Tributes paid to Mego founder Peter Rehberg, who has died aged 53

Founder of the much loved Vienna-based label is dead

Peter Rehberg, ambient electronic musician and founder of influential labels Mego and Editions Mego, has died aged 53.

The news was first announced by Rehberg’s friend and musician Kassel Jager, who said: “Peter is gone, suddenly. Just like that… I owe him so much. So do many of us.” No cause of death has been announced so far.

Rehberg, a British-Austrian raised in Hertfordshire, initially began producing and releasing music in 1995 under the name Pita. That same year, he joined the label Mego (founded by Ramon Bauer, Peter Meininger and Andreas Pieper), with its very first release by Rehberg himself – a split 12” with General Magic. Later, Rehberg joined the production team for the label, curating releases for musicians including Fennesz and Florian Hecker.

Later, Mego shut down, but was restarted in 2005 as Editions Mego with Rehberg at the helm, with him curating newer singles, EP and albums by the likes of Oneohtrix Point Never, Kevin Drumm, Bruce Gilbert, Mark Fell, Oren Ambarchi, Bill Orcutt and Emeralds. He also managed the Spectrum Spools and Recollection GRM sublabels, the latter of which reissued work from the Groupe de Recherches Musicales (GRM), a pioneering force in musique concrete which released works by Pierre Schaeffer, Bernard Parmegiani, Iannis Xenakis and Beatriz Ferreyra.

An outpouring of tributes to Rehberg have appeared on social media, including those by fellow musician Oren Ambarchi, Unsound Festival, Ghostly International, Scanner, Mouse On Mars and leading experimental London venue Cafe OTO. 

“This is completely and utterly absurd. NOT ready for a world without Peter Rehberg and Editions Mego,” Tweeted Mouse On Mars earlier today, while DJ Food’s Kevin Foakes said “Oh that’s very sad, remember meeting him back in the 90s when he first started Mego, lovely guy.” Robin Rimbaud aka Scanner described himself as “utterly shocked” by the news.

This completely and utterly absurd. NOT ready for a world without Peter Rehberg and @EditionsMego https://t.co/sf7rdabh7H

— Mouse on Mars (@MoM_official) July 23, 2021

“I just think music should be a little bit unsafe.” – Peter Rehberg. RIP legend. @EditionsMego pic.twitter.com/XG7QLWpwGK

— Ghostly (@ghostly) July 23, 2021

Rehberg is survived by his partner, father, brother and daughter.