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Electronic musician and Editions Mego founder, Peter Rehberg, dies, aged 53

The revered artist first began releasing music in the mid '90s 

Electronic musician and Editions Mego founder, Peter Rehberg, has died, aged 53.

The news was shared via social media today (23rd) by one of the artist's collaborators, François J. Bonnet, AKA Kassel Jaeger, the founder of French label INA-GRM.

"I am heartbroken," Bonnet wrote, "Peter is gone, suddenly. Just like that. He hated goodbyes, effusions. Out of reserve. Out of sensitivity. He was one of the most kind, loyal and reliable people I have ever known. I feel privileged to have known him, to have collaborated with him and to have been his friend."

The British-Austrian artist first began releasing music in the mid-90s under the alias Pita, championing experimental and ambient electronics, and in 1999, he received the Prix Ars Electronica Distinction Award for Digital Musics.

Throughout his career, Rehberg collaborated with musicians such as Stephen O’Malley, the guitarist in the avant-metal band Sunn O))), as well as forming an electronic trio with Jim O’Rourke and Christian Fennesz.

Following the shutdown of Ramon Bauer, Peter Meininger and Andreas Pieper's Mego imprint, where Rehberg had worked as label manager for a decade, the artist launched his own imprint, Editions Mego. Since its founding in 2006, the label has released records from artists like Bruce Gilbert, Emeralds, Oneohtrix Point Never and Kevin Drumm.

You can read some of the tributes to Rehberg below. 

 
 
 
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A post shared by Kassel Jaeger (@kasseljaeger)