Blackmail, an indie rock outfit, came together in Koblenz, Germany, during 1994, with singer Aydo Abay, bassist Carlos Ebelhäuser, guitarist Kurt Ebelhäuser, and drummer Mario Matthias among its founding members. Virgin showed prompt interest, yet the band chose bluNoise Records for the release of its self-titled debut album in 1997. Science Fiction followed as the sophomore album two years later and incorporated traces of 80s pop, after which the group played several festivals and supported Manic Street Preachers on tour. The remix companion Do Robots Dream of Electric Sheep? appeared in 2000.
The band next moved to Speicherstadt, a Warner subsidiary, for Bliss Please in 2001, whose opening single “Same Sane” received heavy rotation on VIVA2. Friend or Foe arrived in 2003 on WEA once that label assumed responsibilities ahead of Speicherstadt’s closure. A subsequent tour of Japan brought an offer to score Hendrik Hölzemann’s film Kammerflimmern (“Off Beat”) alongside Lee Buddah. Until that point self-produced, the group enlisted Andi Jung for the 2006 album Aerial View. Blackmail’s fifth studio album, Tempo Tempo, was issued in 2008.
