Tom Thiel
Tom Thiel (born in 1956 as Thomas Thiel in Erlangen) is a German musician and music producer. He worked as a sound engineer who later gained international recognition as a musician and producer of electronic music, particularly with Sun Electric.
Life
[edit]From 1978 to 1986, Tom Thiel worked as a sound engineer at the recording studios Rekord Fabrik and Hartmann Digital[1], In the latter he worked with renowned producers such as Mike Hedges and Gareth Jones. Artists produced at these studios included Electric Light Orchestra, Marc Almond, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Yello, The Dolphin Brothers, Nena, Palais Schaumburg and Inga Humpe. He also worked as engineer and co-producer for the duo Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft.
From Sound Engineer to Musician
[edit]In 1986, Tom Thiel joined the group Fischerman’s Friend with Munich-based musician Max Loderbauer and Nuremberg keyboardist Stephan Fischer. The trio, founded within the Hartmann Digital studio environment, focused on electronic music and relocated to Berlin in 1987 to release their self-titled debut album on Teutonic Beats.
The Teutonic Beats music label was managed by Thomas Fehlmann for Phonogram, who also became the manager and publisher for Fischerman’s Friend and Sun Electric.
During their early years in Berlin, the group produced numerous remixes for artists such as Devo, Erasure, Can, Nena and Marianne Rosenberg, often in collaboration with Gareth Jones, who was based in Berlin at the time. Simultaneously, Tom Thiel released two solo 12" singles under the pseudonyms TTT and Valis on labels run by Gabi Delgado (DAF).
Sun Electric
[edit]After Stephan Fischer left and Fischerman’s Friend disbanded, Tom Thiel and Max Loderbauer founded the project Sun Electric[2], which quickly gained recognition as pioneers of electronic ambient music. The English label ZTT Records[3], founded by producer Trevor Horn, signed them after a short period with the English label Wau! Mr. Modo. However, the recordings made during this time were only released in spring 2024.
From around 1991 Sun Electric was signed to the Belgian techno label R&S Records, where they released the albums „Kitchen“[4], „Aaah!“, „Present“, „Via Nostra“ as well as the highly acclaimed live album `30-7-94“, recorded on July 30, 1994, at the "Tripping on Sunshine" festival in Copenhagen.
Sun Electric toured extensively all over the world, also as a support act for The Orb in England and the USA, using an elaborate technical setup for their live performances. After R&S Records ceased operations, Sun Electric released another album on the Berlin label Shitkatapult in 2007. In 2023 a live album followed on Arjunamusic[5], featuring a concert recorded in 1996 at the Votivkirche in Vienna.
Sun Electric also appeared in the Text Book `Techno´[6]
Bus and Solo Work
[edit]In the early 2000s, Tom Thiel collaborated with Daniel Meteo[7] to produce three albums influenced by dub, hip-hop, and reggae. These were released under the name BUS on the Berlin labels ~Scape[8] and Shitkatapult. Various guest artists contributed to the productions. In addition, they released remixes for The Orb, 2raumwohnung, Apparat[9], and others.
As a solo artist, Tom Thiel released two albums:
Tom Thiel (2011)
Album (2023)
He is considered one of the pioneering figures of Berlin’s early electronic music scene.
Discography
[edit]With Fischerman’s Friend (Stephan Fischer, Max Loderbauer, Tom Thiel):
[edit]Albums
[edit]- 1989: Fischerman’s Friend, Teutonic Beats[10]
Singles
- 1989: Money $, Polydor
- 1989: Teutonic Beats (feat. M.C. Turtle), Mercury
With Sun Electric (Max Loderbauer, Tom Thiel)
[edit]Albums
[edit]- 1993: Kitchen, R&S Records
- 1994: Pomme Fritz (The Orb/ Sun Electric), Island Records
- 1994: Aaah! EP, R&S Records
- 1995: 30-7-94 Live, Apollo
- 1996: Present, Apollo
- 1998: Via Nostra, Apollo
- 2007: Lost & Found, Shitkatapult
- 2023: Live in Votivkirche, Wien, Arjunamusic
- 2023: Will The World Remember - Sun Electric On Zang Tuum Tumb, ZTT
Singles
[edit]- 1990: O’locco, Wau Mr. Modo
- 1993: Sun Electric, R&S Records/Apollo
- 1991: Red Summer (feat. Inga), ZTT
- 1991: I Feel Free, ZTT
- 1997: Eya, R&S Records
- 1998: Tee, Apollo
- 2001: Untitled (S.E. Berlin), BadOrb.com
With Bus (Daniel Meteo, Tom Thiel)
[edit]Albums
[edit]- 2003: Middle of the Road (featuring Soom-T), ~Scape Records
- 2005: Feelin Dank (featuring Soom-T), ~Scape Records
- 2014: Eagles, Shitkatapult
Singles
[edit]- 2002: Westen, ~Scape Recorfs
- 2003: Keep Life Right (feat. MC Soom-T), ~Scape Records
- 2004: Diamond EP (feat. MC Soom-T), ~Scape Records
- 2004: Meteo/Thiel – Bass & Go, Meteosound
Solo
Albums
[edit]- 2011: Tom Thiel - Tom Thiel, Shitkatapult
- 2023: Tom Thiel - ALBUM[11], Arjunamusic
Singles
[edit]- 1991: TTT - The Big Escape, BMWW
- 1991: V.A.L.I.S - 22late, Sunday Morning - Berlin
Works on Compilations (Selection)
[edit]- 2003: Sum Sum, Music For Children
- 2005: Miami (Meteo/Thiel), Strictly Dub - Modern Dub Classics
- 2006: Palatin – Table108 VOL.1 Singapore Lounge Mix, Noise Asia
- 2013: Frida, Air Texture Volume III
Film music
[edit]- 1995 Looosers! (Director: Christopher Roth[12])
Weblinks
[edit]- Tom Thiel Review at Resident advisor
- Tom Thiel at D/B
- Sun Electric at Hot Discipline[13]
References
[edit]- ^ "Hartmann Digital Discography". Discogs. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
- ^ "Sun Electric – laut.de – Band". laut.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-04-30.
- ^ "ZTT Discography". Discogs. 2003-08-23. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
- ^ "Sun Electric". Discogs. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
- ^ Fritz, Maximilian (2023-11-30). "November 2023: Die essenziellen Alben (Teil 3)". Groove (in German). Retrieved 2025-04-30.
- ^ Anz, Philipp; Walder, Patrick (1995). techno. Zürich: Verlag Ricco Bilger. pp. S.276. ISBN 3908010144.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Daniel Meteo | Shitkatapult". www.shitkatapult.com. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
- ^ "scape". www.scape-music.de. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
- ^ Apparat - Silizium EP, 2005-01-21, retrieved 2025-04-30
- ^ "Teutonic Beats Discography". Discogs. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
- ^ "Tom Thiel". Discogs. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
- ^ "Sun Electric | Composer". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
- ^ "Sun Electric – Hotel Discipline" (in German). Retrieved 2025-04-30.