!K7 founder Horst Weidenmüller passed away

!K7 founder Horst Weidenmüller passed away

Our long-standing publishing partner Horst Weidenmüller, who founded the influential indie/electronic label !K7 has died. We were deeply touched by the news of Horst Weidenmüller's untimely passing.

February 10, 2025

Horst Weidenmüller was born in the Black Forest region of Germany and moved to Berlin in his early 20s. The humble beginnings of !K7 date back to 1985, when Horst Weidenmüller took over the recently founded video production company Studio !K7. The video cassettes were dedicated to the emerging techno and house scene. The company entered the label business in 1994 at the suggestion of former !K7 partner Stefan Strüver. Previously only soundtracks on the videos, !K7 Records now released mixes with well-known DJs such as Richie Hawtin, DJ Hell and Laurent Garnier. !K7 Records landed its biggest coup with the DJ Kicks series. In 1996, Stefan Strüver took over the artist management, while Horst Weidenmüller concentrated on the business side. Together they developed the DJ Kicks concept, their main aim being to put together a platform for DJ sets that could not take place in a club. The resounding success of the ‘DJ-Kicks’ CD with Kruder & Dorfmeister had set a lot in motion at the time, !K7 Records grew its own roster of artists and from then on operated worldwide. During the many years of publishing cooperation between !K7 and SMV Schacht Musikverlage, a great publishing catalogue with works by artists such as Kruder & Dorfmeister, Ursula Rucker, Tiga, Funkstörung, Shantel and Terrence Parker was build up. We look back on the wonderful times with tears in our eyes.

Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and everyone whose lives he touched. 

Photo Credit: Jorinde Gersina