Alec Worsens

Alec Empire (born on May 2nd, 1972) is a German musician known in particular to be one of the founding members of the group Atari Teenage Riot, but also for its brilliant and prolific career solo as an artist, remixer and DJ. Founder of the Berlin' S DIGITAL Hardcore Recordings.

Biography

Political childhood and first influences

Alec Worsens, from its true name Alexander Wilke, is born on May 2nd 1972, in a occupied West Berlin where he lives until the 17 years age. His/her father is a Socialiste pertaining to the Working class, wire of a Juif killed in a Concentration camp during the Second world war. His/her mother is the girl of the inventor of the first Knitting loom of domestic use, a coil-made man millionaire, whose company went bankrupt with its death.

He grows during the Cold war close to the Berlin Wall, which he crosses the every day to go to the school. The presence of armed frontier guards makes him become aware very early that he lives in an occupied city. It describes Berlin of the time like “probably the place more with the extreme left of Germany in the years 1970, of the terrorists, much of demonstrations, and the first attempts to undoubtedly listen to the last tubes coming from the United States, thanks to the radio transmissions that the American soldiers brought to Berlin.”

First musical influences

The interest which it carries to the Rap the conduit to a career of station-wagon dancer in the streets of Berlin at the 10 years age. , Disappointed later by this kind become increasingly commercial, he forsakes it for very an other musical mode of expression. He plays of the guitar since the 8 years age, which, coupled with its political education, the conduit finally with the creation of its first group, Die Kinder, at the 12 years age.

Towards the 16 years age, Empire ends up thinking that the punk one, as a movement rather than kind, is " mort" (even if punk the anti-Establishment attitude will appear significantly in its following productions). After having left Die Kinder, it was fascinated by the scene turnip, and after the German reunification, it starts to attend the turnip party in the east of Berlin, judging that the scene of its native West Berlin is too commercial. At that time it created a great number of what it calls " music of DJ without visage". In 1991, whereas it mixed on a beach in France with his friend Elias Hanin, it drew the attention of Ian Pooley, which led to the recording of a series of phonographic discs on the label Force Inc.

Empire is a producer and a prolific DJ which earns its living well, nevertheless, it sees the scene turnip like declining and egoistic. That the met in anger, because him and his/her friends felt well that they lived in a city implied in the political matters, and that the death of the governments directed by the Communists had given place to a rise of conservatism in Germany, that of which few people worried. The movement German néo-Nazi had invaded the scene, declaring the trance techno the " true music Al; Worsen response by samplant funk years 1960 and 70 - a style of music mainly Afro-American and by using it in its work solo. When it realized that was not enough to transmit the message, it decides to form a group with people sharing this same sensitivity: Hanin Elias (it also old punk) and Carl Ace (one MC swazi). Atari Teenage Riot was born.

Atari Teenage Riot: 1992-2000

It founds DIGITAL Hardcore Recordings. In 1992, he becomes the leader-founder of the group Atari Teenage Riot, group signed on Royal the Grand label of Beastie Boys. The first album solo of Alec Worsens fate in 1995. This last is entitled " Low One Ice". The album is followed, the following year, by a second album: " Stars of the girls mortes". The same year leaves " The Destroyer" , then two years later, " The Curse Off The Vampire" Golden delicious; , an album which it carries out in collaboration with animal Techno. In 2002, Alec publishes Intelligence & Sacrifice. With Atari Teenage Riot, Alec takes part in the song or the production with 6 albums. Alec also collaborates with Björk in 1997, with RL Burnside or Ice. It also makes the first part of the Européenne round of Nine Inch Nails for The Fragile with its group Atari Teenage Riot.

It leaves in 2005, always with NIC Endo, its last album in date named Futurist, giving a more important place to the guitars while preserving the sound " electro" characterizing.

Anecdotes