I’ll always remember that opening underwater feeling of Joachim’s ‘You Don’t Fool Me’ and the bells of Markus’ ‘Regensburg’… Well, you know we love full circle moments here, especially when they involve artists and records that played such an important part in the inspiration behind ASIP. Markus Guentner and Joachim Spieth both appeared on the original Kompakt Pop Ambient compilation in 2001, a series that heavily influenced ASIP and remains a personal favorite to this day. So, 25 years later, it's rather special to welcome them both together as one for an isolatedmix. Both artists have followed their own paths since those early Kompakt days, but their shared history eventually led to a series of collaborations, including Overlay, Conversion, and contributions to Markus’ own Kontrapunkt album here on ASIP. Both have also contributed to the isolatedmix series individually too, as despite all these years passing, it’s refreshing to hear such a consistent style and depth to their productions to this day - a signature sound that many artists would strive for. For this isolatedmix, Markus and Joachim revisit their collaborative work, bringing together tracks and remixes that connect the different projects. It's a fitting opportunity to look back at where it all began, how their musical relationship has developed, and what might come next. We caught up with them both to discuss their early Pop Ambient days, working together, and making music 25 years on. ~ It’s now been three years since your collaborative album Overlay was released. Looking back at that record from where you are today, what do you hear in it that perhaps wasn’t obvious to you when you were making it? J: I actually find *Overlay* to be relatively timeless; it could just as easily be released today. That may be partly because, for this project, we settled on a few cornerstones of our musical upbringing without making them a major topic of discussion during the actual creative process. After all, the starting point—or premise—of this collaboration was our shared passion for sound and the desire to finally try making music together after knowing each other for so long. And I think the results reflect that. M: Yes, right … somehow “Overlay” is kinda timeless … but on the other side, we talked a lot about what and how we can do things together, where do we wanna go when we make music together. And we had this idea really quickly of bringing our musical background together … what we always loved … but not making a copy of it, just translating that influences our way of making things. And I'd say that “plan” really worked. You can hear a lot of influences on that album. Now, after three years (or better, 4-5 years with all the conversations, composing, producing) it’s still something i’d do the same way. Overlay by Guentner Spieth Markus, you’ve been part of ASIP for a long time now. You both arrive at this collaboration with your own histories and approaches — where did you first recognize something in each other’s music that felt compatible? Was it always the Pop Ambient connection? As that feels a million miles away from where your music is now. Well, ok, of course the first touching-point is our shared history on Kompakt. But, in the beginning of Pop Ambient or “The early Kompakt Years” we didn’t know each other in person. Sure, I listened to Joachim’s stuff (and really loved it) … but it was never an obvious connection. And after a few years (when Joachim started AFFIN) we finally got in contact. So, Joachim asked me about an album (which i made … Crystal Castle) … and still (back then) it wasn’t a thing (or even an option) to do stuff together … but somehow we connected more and more over the years. We had some conversations on the phone, email etc … but a few years ago we made regular appointments with videocalls … and I think that changed a lot !!! Because we talked about so much stuff (not just music) for hours and hours. The connection became much more personal … and we realised during these chats, that our history, our taste in music, our understanding in certain things is very close. And then, everything became obvious !!! Of course we should work together, of course we should do some music together. And yes, it’s absolutely so far away from the early Pop Ambient stuff … but, we grew … we had our experiences … We've seen a lot of things. Not together, everyone had his own experience … but somehow it was the same experience … and that is what the collaboration and the work together makes it weirdly special. Kontrapunkt by Markus Guentner When you’re working together, are you conscious of who is bringing what to a piece, or is the aim to reach a point where that distinction disappears? J:The exact percentage of input each person contributes to a given track—or what is actually audible in the finished piece—is really a secondary matter; the process itself is what’s truly compelling. Moreover, we’ve established a relationship built on trust; beyond the Guentner/Spieth project, we make a great many decisions together—not just musical ones, but also those regarding Affin’s visual identity. We constantly bounce ideas off each other—asking things like "What do you think? Does that sound good? Does it look good?" Since we’ve been holding regular video calls for several years now, there is a high level of ongoing dialogue across a wide range of topics, and through that, you naturally develop a feel for what works—for that shared vision and sense of cohesion. M: Exactly, most times we’re like: ok, let’s start with something … what’s your opinion on trying this and that … but hey, just try !!! and sometimes someone is sending an idea … and the other one is working with that out of nowhere. And it’s so wild to see and realise that most times (i’d say around 95%) we’re on the same level. Getting something from the other to work with just feels natural … not really thinking about: uhm, is that something Joachim could like? It’s way more: ok, nice, i can work with that, bring my “voice” into this. And in the end, there’s always an agreement on what we did with the material. How has the way you work together changed since Overlay? Has familiarity made the process easier, or does a good collaboration still need a certain amount of friction or uncertainty to produce something worthwhile? In recent years, we’ve also produced albums as a trio with artists like Pepo Galán and zakè; furthermore, we released the *Conversion* album last year as our second Guentner/Spieth collaboration. I’d say that, overall, the process has increasingly taken on a life of its own. We sometimes surprise each other when one of us shows up with something finished, but we’ve never reached a point where our ideas were completely at odds... It’s as if there’s a kind of antenna transmitting signals in both directions—and it transmits reliably. M: Nothing more to say about … absolutely right !!! Have you found yourselves taking anything from the collaboration back into your respective solo work? J: I think this happens subconsciously—almost certainly. With every collaboration, you learn something new and discover aspects you might not have found on your own; this expands the realm of possibilities, both musically and—surely—technically. Beyond that, we’re constantly exchanging ideas about solo projects and each other’s new remixes; things are always in flux, both within specific projects and on a broader level. From my perspective, a very productive connection has solidified over time—one whose foundation was originally laid with Kompakt and our first releases, as that was the path through which we learned about each other and eventually established direct contact. M: Well, I absolutely think it happens … There is always something you hear and work in the back of your mind when you do a collaboration. But as Joachim said, it’s more subconscious. Not like: oh, i need to take that idea … or, he made it this or that way, i need to do the same. But something is always happening and you take that with you. What can this mix communicate about the relationship between two artists that an original collaboration perhaps can’t? J: The mix serves as a review of what has been achieved so far—an overview, a snapshot, a sort of bird's-eye view—that came together after a period of quiet. The project is currently on hiatus; we haven't been working on new material continuously for the past three years—rather, there are active phases and periods of rest. Furthermore, the mix broadens the scope to include our wider circle and other formats—such as the track we contributed to the *Kontrapunkt* album on ASIP, as well as remixes where friends interpreted the project from their own perspectives. This made the process of creating the mix an interesting one, and we feel the result flows beautifully. It’s a lovely way to wrap up this chapter. M: Exactly … At first, this mix shows our collab
