RIP Ambient Pioneer Pete Namlook

Prolific German electronic music producer Pete Namlook has died. Born Peter Kuhlmann, Namlook crafted sublime ambient music on his own and via countless collaborations with Richie Hawtin, Mixmaster Morris, Move D and many others. He formed Fax Records in 1992 and used the imprint to release over 250 albums. To summarize his contribution to electronic music simply wouldn’t be fair — Namlook quietly blazed new trails at a time when dance culture was expanding into breakbeat, hardcore and drum ‘n’ bass. Instead of ignoring what was happening, Namlook eagerly fused elements of these new sounds into his own sonic terrain, quietly and with purpose and dignity. From today, the world of electronic music will sound a little less beautiful.

His daughter Fabia issued the following statement to RA: “It is with much grief that we announce the passing of Peter Kuhlmann, AKA Pete Namlook. We are still shocked and are working on an official announcement that will follow soon to bring clarity to our minds. As word spreads on the internet more and more we just want to make clear that he died peacefully from as yet unspecified causes on 8th November 2012. We will announce more details as and when they surface.”