Kompakt, Cologne, Germany
Originally from the town of Offenburg, South-West Germany, Michael Mayer moved to Cologne with his long time friend Tobias Thomas in the early '90s. They started DJing in various venues under the loaded name Friends Experiment. Back then, their love was house music, admiring DJ Pierre's work in particular. When Wolfgang Voigt (aka Mike Ink) opened a Cologne branch of Frankfurt's Delirium Record store, he hired Mayer to take care of the house section. Today, Mayer co-owns the shop, which is now called Kompakt and has evolved into a prosperous distribution company defining the sound of Cologne: A blend of minimalist heritage, pop appeal and rave frequencies with a dash of neo trance.