Gas (stylized as GAS or G A S) is the main musical project of German

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...

musician and composer

Wolfgang Voigt Wolfgang Voigt (born 1961) is a German electronic music DJ and producer from Cologne, known for his output under various aliases, such as Gas. He signed on numerous record labels, including Warp, Harvest, Raster-Noton, Force Inc, Astral Ind ...

(born 1961). The project was created as an expressive medium inspired by his experiences with taking

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...

in the

Königsforst ''Königsforst'' is the third album by Wolfgang Voigt's Gas project. It was released in December 1998 on the Mille Plateaux label. The album is named after Königsforst recreation park, near Voigt's hometown of Köln, in which his youthful exp ...

, a German forest situated near his hometown of

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

, for long periods in his youth. He has claimed that the intention of the project is to "bring the forest to the disco, or vice-versa".

History

Wolfgang Voigt began creating music under the name of Gas starting in 1995, when he released the EP ''Modern'' on the label Profan. However, he has regarded individual pieces created from 1989 onward as being part of the Gas project, marked by a compiled 2008 release under his real name. A hiatus for the Gas project started after the release of ''

Pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

'' in 2000, but this concluded when in 2008, Voigt's own label

Kompakt Kompakt ( Labelcode: LC 12012) is a Cologne-based electronic music independent record label and vinyl/CD distributor, owned by Wolfgang Voigt, Michael Mayer and Jürgen Paape. They specialize in microhouse and minimal techno, and are known ...

re-released all four of his Gas albums, albeit with subtle changes made to the tracks, as a four-CD box set entitled '' Nah und Fern''. A limited double vinyl version of the set was also released, with one track from each album per side. In 2016, Kompakt reissued '' Zauberberg'', ''

'', ''

Oktember ''Oktember'' is the second EP by German musician Wolfgang Voigt's Gas project. It was released in February 1999 on the Mille Plateaux label. "Oktember A" was later released as the first song on the CD pressing of Gas' third album ''Königsf ...

'' and ''Pop'' as a 10-LP box set called ''

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'', again editing or expanding many of the tracks. Voigt has intermittently revived the project for remixes and released new Gas albums since, including ''

Narkopop ''Narkopop'' is the fifth studio album by Wolfgang Voigt's Gas project, the first album under the moniker in 17 years and his first on Kompakt. The album was released on 21 April 2017. Reception On the review aggregate site Metacritic, ''Narkopo ...

'' on April 21, 2017 and '' Rausch'' in 2018.

Musical style

Gas's music is primarily regarded as

ambient techno Ambient techno is a subgenre of techno that incorporates the atmospheric textures of ambient music with the rhythmic elements and production of techno. It was pioneered by 1990s electronic artists such as Aphex Twin, Carl Craig, The Orb, The ...

and

minimal techno Minimal techno is a subgenre of techno music. It is characterized by a stripped-down aesthetic that exploits the use of repetition and understated development. Minimal techno is thought to have been originally developed in the early 1990s by Detro ...

, combining

ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes Musical tone, tone and atmosphere over traditional Musical form, musical structure or rhythm. Often "peaceful" sounding and lacking Musical composition, composition, beat, and/or structured melod ...

and 4/4

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

. It is the most abstract of Voigt's many projects, with albums consisting of several long untitled tracks. All Gas material shares a characteristic sound, based on a hazy ambient wash of drones and sampled loops, "barely-audible fragments of horns, strings, record hiss and wind", usually accompanied by a repetitive

four-on-the-floor Four-on-the-floor (or four-to-the-floor) is a rhythm used primarily in dance genres such as disco and electronic dance music. It is a steady, uniformly accented beat in time in which the bass drum is hit on every beat (1, 2, 3, 4)."The Dance ...

kick drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The hea ...

. ''

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'' described it as "an outdoor rave, heard floating through the air from a neighbouring village". Voigt has declared it to be "GASeous music, caught by a bass drum just marching by, that streams, streams out through the underwood across the forest soil". He also said it "

oves The cervical cap is a form of barrier contraception. A cervical cap fits over the cervix and blocks sperm from entering the uterus through the external orifice of the uterus, called the ''os''. Terminology The term ''cervical cap'' has been ...

around in constantly overlapping loop structures" and "there is no definite start nor end". His live performances, which he performs using

MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface (; MIDI) is an American-Japanese technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, ...

controls and

Ableton Live Ableton Live is a digital audio workstation for macOS and Windows developed by the German company Ableton. In contrast to many other software sequencers, Live is designed to be an instrument for live performances as well as a tool for compos ...

, have this same organic quality. He commented that he builds his tracks using samples, which are manipulated beyond recognition to create what can better be described as textural environments than songs. He described the technique as "a certain kind of loops and reverse, and alternated reverses, which has no ending and no start, and it's just totally confusing".

Discography

All Gas tracks are untitled, except the ''Modern'' and ''Oktember'' releases.

Albums

*''Gas'' (1996) – Mille Plateaux *'' Zauberberg'' (1997) – Mille Plateaux *''

'' (1998) – Mille Plateaux *''

'' (2000) – Mille Plateaux *''

'' (2017) –

*'' Rausch'' (2018) – Kompakt *''Der Lange Marsch'' (2021) – Kompakt

EPs

*''

Modern Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

'' (1995) –

Profan Kompakt (Labelcode: LC 12012) is a Cologne-based electronic music independent record label and vinyl/CD distributor, owned by Wolfgang Voigt, Michael Mayer (musician), Michael Mayer and Jürgen Paape. They specialize in microhouse and minimal ...

*''

'' (1999) – Mille Plateaux

Singles

*"Zeit" (2020) –

Compilations

*'' Nah und Fern'' (2008) –

*''

'' (2016) –

Remixes

*Love Inc. – "Hot Love (Gas Mix) (1995) *Markus Guentner – "Regensburg (Gas Mix)" (2002) *The Field – " Cupid's Head (Gas Ambient Mix)" (2014) *

Robyn Robin Miriam Carlsson (; born 12 June 1979), known professionally as Robyn (), is a Swedish singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. Her 1995 debut album ''Robyn Is Here'' produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 single ...

Kindness Kindness is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity, consideration, or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward in return. It is a subject of interest in philosophy, religion, and psychology. It can be directed towards o ...

– "Who Do You Love (Wolfgang Voigt GAS Mix)" (2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gas (Musician) 1961 births German ambient musicians Living people Techno musicians