Pioneering German glitch producer and Mille Plateaux founder Achim Szepanski has died aged 67, a friend of the late artist has confirmed.
“With a heavy heart I have to inform you about the passing of Achim Szepanski,” a close friend and translator for Szepanski said on Twitter on Tuesday (September 24).
“[Szepanski] was a one of a kind thinker,” they added. “As a radical voice he will be deeply missed, especially for the morally bankrupt left in Germany. Missing him dearly, RIP.”
With a heavy heart I have to inform you about the passing of Achim Szepanski (@achimszepanski). As a friend, comrade+his translator the loss is a punch in the gut.
Achim founded the legendary label Mille Plateaux/Force Inc., was a one of a kind thinker… Missing him dearly, RIP pic.twitter.com/O5Ptb0aeW4— cruellove (@crookedlightsp1) September 24, 2024
Achim Szepanski founded the influential German record label Mille Plateaux in 1993 as a sub-label of Force Inc. before it became defunct, with a focus on glitch, ambient, and experimental music.
Cristian Vogel, Dean Roberts, Thomas Köner, Oval, and DJ Spooky are just a handful of the artists who released on Mille Plateaux over the years, along with dozens of other experimental artists.
In 2000, Mille Plateaux launched a compilation series under the name ‘Clicks & Cuts’ featuring glitch artists from all over the world, today renowned as one of the pioneering launchpads for the genre.
Szepanski was also known for his writing work, penning books including Ultrablack of Music and his most recent project released this year, Capitalism in the Age of Catastrophe.
“Achim ran the platform NON for years on end, it’s an invaluable resource for radical thinking,” his translator wrote in tribute, highlighting some of his recent written works.
In a tribute posted on Twitter yesterday (September 25), DJ and CTM Festival curator Opium Hum wrote: “I wouldn’t be where I am without the work of Achim Szepanski.”
“As a teenager his labels Force Inc. & Mille Plateaux expanded my understanding of electronic music in ways I never thought possible and prepared the grounds for what would become a life-long obsession with sound and its cultural context,” he said.
Read some tributes below.
Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter
I wouldn’t be where I am without the work of Achim Szepanski, as a teenager his labels Force Inc. & Mille Plateaux expanded my understanding of electronic music in ways I never thought possible and prepared the grounds for what would become a life-long obsession with sound and… pic.twitter.com/9gLuP2oI09
— Michail aka Opium Hum (@opiumhum) September 25, 2024
Farewell to Achim Szepanski (1957-2024), a member of the influential German experimental P16.D4 in 1982, but perhaps best known for founding the legendary German techno label Force Inc. Music Works, with the sub labels Mille Plateaux and Ritornell. pic.twitter.com/6mRaReqrN0
— Robin Rimbaud – Scanner (@robinrimbaud) September 24, 2024
We are shocked about the news that Achim Szepanski who was influential on the Labels Selektion, Mille Plateaux, Force Inc, Ritornell a.o. has died. He was a restless and curious mind, notorious and always in support of the non-conformist. R.I.P. Achim.
— Mouse on Mars (@MoM_official) September 25, 2024
Very sad to hear about the passing of Achim Szepanski, a true musical visionary and founder of Force Inc, Mille Plateaux etc.
I got signed by him in 2000 and would say that’s where my ”journey” started for real. Thank you for believing in 22-year-old me. pic.twitter.com/mmQAwpfPl3— tilliander (@tilliander) September 25, 2024
R.I.P. Achim Szepanski
Born in 1957, he carved his name into the history of sound with his visionary labels Force Inc. and Mille Plateaux, pushing the boundaries of techno and experimental music. pic.twitter.com/uf8M4sVaCF— Hardfloor (@Hardfloor303) September 24, 2024
