Perlon

Perlon is one of the reference points for minimal house, microhouse and techno. Founded in 1997 in Frankfurt by Markus Nikolai, Thomas Franzmann (better known as Zip) and Chris Rehberger, and has long since been based in Berlin, where it is run today by Zip and Nikolai. Widely described as one of the most influential German dance labels, it helped define the sound of minimal and experimental techno over the decades that followed. Simon Reynolds, in his rave-culture history Energy Flash, called it one of the leading labels of its second decade.

The catalogue reads like a who's who of the scene, taking in Ricardo Villalobos, Baby Ford, Akufen, Thomas Melchior, Luciano, Dandy Jack, Stefan Goldmann, A Guy Called Gerald, Pantytec and San Proper among many others. The label broke through internationally with Markus Nikolai's dancefloor hit "Bushes" and the early Superlongevity compilations, and that series remains the best way in. The 2017 edition, Superlongevity 6, a 4x12" set, gathers Villalobos, Fumiya Tanaka, Zip, Margaret Dygas, Binh, Melchior Productions Ltd and Soul Capsule on one release.

Part of what sets Perlon apart is its refusal to change with the times. Since the very beginning it has released physical only, on vinyl and CD, with nothing made available to download. It carries an equally distinctive look, the graphic style running across every release the work of Chris Rehberger and his Double Standards studio, giving the whole catalogue a unified identity you can spot at a glance.

That consistency has earned it a genuinely cult following, complete with its own language. Releases are known as "Perls," and the label's devoted super-fans call themselves "Perlonies." Perlon has also long run its monthly Get Perlonized party in Berlin, keeping the community that grew up around the label close to the music itself. Nearly three decades in, it remains refreshingly true to its own ideas.