One of techno's foremost experimenters, Thomas Brinkmann has produced a wide body of work ranging from conceptual projects to abstract disco-house. Brinkmann gained a name in the experimental and techno community during the late 1990s for his full-length remixes (or as he terms them, "variations") of material by Richie Hawtin and Mike Ink. The variations were made possible by playback of the original records on a turntable of Brinkmann's own design. He then achieved critical acclaim and club success with his more accessible Soul Center alias, launched with a self-titled full-length in 1999. Continuing to release minimal techno music under his own name, as well as a handful of experimental releases as Ester Brinkmann, the producer shifted toward vocal-driven post-punk on 2008's When Horses Die... Most of his output during the 2010s abandoned the club in favor of modern classical-influenced compositions or rhythmic experiments, including 2019's Raupenbahn.