Ellen Allien (DE)
As one of the most iconic artists of her generation, Ellen Allien embodies the core ethos of techno: a visionary who looks to the future for inspiration, carving out her own niche and presiding over an empire that has infused techno, rave, and dance music culture with her unique DNA. Ellen Allien’s journey through the years is a blueprint for a healthy underground community and grounded career in music. Her playful mind and openness to sharing knowledge, imbues her art with an energy and inspiration that’s been highly influential to the subculture across art, design and fashion in her native Berlin.
Ellen’s eternally creative mind has led to the production of ten albums, to join her extensive back catalogue of singles, EPs and remix work for seminal labels like Warp and Mute. Most recently she’s collaborated with Italian band Ash Code to bring together dark wave and techno in a seamless dancefloor marriage, remixed Lebanon Hannover and Rosa Anschütz, as well as contributing tracks to compilations from Gegen and Serendeepity. In 2023 she celebrated the 20th Anniversary of her seminal album ‘Stadt Kind’, her most recent album AurAA delivered emotional techno resonating far beyond the dancefloor.
A dynamic selector who prides herself on her extensive knowledge of music and dance floors, she’s travelled the globe as a DJ playing at every major club on the circuit, and commanding the big stages at festivals from Europe to South America. Ellen runs her days long ‘We Are Not Alone’ raves at RSO in her beloved hometown Berlin, bringing the party worldwide as UFO Rave, and she hosts in-store record shop gigs as Vinylism.
In her role as head of BPitch, and UFO Inc., Ellen channels her ceaseless passion for digging into A&R, seeking out and nurturing new talent, alongside established artists and friends. She has signed new artists to her labels, including German trans-media artist Rosa Anschütz, Dutch electronic producer extraordinaire Dollkraut/DJ Europarking, and supports the growth of future talents like Métaraph and Shaleen through the booking agency. Steering the label to become one of the most important platforms for underground electronica. BPitch operates in a league of all its own, influencing the scene at home, but with a global reach. Ellen Allien’s constant forward focus led to the conception of a brand new record label, UFO Inc. in 2018; as an incubator for rough, ravey, raw techno - providing an additional space for Ellen to release her tougher productions, purely for the dancefloor.
2020-22 presented an extremely difficult situation for Ellen and the rest of the global electronic music community as clubs and festivals were shut down. Unable to tour, she conceived the hugely successful Balcony Streaming sessions, hosted from her home in Berlin. The livestreams allowed her to continue DJing and engaging with her fanbase, while also supporting music from a wide range of artists, new and old.
During this time, she channeled her curatorial experience into an expansive three-part (expanded to six in 2023) compilation series. Named after her We Are Not Alone parties, the collection comprised tracks from artists that embody the ethos; club music with a rugged aesthetic and an unapologetic dancefloor focus. Volumes four-six were released together with a film and installation as AFTER DARK with Ellen’s longtime collaborator the director/photographer Stini Roehrs. AFTER DARK exhibition premiered at the Hamburger Bahnhof modern art museum in Berlin in July, with a new soundtrack by Ellen.