German electronic project Software were founded by sound designer Peter Mergener and science fiction writer Michael Weisser in the early '80s. Heavily inspired by Berlin school electronics, the duo found a home with Klaus Schulze's Innovative Communication label, where they released well over a dozen albums and several compilations. Their music explored science fiction concepts, but the duo's use of natural sounds, including bird calls and rushing waves, as well as acoustic instruments (particularly saxophone), kept their music earthly and organic. Software were never as well-known or acclaimed as artists like Tangerine Dream, but they found a sizeable audience among fans of new age music, and their work anticipated much of the ambient techno and downtempo of the '90s and beyond.