver Hafenbauer. More info http://bit.ly/RApodcast426 

RA.426 Oliver Hafenbauer

Now in its tenth year, Frankfurt-based record label Die Orakel has earned itself a strong catalogue of classy releases in a distinct sonic and visual attitude, its latest being a compilation called Braindance. 

A fair assumption about Braindance as a genre could be, that it's rather in the zone of kaleidoscopic and whimsical quirktronica, less about IDM's futurist tropes. From Die Orakel's point of view, its very own Braindance compilation marks the label's tenth anniversary by releasing an intense listener's atlas, to its own and their creative collaborators' musical slant of mind.

While much could be said about spectral traces of a leftfield past, nostalgia isn't heard anywhere. The more you listen to this selection, the deeper the tracks plug into your brain—stretching from ethereal harmonic licks rippling with fragile glitches, bleepy to bass-heavy electroid steppers of any BPM range, to abstract-scientific neo-modular artistry. 

Die Orakel's Braindance transmission can be had as a 15-track digi-release, as well as a 4-track vinyl EP. Pick either for your library of the future.

01 upsammy – Wumb (Ambient Version)
02 n9oc – Hyphae
03 Pépe – Cloudbusters
04 Gacha Bakradze – Inhumanity
05 Rali Pibs – Hooked & Strungout 
06 Teatre – Daze 
07 O-Wells – Deep Concentration
08 oma totem feat. juns – Sobre Caderas 
09 Dana Kuehr – Biota
10 Benjamin Milz – Cmos
11 Poly Chain – Turbulent
12 Katatonic Silentio – Grain Of Consumption
13 Koloah – The Highway
14 Reptant – Protectors Of The Moss
15 Edward – Blurry Trees And Peanuts

Compiled by Oliver Hafenbauer
Mastering by Lopazz at Mixmastering
Lacquer cut by Daniel Krieger at SST
Cover photo by Neven Allgeier
Artwork by Orakel Studio
Words by Patrick Raddatz 
Distributed by One Eye Witness
Funded by the City of Frankfurt Department for Culture

Braindance

We're very happy to announce the premiere of @poly-chain's contribution to the @die-orakel 'Braindance' compilation. Her track 'Turbulent' is also part of the 4-track vinyl release and can now be pre-ordered via Bandcamp now. Official release is 16 February 2024

Turbulent

Premiere: Poly Chain – Turbulent

Die Orakel presents two reinterpretations by Edward of Krautrock excursions – originally recorded by Harmonia and Brian Eno in 1973 and 1976. 

Harmonia is a Krautrock/Kosmische Musik group from Germany – formed as a collaboration of Michael Rother of Neu!, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Möbius of Cluster 1973. In the same year, the song "Sehr Kosmisch" was released on the band's debut album "Musik von Harmonia". In September 1976 Brian Eno and Harmonia then collaborated and recorded "Atmosphere" at the band's studio in Forst, Germany. However, the song was not released until 1997 as the tape was considered lost for almost twenty years. 

Who would be more suitable to remix original Krautrock material than Gilles Aiken, better known as Edward? Considering his latest productions, Edward mostly works within house and techno templates while echoing Krautrock figures like Connie Plank. He is recognized for producing filigree club tracks that come with a spiritual edge. Over the years, this combination has made him a mainstay of Berlin's White label as well as Weimar's esteemed Giegling crew.

Harmonia & Eno '76 – Athmosphere (Edward's Desert Version) [Snippet]

Die Orakel presents the first of three releases of the Orakel X-Files series.

O-Wells – Slangin Rockx [Snippet]

O-Wells – Slam Dunx [Snippet]

The second release of the Orakel X-Files series by Christopher Rau under his C-Rau alias. Vinyl only.

C-Rau – Sheeos Unn Note [Snippet]

Listen to Jamie Tiller live recorded at the Oktoberakel clubnight at Robert Johnson in October 2018.

Jamie Tiller – Oktoberakel at Robert Johnson, 20 October 2018

Listen to Oliver Hafenbauer live recorded at the Oktoberakel clubnight at Robert Johnson in October 2018.

Oliver Hafenbauer – Oktoberakel at Robert Johnson, 20 October 2018

Thessa Torsing also knnow as Upsammy returns to Die Orakel with her second EP entitled Branches On Ice – four tracks full with crystal clear, multi-layered textures.

upsammy – A Walk In Twilight [Snippet]

Die Orakel presents the ORKL-0114 series: Three 12" white-label vinyl releases produced by Frankfurt based artists 386i, Benjamin Milz and Koga as a tribute to Sheffield's bleep techno era. The second 12" by Benjamin Milz will be released on Friday, 6th March 2020.

Benjamin Milz – ORKL-0114-02 A [Snippet]

Listen to the fourth and final Die Orakel Radio Transmissions on Radio 80000 mixed by Oliver Hafenbauer. The show was aired on Wednesday, 17th March 2020.

Die Orakel Radio Transmission #04/04

Die Orakel presents the ORKL-0114 series: Three 12" white-label vinyl releases produced by Frankfurt based artists 386i, Benjamin Milz and Koga as a tribute to Sheffield's bleep techno era. The third and final 12" by Koga will be released on Friday, 22 May 2020.

Bandcamp

Koga – ORKL-0114-03 A1 [Snippet]

The Die Orakel Radio Séance was aired at Radio 80000 from 12:00 to 20:00 on Friday, 24 April 2020.

12:00–13:00	Benjamin Milz
13:00–14:00	Kassem Mosse
14:00–15:00	Gacha Bakradze
15:00–16:00 	Anna Hjalmarsson
16:00–17:00	Oliver Hafenbauer
17:00–18:00 	O-Wells
18:00–19:00	Koga
19:00–20:00	Jane Fitz

Jane Fitz – Die Orakel Radio Séance | Radio 80000

The Die Orakel Radio Séance was aired at Radio 80000 from 12:00 to 20:00 on Friday, 24 April 2020.

12:00–13:00 Benjamin Milz
13:00–14:00 Kassem Mosse
14:00–15:00 Gacha Bakradze
15:00–16:00 Anna Hjalmarsson
16:00–17:00 Oliver Hafenbauer
17:00–18:00 O-Wells
18:00–19:00 Koga
19:00–20:00 Jane Fitz

Kassem Mosse – Die Orakel Radio Séance | Radio 80000

Oliver Hafenbauer's mix for the very first edition of the 24 hour long cyberODD (@o_d_d) virtual rave.

cyberODD – Oliver Hafenbauer (5 June 2020)

Tbilisi-based artist Gacha Bakradze creates cinematic soundscapes on his Die Orakel debut entitled 'Western Arrogance' – a genre-transcending exploration of electro, breakbeats, trance and IDM.

Constant [Snippet]

'Archive – A Frankfurt Catalogue 91-94' is ready for pre-order now: https://dieorakel.bandcamp.com/album/archive-a-frankfurt-catalouge-91-94. Release date is 27 November 2020.

01 Phobia – Phobia (Silent)
02 Ongaku – Mihon #2
03 Alter Ego – Tanks Ahead
04 Redeye ‎– Ride With Aracknid
05 Sieg Über Die Sonne – Produkt Des Lichtes 
06 Ralf Hildenbeutel – Looking Beyond
07 Solar Eclipse – Zero Degree
08 Atom Heart – Milagro 

Frankfurt am Main has been on the german map of electronic dance music for arguably a handful of decades, characterized by vibrant scenes of emerging artists and DJs, and a (more often than not) industrious habit, which became notorious over the course of the 1990s. The crucial years of 1991 thru 1994, in which genres increasingly became sophisticated and attributed with regional sound signifyers, saw many protagonists getting into gear for international careers, while others ditched middle-class life perspectives for making a living with music related activities. 

'Archive – A Frankfurt Catalogue 91-94' is a selective, rather cerebral sonic cross section of Frankfurt am Main. Unlike other compilations based on cities, Archive does not claim to be representative—it is hyper-specific and curated to emphasize the emergent sound of an era, which became a topic of special interest in recent years. Experimental, bleepy acid and techno, science fiction house music with trance seeping in around the edges—the protagonists featured on this curated Compilation represent many of Frankfurt’s burgeoning scenes back then.

The tracklist might as well be read as a rhizomatic, yet partial analysis of the Frankfurt scene around that time. The first track sees two pioneers of Frankfurt’s pre house and techno tape scene, Pink Elln (aka Tobias Freund) and Atom Heart team up as Phobia, followed by a short-lived triad called Ongaku which consisted of Atom Heart and the DJ duo of Ata and Heiko MSO. Those DJs were to co-found the Delirium record store and start their own family of record labels soon after, joined by two guys hailing from close-by Darmstadt: Roman Flügel and Jörn Elling Wuttke. Roman and Jörn initially created their Alter Ego project as an outlet for releases on Harthouse; an infamous label, run by Sven Väth amongst others, which also released countless productions created by Ralf Hildenbeutel. Redeye’s and Solar Eclipse’s tracks had been released on after 6am point, a label that had once been run out of the lively and creative hub at Delirium record store. The project Sieg Über Die Sonne had been started by Tobias Freund and Martin Schopf (aka Dandy Jack) in the late 1980s, both close friends to Atom Heart, who completes this compilation with a rare house track.

Compiled by Oliver Hafenbauer
Artwork by Orakel Studio
Mastered by Lopazz
Photo by Peter Wolff
Words by Patrick Raddatz

Archive – A Frankfurt Catalogue 91-94

@reptant_the_lizard's debut release on Die Orakel is an n-dimensional array of five seriously electro flavoured composites on vinyl (and digital, that is). The Melbourne based producer starts off quirky, fast-paced and slightly acidic, skillfully swerving into the laid-back leftfield of mid-to-late 90s UK IDM. At either tempi, The New Adaptive Lacerta is a truly sublime and modern classic EP.

A1: Ultra Violent Light 
A2: Skatter Tek 
B1: Sticky Feet 
B2: Absorption 
B3: Metachrosis

Written and produced: Reptant
Mastering: Lopazz at Mixmastering.de
Lacquer cut: Daniel Krieger at SST
Artwork: Orakel Studio
Cover photo: Neven Allgeier
Words: Patrick Raddatz

Label: Die Orakel
Catalog: ORKL-16
Format: 12" vinyl, digital
Distribution: One Eye Witness
Release: Fri 19 March 2021

The New Adaptive Lacerta

Reptant – The New Adaptive Lacerta

Die Orakel is a Frankfurt based music platform run by Oliver Hafenbauer.

Die Orakel (Engl. the oracles) might not know it all but has the capacity to observe and sense it: Oliver Hafenbauer's imprint operates as an experimental field for electronic music on the playfully indecisive end where it exceeds genre-specificity to focus on tunes that function beyond. This is not to say that there are no four-to-the-floor productions. The Frankfurt-based label features contributions by artists like Reptant, Poly Chain, Edward, Roman Flügel, upsammy or O-Wells, all known as dance floor doyens. The releases yet encompass what can slip the attention on a traditional dance label. Uplifting and downtempo appear here as two categories that do not exclude each other. The visual representation of the venture is undertaken by Stefan Haag and label boss Oliver Hafenbauer himself, who have a clear approach to communicating Die Orakel’s standards.

Popular tracks by Die Orakel