Mego (label)

Mego was an experimental electronic music independent record label based in Vienna, Austria.

History

Founded in 1994 by Ramon Bauer, Andreas Pieper and Peter Meininger, before Meininger left to be replaced by Peter Rehberg who records on the label under the name Pita. The label has released records by artists such as Fennesz, Hecker, Russell Haswell, Farmers Manual, Merzbow, Kevin Drumm, Jim O'Rourke, Rob Mazurek, Fuckhead, Vega/Vainio/Väisänen, Radian and many others. In December 2005 the company was closed, however in January 2006 Peter Rehberg founded Editions Mego, to carry on maintaining the back catalogue as well as releasing new works.

Impact and critical acclaim

Heralding the use of the laptop as a DIY production tool and live performance instrument, the musicians gathered around Mego were seminal in defining a new genre of electronic music, defying conventions of both dancefloor oriented electronica and the academic field of electroacoustics. The label's efforts met critical acclaim among the specialised press, and were awarded a distinction at the Ars Electronica 1999. In the jury's statement, Jim O'Rourke lauded the label's work as defining "a brand new punk computer music".

Trivia

The word 'Mego' is an acronym referring to "My Eyes Glaze Over", an expression attributed to futurologist Herman Kahn (the use of the term in hacker-culture is documented in the Jargon File).

Mego Releases

MEGO 001 General Magic + Pita: Fridge Trax 12" (05.1995)
MEGO 002 General Magic / Elin: Die Mondlandung 12" (05.1995)
MEGO 003 Stützpunkt Wien 12: UFO Beobachtungen 93-95 2x12" (05.1995) (released on CD by Or, 01.1998)
MEGO 004 Fennesz: Instrument 12" (10.1995) (tracks appear on Fennesz: Field Recordings, released by Touch 09.2002)
MEGO 005 DJ DSL: I L.O.V.E. You 12" (10.1995)
MEGO 006 Sluta Leta: Fan Club 12" (11.1995)
MEGO 007 The Mego Jacket (08.1995)
MEGO 008 Farmers Manual: No Backup CD+ (05.1996)
MEGO 009 Pita: Seven Tons For Free CD (06.1996) (released in Japan by Digital Narcis, 01.1999)
MEGO 010 General Magic: Frantz CD (06.1997) (released in Japan by Digital Narcis, 06.2003)
MEGO 011 Potuznik: Amore Motore (...Autobahn) CD (04.1998)
MEGO 012 Russell Haswell: Live Salvage 1997-2000 CD (04.2001)
MEGO 013 not released
MEGO 014 Hecker: IT ISO161975 CD (07.1998)
MEGO 015 Pure: The End Of Vinyl 3"CD" (03.1999)
MEGO 015v Pure: The End Of Vinyl 12" Picture Disc (04.2001)
MEGO 016 Fennesz: Hotel Paral.lel CD (09.1997)
MEGO 017 Farmers Manual: fm 12" (08.1996)
MEGO 018 Evol: Principio 3" CD (04.1999)
MEGO 019 Goem: Dertig CM 12" (03.1999)
MEGO 020 Fennesz: Plays 7" (11.1998) (released a CDS by Moikai, 02.1999)
MEGO 020t Fennesz: Plays t-shirt (12.1998)
MEGO 021 gcttcatt: ampErase CD+ (10.2001)
MEGO 022 Masami Akita/Azuma/Haswell/Sakaibara: Ich Schnitt Mich In Den Finger 12" (05.1997)
MEGO 023 SKOT presents The Mego Videos 96-98 VHS/PAL (05.1999)
MEGO 023t SKOT t-shirt (01.1999)
MEGO 024 Hecker: [R*] iso | chall CD (02.2000)
MEGO 025 Fuckhead: The Male Comedy (...oder der Traum vom kleinen Glück) CD (10.1998)
MEGO 026 Fanclub Erdberg/DJ DSL: Anton Polster Du Bist Leiwand 7" (10.1997)
MEGO 026CD Fanclub Erdberg/DJ DSL: Anton Polster Du Bist Leiwand CDS (10.1997)
MEGO 027 Zbigniew Karkowski: it 3"CD (06.2000)
MEGO 028 Nachtstrom: 17 Songs After Midnight LP (07.1999)
MEGO 029 Pita: Get Out CD (10.1999) (released on vinyl by Moikai, 09.2000)
MEGO 030 Pure: Noonbugs CD (09.2002)
MEGO 031 Fennesz/O'Rourke/Rehberg: The Magic Sound Of Fenn O'Berg CD (12.1999)
MEGO 032 General Magic: Rechenkönig CD (10.2000)
 MEGO 033045 IBM: The Oval Recording LP+7" (01.2001)
MEGO 034 Francisco Lopez: untitled #92 LP (06.2000)
MEGO 035 Fennesz: Endless Summer CD (06.2001) (released in Japan by P-Vine, 09.2003)
MEGO 035v Fennesz: Endless Summer LP (06.2001)
 MEGO 035t Fennesz: Endless Summer t-shirt (09.2001)
MEGO 036 not released
 MEGO 038 Evol: Magia Potagia CD (03.2005)
 MEGO 039 Uli Troyer: NOK 3"CD (09.2000)
MEGO 040 Merzbow: A Taste Of.. CD (05.2002)
MEGO 041 ddkern: gern 12" (01.2002)
MEGO 042 Dr. Nachtstrom: Leidenschaft CD (02.2002)
MEGO 043 Skot vs. Hecker VHS/PAL (04.2000)
MEGO 044 Hecker: Sun Pandämonium CD (02.2003)
  MEGO 047 Tujiko Noriko: Shojo Toshi CD (05.2001) (see also eMEGO 047)
  MEGO 777 Farmers Manual: rla DVD-ROM (03.2003)
MEGO 049 Pita: Get Down LP (06.2002)
  MEGO 049t Pita: Get Down t-shirt (09.2002)
MEGO 050 Jim O'Rourke: I´m Happy, And I´m Singing, And a 1,2,3,4 CD (12.2001) (released in Japan by P-Vine, 09.2002)
  MEGO 050v Jim O'Rourke: I´m Happy, And I´m Singing, And a 1,2,3,4 LP (01.2002)
MEGO 051 Massimo: Hey babe, let me see your USB and I'll show you my FireWire 3"CD (11.2001)
MEGO 052 2002 - 125ccm / 2-stroke race kart (03.2003)
MEGO 053 Kevin Drumm: Sheer Hellish Miasma CD (05.2002)
 MEGO 054 Fennesz/O'Rourke/Rehberg: The Return Of Fenn O'Berg CD (07.2002) (released in Japan by P-Vine, 09.2002)
  MEGO 054v Fennesz/Jim O'Rourke/Rehberg: The Return Of Fenn O'Berg LP (07.2002)
MEGO 055 COH: Mask Of Birth CD (08.2002)
  MEGO 056 DACM: ShowroomDummies CD (06.2002)
  MEGO 057 Tujiko Noriko: I Forgot The Title 12" (06.2002)
MEGO 058 Ilsa Gold: Regretten? Rien! DoCD (10.2003)
MEGO 059 quintetAvant: Floppy Nails LP (12.2002)
MEGO 060 Yasunao Tone & Hecker: Palimpsest CD (10.2004)
 MEGO 061 Mego presents: Playback Device Confusion Volume One featuring Aleph Empire shaped 3"CD (12.2002)
MEGO 062 Tujiko Noriko: Hard Ni Sasete (Make Me Hard) CD (10.2002)
 MEGO 063 Massimo: Hello Dirty CD (10.2002)
 MEGO 064 Hecker: 2 Track 12" (03.2003) (released in collaboration with Synaesthesia, SYN 004)
MEGO 065 not released
MEGO 066 BulBul: Drabule 12" (07.2004)
MEGO 067 COH: Electric Electric 12" (09.2003)
MEGO 068 not released
MEGO 069 Russell Haswell & Florian Hecker: Revision single sided 12" (06.2005)
MEGO 070 Fritz Ostermayer: Kitsch Concrète CD (08.2003)
 MEGO 071 Zeena Parkins & Ikue Mori: Phantom Orchard CD (05.2004)
 MEGO 072 Gert-Jan Prins: Risk 3"CD (03.2004)
MEGO 073 Sluta Leta: Semi Peterson CD (11.2003)
 MEGO 074 Rob Mazurek: Sweet & Vicious Like Frankenstein CD (01.2004)
 MEGO 075 Vega/Vainio/Väisänen (VVV): Resurrection River CD (05.2005)
 MEGO 076 COH: 0397POST-POP DoCD (01.2005)
 MEGO 077 see eMEGO 077
MEGO 078 not released
MEGO 079 dieb13 vs. Takeshi Fumimoto 12" picture vinyl (06.2005)
MR 001 Radian: tg11 CD (03.2000) (released in collaboration with Rhiz)
HEC2 Hecker: PV Trecks CD (03.2004)

Editions Mego releases

eMEGO 080 Anthony Pateras & Robin Fox: Flux Compendium CD (01.2006)
eMEGO 081 Hecker: Electronic Music Soundtrack for "The Disenchanted Forest x 1001" by Angela Bulloch DoCD (02.2006)
eMEGO 047 Tujiko Noriko: 少女都市+ (Shojo Toshi+) CD (05.2006)
eMEGO 077 quintetAvant: En Concert à la Salle des Fêtes CD (07.2006)