Active Technologies

System 360 was an alias under which artists from Leipzig published their collaborative efforts in the realm of subtle electronics and minimal techno. Though this album went out in Source Records (*), their main output was a group of labels focused around R.A.N.D. Musik (a record manufacturing company), these being Out To Lunch, United States Of Mars, Science City and 3B.
This bunch seems connected with Vienna's electro scene (see below), the Playhouse posse and C-Rock (see this) and were actively supported by Move D and the Source guys, while Alex Krueger (aka Dub Taylor aka Korsakow and now known as Tigerskin) took some serious first steps here. These labels claim releases by Scape One, MAS 2008 (*,*), Benjamin Brunn and Klystron aka the mighty Salz (*).

Participating in this project are five underground producers, a couple of them still active. Ronald Reuter or Marvin Dash, mostly known from his output in Force Inc.'s 'disco' sublabel Force Inc. US, is exploring his electrofunk roots (a style darker than but similar to Max Brennan or british tech funk, closer to Eskimo's electro releases), though his is also this album's gem ('KB 100'), a deep and psychedelic techno affair. Lowtec, with remixes and releases in Playhouse and Workshop, focuses on minimal electronics and experimental techno, a style he's still exploring successfully. Finally, Marko Fischer aka Krok is responsible for the more robotic Motown electro cuts. Sadly he seems to have disappeared, as the other two (Digable Rhythm, Ty Frazier) also did.
As a result, the outcome varies in mood and style but not in character (a true Source record). If you like it weird and underground but also quirky and sentimental and deep, these are your guys.

Krok also published as Bannlust in Vienna's Sabotage/ Craft Records (I didn't know that, but check here); I also didn't know that Glory B (*,*) published in these labels as The Memory Foundation. I already had their album prepared for the next post. More coincidences...

System 360 - 1998 Active Technologies
Info here and here.