Biography:
1989 - Ellen Allien lived for one year in London where she first came into contact with electronic music. When she later returned to Berlin, electronic music had become increasingly popular in Germany.
1992 - She worked in the "Fischlabor" where she got interested in DJ-ing. She later became a resident DJ there and also laid down tracks in the 'Bunker', 'Tresor', and the 'E-Werk'. At around the same time, she started her own show on the Berlin radio station Kiss-FM and created her own record label, calling them both "Braincandy." Due to discrepancies with distributers, she gave Braincandy up again in 1997 and instead, organized parties under the name "B Pitch".
1999 - Allien created the label Bpitch Control. With publications of Sascha Funke and Tok Tok the label became very successful.
2001 - Allien released her first album, Stadtkind (City Child).
2003 - Ellen released her second studio album Berlinette, in collaboration with Apparat (aka Sascha Ring).
2005 - She issued her third studio album, Thrills.
2005 - Allien created a Bpitch sub-label for minimal tech and minimal house, called "Memo Musik"; first artists are Ben Block, and Zander VT.
2006 - Ellen Allien and Apparat released the album Orchestra of Bubbles.
2007 - Allien was the first female artist to mix for the Fabric series (Fabric 34: Ellen Allien).
2008 - She released mix album titled Boogybytes, vol. 04.
2008 - After the death of her grandmother, Allien released her studio album Sool.
2010 - Ellen issued the studio album Dust.
Sleepless
Ellen Allien Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rushing through the fields
Translation keeps me wide awake
Tomorrow is not here
Floating in white space
New codes feeling strange
Sky is wide and bright
The lyrics of Sleepless by Ellen Allien & Apparat are a reflection of someone who is feeling restless and unable to sleep. The first two lines suggest a sense of movement, perhaps as if the person is driving or traveling. However, this movement is not bringing them any peace, as they are "sleepless" and unable to find rest. The reference to "translation" in the third line is ambiguous, but could suggest a sense of being lost or displaced, as if the person is struggling to find their place in the world.
The second stanza takes the listener deeper into the person's headspace, as they describe feeling as if they are "floating in white space". This could suggest a feeling of disorientation or detachment from reality. However, they also describe the experience of encountering "new codes" that feel "strange", which could suggest a sense of being on the cusp of discovery or change. The final two lines of the lyrics bring the listener back to a more concrete sense of the world, as the person describes the bright daylight burning their eyes. This juxtaposition between inner and outer perception is a theme that runs throughout the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Sleepless on the highway
Unable to sleep while driving on the road
Rushing through the fields
Travelling fast through the countryside
Translation keeps me wide awake
Trying to decipher a foreign language keeps me alert and unable to sleep
Tomorrow is not here
Preoccupied with the present moment rather than thinking about the future
Floating in white space
Feeling weightless and unattached to any physical surroundings
New codes feeling strange
Feeling unfamiliar and uncomfortable with new systems or ways of thinking
Sky is wide and bright
The sky is expansive and bright
Daylight burns my eyes
Finding it difficult to adjust to bright daylight after being in a dark environment
Contributed by Alice N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.