Peter Ziegelmeier was born in Austria and grew up in Germany. In 1989, he moved from Berlin to San Francisco. Soon after, he formed Kode IV, an industrial music band. In 1990, they released their first album, Possessed, on KK Records out of Belgium. They went on to release several albums, 12" singles and compilations. They merged their industrial sounds with techno, evolving into trance music by 1993. In addition to Kode IV, Peter has released many songs individually and with collaborators. In 1996, Peter Ziegelmeier with Adam Ohana and Jonas Judd formed Ceiba Records at Space Station Russ, a psychedelic artist-warehouse space south of Market Street in San Francisco, where they had recently started the first trance music distribution company in America. They created the music label as a platform for psychedelic music and art in general, the first such electronic music label in America. The name Ceiba comes from Mayan culture, and is a type of tree with wide branches that grows in the jungles of Central America. The Ceiba tree represents the Tree of Life, the roots are the underworld, the trunk represents life and the present, and the branches represent the universe and timelessness. “The music is a catalyst for the experience of the dance, the party and the respective life-concept, and so the future of dance culture depends also on providing good party experiences, where people are given the appropriate space and atmosphere to experience an ancient ritual: the trance-dance in its technological incarnation.” RV: What is Ceiba Records? PZ: Ceiba Records is a techno-trance music label, which offers a platform for psychedelic music and art. We are combining the organic, tribal, and digital aspects of life in our artwork. So far we have released only audio CDs, but we also produce visual art and videos. RV: What is Ceiba's function? Why did you form it? PZ: To provide an alternative to commercial culture. Psychedelic trance and the lifestyle that it reflects had been developing for a few years and record labels were formed in Europe and elsewhere. In San Francisco, a group of travelers and artists got together to live in the CCC warehouse in South of Market, and trance parties started to be celebrated in the warehouse or in the beautiful Californian nature. At that time I was producing music with Goa Gil and Arianne, we were releasing music with a Belgium label, but after some time we wanted to be more independent from the traditional music industry and have more creative control. So out of the local community a few people got together to create an outlet for creative expression, as well as channels to introduce trance music further into the consciousness of the American audience. At the warehouse Space Station Russ, the distribution company Hunab-Ku and Ceiba Records were formed by Jonas, Adam and myself to create the first psy-trance distribution and record label in the US. RV: How has it gone? PZ: Ceiba Records is growing organically. I am working mostly with my partner Tina, who is creating all the visual artwork of Ceiba Records. It is challenging to follow your vision, to find enough time for creative work and make our voices heard in a world saturated with mainstream culture. But at the same time it is very inspiring to make new connections and experience new challenges every day. RV: What makes Ceiba different from other labels? PZ: We are trying out a parallel development of doing creative and label business work at the same time, giving us the freedom to manifest our artistic visions in our product without having to compromise. RV: What is Ceiba doing now? PZ: On the creative side, we are working on new music and visual art. On the business side, we are setting up new distribution channels and working on expanding our website. We want to make it even more a forum for creative expression, not only for music but for cultural awareness and philosophy in general. RV: What are your plans? PZ: To make more music, make parties and artwork. We are working on bringing our website as our main connection to the public to a next level--with more music, videos and digital art for the visitor to explore, and with an online market that offers audio, video, and other beautiful and fun products. We are also planning an outdoor gathering in fall 2000, somewhere in Northern California, which will combine electronic and traditional trance music. We are also working on putting a live show together with music and visuals. “I want to make music that combines the future and past in a present experience, that can open people to all these aspects of existence. My personal vision of music is an adventure into the tribal/ethnic roots of music and its culture.” RV: What is your vision of art and music? PZ: It is a celebration of life--and it is a global language that has the power to transcend cultural and language barriers between people. Dancing together is communication and energy exchange. My creative vision is to embrace and fuse tribal, classical and cyber-art. A lot of people these days have a lot of tools that are very advanced, but it also helps to know your past and your tradition, to understand where you are now and where you are going. I want to make music that combines the future and past in a present experience that can open people to all these aspects of existence. My personal vision of music is an adventure into the tribal/ethnic roots of music and its culture. RV: What are your thoughts on dance culture? PZ: Everybody should dance; it's a good thing. Each person is a performer, each dancer is an artist, energy is generated and shared together, and a dance floor is a sacred space. It’s not about a famous DJ or a band, but about experience of oneness. Whoever experienced it knows how beautiful and healing it is to be dancing at sunrise with smiling people all around you. RV: Where do you see dance music heading? PZ: It will survive and grow if people are open to new creative possibilities and don't get stuck in the comfort of the known. The vitality of electronic music is coupled to the development of technology, and through the use of technology a growing pool of creative intelligence can be tapped into. There will always be new people and new ideas. The music is a catalyst for the experience of the dance, the party and the respective life-concept, and so the future of dance culture depends also on providing good party experiences, where people are given the appropriate space and atmosphere to experience an ancient ritual: the trance-dance in its technological incarnation. RV: What are your thoughts on digital culture? PZ: Independence is created by access to the equipment, one of the downfalls is isolation, and the constant race of keeping up with the technological development and all the information. Electronic music and dance culture tries to embrace technology from its playful side. Digital technology lets us play and experiment with the entire pool of sounds, images, and knowledge, so digital culture has virtually no boundaries. The development of the internet, digital broadcasting and distribution, opens the possibility for independent labels like us to be in direct contact with our culture. There is so much communication and inspiration, it is definitely an exciting time we live in. COMPILATIONS RELEASED BY CEIBA RECORDS: THE LANGUAGE OF LIGHT (Sept. 1996) THE THING--PULSE OF LIGHT (April 1997) BURNINGMAN ‘97--GOA GIL, CEIBA, AND KODE IV (July 1998) THE LANGUAGE OF LIGHT 2 (Jan. 1998) MIDITATION--DIGITAL AND PEACEFUL (June 1999) BURNINGMAN 98 DEGREES UNDER THE SUN (Aug. 1999) Download Now: Purchase MP3's of these albums or any of their individual tracks in the Radio-V VSHOP. All their compilations feature music by Peter and other San Francisco artists, including Kode IV, Ceiba (Peter and Adam Ohana), The Nommos (Peter, Goa Gil, and Arianne), and others. The visual art is created by Tina Zimmerman. For more information on Ceiba Records, visit www.ceibarec.com. Ceiba Records video samples.