Groovy sounds from German trio

German group Schaeben & Voss due to perform in Colombo on April 9 at the Barefoot Gallery have been making electronic music since 1998. The group thrive on groove and the dance floor, and their uncontrived, spontaneous style has always bred a kind of fusion with the public.

And in the studio, friends and fellow-musicians were often around – and often joined in to make the music. Oliver Schad took the mike time and again and in 2002 became a permanent fixture of their live act, which would be billed subsequently – and now worldwide – as “Schaeben & Voss feat. Schad Privat”.

E-bass, e-guitar, vocals and analog Synthis –After two or three tracks of most live techno acts you know where it’s going: not so with Schaeben & Voss feat. Schad Privat. What starts with a bluesy, guitar-heavy downtempo track and makes for a total change of mood in the club mutates more and more into a driving, energetic techno act that has a master plan from the outset: entertainment.

When you think of an electronic live gig in a House club, you tend to think of a musician staring at a laptop and nodding his head back and forth. To break free from this formula, Schaeben & Voss bring their guitar and bass along. Schad Privat’s powerful stage presence on the microphone gives their performances a definitive concert character, as does the applause between numbers that is generally taboo in clubs.

Schaeben & Voss have made a name for themselves chiefly through their five releases on the internationally established Cologne label KOMPAKT and their various remixes for the likes of 2-Raumwohnung, Peter Licht, Dave D.K., Benno Blome et al.