joachimspieth.de
linktr.ee/joachimspieth
affinmusic.de/
affinmusic.de/booking-joachim-spieth/

TRACKS

Guentner & Spieth is the collaboration project of German artists Markus Guentner and Joachim Spieth, who first appeared musically in the 2000s in connection with Wolfgang Voigt’s Pop Ambient series on the Kompakt label. After getting to know and appreciate each other over the years, they combined their musical ideas for the first time in 2020 and have continued their joint productions ever since. Together, they create mesmerizing soundscapes that combine organic textures and digital precision.

Markus Guentner, a pioneer of the ambient genre, is known for his cinematic sound designs, while Joachim Spieth, founder of the world-renowned label Affin, is appreciated for his work in the field of tension between deep techno and ambient.

Their collaboration combines these strengths in minimalist compositions that enable introspective listening experiences and immersive sound journeys. With the album Overlay, released in 2023, they have created a debut album that was characterised in ‘A Closer Listen’ as ‘dripping with narcotised and eroticised romantic impulses and feels like a living revenant from a voluptuous dream’. A handful of 10’ lathe cuts were subsequently released, containing remixes of their album by Pole, Abul Mogard, Rafael Irisarri and Hollie Kenniff, among others.

https://guentnerspieth.bandcamp.com/
https://affinmusic.de/booking-guennter-spieth/
https://linktr.ee/guentnerspieth

Releases

https://m-guentner.de
https://linktr.ee/markusguentner
https://affinmusic.de/booking-markus-guentner/

tracks

Buy/stream: https://kompakt.fm/releases/pop_ambient_2022

With the cover artwork for Pop Ambient 2022, longtime KOMPAKT graphic artist Veronika Unland has once again outdone herself. Following the almost baroque, blood-red and jet-black, extremely physical sculptures of Pop Ambient 2021, which emerged from a dark, floral sea like bodies erect for dancing, the front of 2022 is adorned with a pastel-white form, intertwined, folded many times and crisscrossed with delicate shading, which seems to float on a pale pink background; soft, gentle waves woven from Venetian colors that leave the viewer puzzled: Is it a flower, a coral, a mollusk? 

Again, the current edition of the tradition-steeped compilation series curated by Wolfgang Voigt is about the persistent and ever-necessary definition of beauty, of reduction, of electronic music of heavy lightness and light heaviness, of ambient's eternal promise of a state of physical and acoustic weightlessness and Pop's of redemption. And about the question why a never arbitrary combination of soundscape, drones, samples and loops, put together in a certain way, can create this feeling of warmth, depth and space, - something three-dimensional, where the imagination feels at home as a fish in the water or a bird in the sky. A key aesthetic stimulus that sends all the senses into a slow glide and drift, after which your synapses feel like they've been bathed in essential oil. Next to Soul, Ambient is probably the most effective musical healing plant of mankind. 

Behind the aural test tubes, the who's who of Pop Ambient is once again at work, led for the first time by the highly trafficked Californian duo Blank Gloss, whose debut album "Melt" this year was certified by The Guardian as nothing less than "heartaching beauty". Yui Onodera's "Chrome" as well as "Kari", a cooperation of Markus Guentner and Joachim Spieth, could also be imagined in the score of Denis Villeneuve's new film version of DUNE - however, colleague Hans Zimmer managed that quite well without the three. After such wonderful and stylish contributions by Reich & Würden, Triola and Thomas Fehlmann, the ear then lingers a bit longer on the ghostly "Weiht" by Morgen Wurde feat. Maria Estrella, a track like a temple of sound, a deep electronic immersion in a Japanese onsen. In this sea of unnameable time you could sink forever, but with the tracks of Andrew Thomas, Thore Pfeiffer and Max Würden & Pepo Galán the journey slowly comes to an end.

Markus Guentner / Joachim Spieth - Kari

"The Dark Opens The Way (Markus Guentner Remix)" is the second digital single from forthcoming GALÁN / VOGT remix album "All The Time In The World" - out release Nov 23, 2023.
Mastered by Robert Babicz.
https://linktr.ee/galanvogt

Galán / Vogt - The Dark Opens The Way (Markus Guentner Remix)

After Markus Guentner and Joachim Spieth's first joint album, "Overlay", was released last October, there is now a 10" lathe cut limited to thirty pieces, which will be released on February 2nd.

"Overlay Variations" uses elements that were taken exclusively from the album and puts them together to create completely new pieces of music. The recording is delivered with a print that shows the front of the cover and is hand-numbered on the back.

Furthermore, this 10" represents the start of a series that will be completed by the end of the year...

design | https://markus-guentner.de/
mastering | https://artefactsmastering.com/
Affin | linktr.ee/AffinLTD
Linktr.ee | https://linktr.ee/guentnerspieth

Overlay Variations

Guentner | Spieth - Overlay Variations

For the collaboration album "Overlay" by Markus Guentner and Joachim Spieth, which was released last November, a series of reworks by artist friends was prepared, the first part of which will be released at the beginning of May.

The composer Hollie Kenniff and the multi-instrumentalist/mastering engineer Rafael Anton Irisarri interpret the title "Nukleus" here, both in their own very special way.

The EP will be released as a limited 10" lathe cut with a hand-numbered cover art print and a sticker.

https://linktr.ee/guentnerspieth
linktr.ee/AffinLTD

Overlay Reworks | Pt. 1

Overlay Reworks | Pt. 1 (by Hollie Kenniff & Rafael Anton Irisarri)

When two collaborative projects come together, the result is bound to be exceptional. The Valenz remix by the GALÁN / VOGT duo exemplifies this perfectly. They have taken on a track from the acclaimed "Overlay" album by Guentner | Spieth and transformed it into something entirely new and captivating.

Galán, known for his innovative ambient textures, and Vogt, a master of minimalistic yet profound soundscapes, bring their unique talents to this remix. They focus on a few key sound particles from the original track, carefully avoiding too much proximity to create a fresh and distinct interpretation. The remix retains the essence of the original while shining in a completely new light, showcasing the duo's ability to reimagine and revitalize music.

The result is a moving and evocative piece that highlights the collaborative spirit and creative synergy between these artists. This stunning rework will be released on August 30th, offering listeners a glimpse into the harmonious blend of two distinctive musical visions.

all tracks written & produced by Markus Guentner & Joachim Spieth

design | https://markus-guentner.de
Affin | linktr.ee/AffinLTD
mastering | https://www.artefactsmastering.com
GALÁN / VOGT | linktr.ee/galanvogt

Valenz (GALÁN / VOGT Rework)

Following the release of the first installment of the "Overlay Reworks" series in May, featuring remixes by Hollie Kenniff and Rafael Anton Irisarri, Guentner and Spieth have invited renowned artists Pole and Abul Mogard to rework tracks from their acclaimed album "Overlay", released last year. These two innovators are celebrated for their ongoing contributions to the electronic music scene.

Pole, a pioneer in minimal dub and glitch, brings his unique touch to the project. Abul Mogard, known for his impressive ambient compositions, adds his signature depth and emotional resonance. The result of their creative efforts are two profound tracks that subtly reference the originals while showcasing their unmistakable virtuosity.

This EP exudes exclusivity and originality and represents a landmark for the Affin label. It will be released on October 4th as a limited 10" lathe cut with hand-numbered print and sticker, as well as a digital download version.

Artist: Guentner | Spieth
Title: Overlay Reworks Pt. 2
Format: 10” lathe cut/digital 
Cat.: Affin Extra 06 
Release date: Friday, October 4. 2024

Track listing

1 Void (Pole Rework)
2 Scope (Abul Mogard Rework)
3 Void (Original Mix)*
4 Scope (Original Mix)*

* digital only

https://linktr.ee/guentnerspieth

Overlay Reworks | Pt. 2 (by Pole & Abul Mogard)

This morning, I am spending time with Joachim Spieth, who is releasing his new album, Retrace, tomorrow, October 4th, via his own Affin imprint. Spieth's particular flavour of ambient dub should be familiar to those following the annual Pop Ambient series curated by Wolfgang Voigt. A few years ago, I premiered a track off his incredibly textured Ousia album, which I subsequently proclaimed as one of the best of the year in my Music For Being Together Alone list. Since then, I have been truly captivated by his aquatic ebb and flow, heavily layered with introspective, deeply oceanic, slow tidal ambience, which tends to calm the mind by spreading its evolving soundscapes into the distant unknown. Spieth's further explorations, like Terrain (2022) and his collaboration with Markus Guentner on Overlay (2023), continued to appear in my annual celebrations of favourite music. So, it shouldn't be surprising that I'm premiering his latest track for you. On Retrace, his carefully balanced sonic expansions are complimented by hypnotic rhythms and heartbeat-echoing low-rumbling bass. "Like glittering drops of water, the sound elements combine to slowly filter through sonic biotopes until they extend across the spectrum in full frequency." Perfectly curated as a soundtrack for any time of your day, these seven pieces will guide you back into the meaning of this reality if you follow the journey, listen, and breathe.

Read more on Headphone Commute:
https://headphonecommute.com/2024/10/03/joachim-spieth-longing/

Retrace

TRACK PREMIERE : Joachim Spieth - Longing

Joachim Spieth | Warmth - Dark Tide
Fragments [Affin CD09 / Affin]

Produced by Joachim Spieth & Agustín Mena aka Warmth
Mastered by Artefacts Mastering
Design by Markus Guentner
Released by Affin from Germany
Release Date : January 10th. 2025
Format - CD and Digital

Fragments is the first joint album by Joachim Spieth and Warmth. It brings together two musical characters with an affinity for expansive, imaginary soundscapes and atmospheric compositions.
Agustin Mena is a Spanish ambient producer and has been operating under his 2 alter egos ‘Warmth’ and ‘SVLBRD’ on the two labels he founded, Archives and Faint. Joachim Spieth has been running the label Affin for almost 2 decades and is a regular contributor to Wolfgang Voigt's Pop Ambient series on the Kompakt label.
The first musical points of contact between the two were in the form of mutual remix projects. This exchange laid the foundation for Fragments, which now reveals the intersections for a sense of space and timelessness. On seven tracks, the album takes the listener on a walk through organic textures and places of longing.

Joachim Spieth (Germany)
https://joachimspieth.de
https://soundcloud.com/joachim-spieth
https://www.facebook.com/JoachimSpiethAffin
https://www.instagram.com/joachimspieth

Warmth (Valencia, Spain)
https://soundcloud.com/w_a_r_m_t_h
https://www.facebook.com/warmthx2

Affin
https://linktr.ee/AffinLTD

Oslated.
http://www.oslated.com

Fragments

Dark Tide

Support & Buy

Joachim Spieth | Warmth - Dark Tide [Affin]

Well, folks, here we are, near the end of this year. I could say a lot about 2024, none of which was highly positive and worth celebrating, so I’m happy to close this chapter and move on anew. If I could try to name one highlight of the last year, it would be the accelerating advancement of artificial intelligence, and even then, I’m not sure if it’s a good thing. I am confident that I’m not alone in this sentiment, having spoken to many musicians and label owners reflecting on the state of the scene, the music “business”, and the world in general. Plenty are struggling to keep going and hopefully persevere. With that said, I did spend a tremendous amount of time highlighting the albums worthy of your attention and money and selected my favourites for the upcoming Best of the Year feature, which I will begin publishing on January 1st. It’s one thing worth looking forward to. The other is this fantastic collaboration between my favourite artists, Joachim Spieth and Agustín Mena, recording as Warmth and SVLBRD. Separately, the two have produced an abundance of heart-warming music on their respective labels, Affin and Archives, which has kept me in comfort, sanity, and peace. Mena’s 2018 release Parallel nursed me out of COVID and remains at the top of my rotations, unparalleled in its charm. Meanwhile, Spieth’s dubbed-out ambience has been a spellbinding companion at home and on my travels, reducing anxiety and focusing the mind. I’ve profiled both artists on these pages in-depth (read the most recent In the studio with Joachim Spieth), and I’m excited to announce their upcoming joint release and share an exclusive premiere of this beautiful track.

Read more about this Track Premiere on Headphone Commute:
https://headphonecommute.com/2024/12/30/joachim-spieth-warmth-spectral/

Spectral

TRACK PREMIERE : Joachim Spieth | Warmth - Spectral

Joachim Spieth - Chain 
V.A - Deep Sessions [BAL011 / Balders Audio]

Produced by Joachim Spieth
Mastered by Alex Bau
Released by Balders Audio from Leipzig, Germany
Release Date : April 21st, 2025
Format - Vinyl and Digital

Back to deep sounds. Label owner Bastian Balders delivers a 7-minute, slow deep track, while Alex Bau's Forbiddenx combines minimalistic sounds with different hi-hats. Joachim Spieth ends the EP with an outstanding dub techno track. No more words are needed.

Joachim Spieth (Germany)
https://joachimspieth.de
https://soundcloud.com/joachim-spieth
https://www.facebook.com/JoachimSpiethAffin
https://www.instagram.com/joachimspieth

Balders Audio
https://soundcloud.com/bastianbalders
https://bastianbalders.bandcamp.com/music

* All links to buy the vinyl record.

https://www.decks.de/track/various_artists-deep_sessions/cof-pr
https://www.deejay.de/Various_Deep_Sessions_BAL011_Vinyl__1139616
https://hardwax.com/label/balders-audio
https://www.hhv.de/en/records/item/v-a-deep-sessions-1244709
https://www.juno.co.uk/products/bastian-balders-alex-bau-joachim-spieth-deep-sessions-vinyl/1080944-01
https://www.phonicarecords.com/product/various-artists-deep-sessions-balders-audio/202909
https://www.redeyerecords.co.uk/vinyl/181861-bal011--various-artists-deep-sessions
https://www.dbh-music.com/shop/release_view/16067

Oslated.
http://www.oslated.com

V.A - Deep Sessions

Chain

Joachim Spieth - Chain [Balders Audio]

Following the release of their acclaimed 2023 ambient masterpiece Overlay, Markus Guentner and Joachim Spieth have unveiled Overlay Reworks, an album that breathes new life into their original compositions collecting the limited 10" lathe cuts and digital releases. This collection gathers an exceptional lineup of artists from the ambient and experimental music scenes, each offering a distinctive interpretation of tracks from the original album. Contributors include Hollie Kenniff, known for her ethereal soundscapes; Rafael Anton Irisarri, celebrated for his textured ambient works; and Pole, whose minimal, dub-infused aesthetics bring a unique perspective. Other contributors such as Abul Mogard, GALÁN/VOGT, and Leandro Fresco infuse the music with their own sonic identities, ranging from hauntingly atmospheric to richly melodic.

Guentner and Spieth themselves contribute two alternate variations, seamlessly bridging the original vision of Overlay with the imaginative directions taken by their collaborators. The result is a transformative experience that reinterprets Overlay while expanding its emotional depth and sonic palette, offering listeners a captivating journey through reimagined ambient landscapes.

https://linktr.ee/guentnerspieth
https://affinmusic.de/booking-guennter-spieth/

Guentner | Spieth - Overlay Reworks

Joachim Spieth - Phantom

There are a few collaborations that work really well. And, when something works well, why not double down? Two years ago [I almost said last November], Markus Guentner and Joachim Spieth came together for a full-length release on Spieth's own Affin imprint. This was more than just their initial conversation, which appeared on Kompakt's Pop Ambient's 2022 installment. Overlay was full of lush texture and ambience, which gently tickled the sensitive nerve endings in my ear canal, leaving my brain to decipher the signals into analgesic pleasantries. This year, the duo returns with a follow-up full-length release, delving deeper into atmospheric soundscapes, punctuating them with a dub-inspired heart-pounding beat. Fans of hypnotic, kaleidoscopic, and sonically rich environments will surely want to lose themselves in the caverns of this all-encompassing sound. If you are a fan [as much as I am] of their solo works, you will find that here, together, the multiplier is higher. They're truly at the top of their art here, so let's put on a heavy ADS for a fully submersible voyage. A subwoofer is recommended. 

TRACK PREMIERE : Guentner + Spieth - Chrysalis

Conversion, the second opus from German electronic duo Guentner + Spieth, dives deep into their shared musical roots to reinterpret them through a contemporary, nuanced lens. The result is a body of work that blends ambient expansiveness with dub-inspired detail - layered soundscapes that balance openness with structure. Unbound by conventional formats, the album moves fluidly between rhythmic depth and atmospheric stillness. Bass drums appear alongside quiet passages, carried by floating pads, carefully placed accents, and a sense of space that feels both introspective and organic. Conversion is both a tribute to shared origins and a statement of artistic evolution.

Created in a relaxed, intimate atmosphere, Conversion reflects formative influences of early ambient, dub, and deep techno releases while combining them with the artists characteristic signatures. Both made their debut on the legendary Cologne label Kompakt in the early 2000s and were part of Wolfgang Voigt's trend-setting Pop Ambient series. They have since independently developed distinctive positions within electronic music: Guentner with his cinematic-atmospheric albums such as Theia and Onda on the label A Strangely Isolated Place. While Spieth heads the Affin label with its deep, hypnotic sound aesthetic, he releases a steady stream of his own works such as Irradiance, or the more recent Retrace.

Conversion is less retrospective and more a continuation of a finely tuned dialog that invites introspection with its minimalist compositions, organic hues, and cavernous depth. Each track on this "after-hours" album unfolds with deliberate subtlety, drawing the listener into an immersive experience where sound becomes both space and emotion. Between structure and expanse, density and silence, a work of quiet intensity unfolds that is club-compatible. 

Guentner Spieth - Conversion

http://www.astrangelyisolatedplace.com/asipv004-markus-guentner-theia

There was chaos and violence, a collision of dark matter and heat. 
In the maelstrom, a legacy was created and a new moon born. 
She left something here forever.
But amongst infinite black depths,
Theia rages on. 

Markus Guentner's new album, Theia, arrives November 9th on double transparent vinyl housed in a matte-laminated gatefold sleeve.

Markus Guentner - Baryon (Feat. The Sight Below) (ASIPV004)

Buy/stream: https://KompaktRecords.lnk.to/PopAmbient2020SD

20 years of Pop Ambient. Already? One didn’t notice. It’s an anniversary which comes quietly. An anniversary with quiet tones. In the spirit of the special restraint of pop-elegance, it has no reason to drawn attention to itself with a big „Tam-Tam“. Or better: „Bum-Bum“. The bass drum stays outside. Nevertheless, in fast-paced, overstimulated times of moving forward, it’s a joyful occasion to look back. What strikes most by putting or listening to 20 years of pop ambient in a row is the central theme that holds together the dense aesthetic concept like the pearls of a necklace. Floral beauty for digital naturalists. Music like flowers, that don’t wilt. Timeless. Ageless.
But with all of the conceptual unity and resolution, Pop Ambient would not be Kompakt without the break, the friction, the expansion of musical boundaries in between tradition and innovation, in between conspiracy and the openness of the discourse. Aestheticism, escapism, acting in the spirit of „nevertheless“. Swans drifting by, clouds pass over, everything is floating and: „Boredom is a stylistic device“ (Andy Warhol).

Pop Ambient Music is medicine against illnesses, that you don’t even suffer from. It’s giving everything, demanding nothing. Musical lotus leafs, off which the virtual wastewater of our time is rolling like the reality is dripping off the matrix. 

In this sense, we’re happy about the pop-ambient anniversary greetings from new and old companions like Thore Pfeiffer, Max Würden, Yui Onodera, Jörg Burger, Thomas Fehlmann, Morgen Wurde, Leandro Fresco aswell as contributions from T.Raumschmiere, Andrew Thomas and, after a long break, from friends from early days like Joachim Spieth, Markus Guentner und Klimek.

Pop Ambient 2020 is released digital, as CD and of course as a chic double vinyl. Also included in the package: The whole distinctive cover-series as an art book of 44 pages. And for all of the old and young fans and collectors there is the Pop Ambient 2001 in a overhauled original version out on vinyl for the very first time.

  Breath in. Breath out. Thank you.  

Wolfgang Voigt, September 2019.

Buy/stream

Markus Guentner - Clade

Guentner & Spieth is the collaboration project of German artists Markus Guentner and Joachim Spieth, who first appeared musically in the 2000s in connection with Wolfgang Voigt’s Pop Ambient series on the Kompakt label. After getting to know and appreciate each other over the years, they combined their musical ideas for the first time in 2020 and have continued their joint productions ever since. Together, they create mesmerizing soundscapes that combine organic textures and digital precision.

Markus Guentner, a pioneer of the ambient genre, is known for his cinematic sound designs, while Joachim Spieth, founder of the world-renowned label Affin, is appreciated for his work in the field of tension between deep techno and ambient.

Their collaboration combines these strengths in minimalist compositions that enable introspective listening experiences and immersive sound journeys. With the album Overlay, released in 2023, they have created a debut album that was characterised in ‘A Closer Listen’ as ‘dripping with narcotised and eroticised romantic impulses and feels like a living revenant from a voluptuous dream’. A handful of 10’ lathe cuts were subsequently released, containing remixes of their album by Pole, Abul Mogard, Rafael Irisarri and Hollie Kenniff, among others.