End Of An Era For Afterlife As MRAK Officially Departs Amid Legal Turmoil
The electronic music community is processing the official end of an era following confirmation that Carmine Conte, known professionally as MRAK, has been ousted from Karmat Music GmbH, the parent company behind the Afterlife label and event series. The split with his Tale of Us partner, Matteo Milleri (Anyma), comes amidst allegations of corporate sabotage and a bitter internal legal dispute.
Publicly accessible documents from the Berlin commercial register outline a shareholders’ meeting held on 6 August 2026. During this session, shareholders voted to remove Conte as managing director with immediate effect. Conte was not present at the meeting and did not send legal representation. Following this, a digital notification dated 17 August 2026 officially confirmed the corporate changes, leading fans across social media to declare that the Afterlife project, as it was originally known, is effectively over.
To understand the severity of the fallout, it helps to look at the corporate structure of Karmat Music GmbH. The Berlin-registered entity has historically been built on an even division of primary shares alongside a minor corporate stakeholder:
| Stakeholder | Share | Role And Status |
|---|---|---|
| Matteo Milleri (Anyma) | 30% | Co-founder and Managing Director |
| Carmine Conte (MRAK) | 30% | Co-founder (removed as Managing Director in August 2026) |
| Aurelia Ortiz | 30% | Shareholder and co-owner |
| SIPAL S.p.A. | 10% | Italian corporate partner and minority stakeholder |
The core of the current dispute centres heavily on SIPAL S.p.A. According to Karmat Music’s allegations, Conte used his internal access to download a vast amount of confidential documents, which he then offered to SIPAL during an ongoing legal battle between the Italian company and Karmat.
Furthermore, Karmat alleges that while their official legal team was fighting SIPAL’s claims in court, a separate lawyer instructed by Conte accepted the claim on the company’s behalf. This manoeuvre allegedly allowed SIPAL to secure a court decision against Karmat in May 2026. The organisation’s official stance is that Conte actively worked with SIPAL against the best interests of Karmat Music.
While these remain allegations from the company, the fallout is already impacting upcoming releases. Fans are now speculating that highly anticipated projects, including the ‘We Don’t Follow’ album, will no longer be released under the Afterlife banner, as launching music independently would require entirely new legal and administrative frameworks.
The move away from Afterlife is already in motion for Milleri. In August 2026, he officially launched his own new imprint, ÆDEN Records, marking the occasion with the debut compilation ÆDEN: Digital Renaissance Vol. I.
Conte has yet to make a public statement regarding his departure or the allegations. As the dust settles, the melodic techno movement faces a fractured future, with both founding members of Tale of Us officially moving forward on separate paths.
