Assorted Compilation Series, MFS – January 1999

E for Europe was my first official release – a curated compilation issued through MFS as part of the Assorted series. The project marked my formal entry into the label, and into Berlin’s electronic music infrastructure. It served both as an introduction and a test of alignment and method. Shortly after my relocation to Berlin in 1998, I joined the MFS office. When Volker Mietke departed, I assumed his position as booker, while also producing music and playing DJ regularly. The invitation from Mark Reeder to compile and mix a release for MFS was a shift to artistic responsibility.

The concept of E for Europe was framed around the contemporary currency debate, reimagined through the lens of party culture. The cover design, developed in collaboration with Mark Reeder, replaced the stars of the EU flag with stylised ecstasy pills. The release was issued on CD and MiniDisc – an experimental format that Mark strongly supported at the time. MFS was among the first electronic labels to embrace the medium. The MiniDisc version of E for Europe was later featured at an industry exhibition in Cannes.

I selected and mixed the material. Chris Zippel co-produced the track, contributing to the editing of the vocal samples and overseeing the final mastering process. The tracklist included works from a range of MFS artists, forming a coherent snapshot of the label’s sonic identity at the turn of the millennium.

E for Europe remains the symbolic starting point of my professional output. It represents a shift from observer to author. The release documented a particular structurally open state of Berlin.

Tracklist: