Since the late 1960's Düsseldorf has provided a fertile hotbed for electronic music – spawning pioneering acts like Kraftwerk, Neu!, Der Plan, DAF and, more recently, Mouse on Mars and Kreidler. In its very own way, Mapstation pursues and continues this tradition. With 'I begin to know the map' this solo project of Stefan Schneider, a founding member of Kreidler (1994-1999) and contributor to the modernist landscapes of the Berlin/Düsseldorf trio To Rococo Rot, now presents a very personal selection of previous Mapstation releases and unreleased tracks supplied exclusively for this compilation. - drawing a map to get lost - Yet, let us return to the beginnings: In 1999 Stefan Schneider discovered the possibilities offered by the arpeggiator mode of his analogue synthesizer, directing patterns of random notes to the oscillators to create unpredictable pulses, distortions, superb disorder. To approximate the spontaneity and chaos of real life, Schneider decided to take a step back as composer and let the machine make most of the musical decisions. Soon, the resulting simple basslines began to seep into Stefan's occasional DJ sets - at the time mostly a blend of electronic sounds (1950's - Detroit techno) and a capella versions of reggae 12 singles - and finally turned into a complete live set. In early 2000 the owner of notable London-based label Soul Static Sound, Darryl Moore (D), asked Stefan to record a self-titled mini album, which was released a few months later...