Biography
Booka Shade, the house duo from Frankfurt, Germany, progressed from early tech-infused trance textures into later post-millennial productions that drew on pop, ambient, electro, techno, and funk while preserving a refined aesthetic detached from prevailing dance trends. Before adopting their current name, Arno Kammermeier and Walter Merziger formed an early-1990s synth pop act called Planet Claire that, much like Underworld and Ministry, transformed once its original direction faded after two modestly received albums. Shifting from dance-pop toward denser club rhythms, the pair issued several underground dance tracks, notably the hit "Una Musica Senza Ritmo" under the Degeneration alias, before rebranding as Booka Shade and introducing the project with the 1995 single "Kind of Good." The follow-up single "Silk" arrived the next year, yet the duo soon tired of standard club formulas and chose instead to compose film soundtracks while working as freelance pop producers. That stretch of their career extended for several years and proved deeply unsatisfying, leading Kammermeier and Merziger to relocate to Berlin in 2002 and launch the Get Physical imprint together with M.A.N.D.Y. and DJ T. In 2004, now enjoying full creative autonomy, Booka Shade issued their first proper artist album, Memento. Two further club successes followed in 2005—"Mandarine Girl" and the M.A.N.D.Y. collaboration "Body Language"—before the release of their second album, Movements, in 2006. A DJ-Kicks mix appeared in 2007, followed by two additional Get Physical albums: The Sun & the Neon Light in 2008 and More! in 2010. For their fifth studio album the duo traveled to Manchester, England to record inside a conventional studio, an experience that restored their creative momentum and produced the 2013 release Eve. Across their history Booka Shade also supplied prominent remixes for the Juan MacLean ("Tito's Way"), Moby ("Dream About Me"), Hot Chip ("[Just Like We] Breakdown"), the Knife ("Marble House"), and Dave Gahan ("Kingdom"). The next year brought the Line of Fire EP, which featured vocals from Karin Park, and the duo reciprocated by remixing her track "Pandora Drive." In 2017 they delivered their sixth album, Galvany Street, whose sonic character revisited the new wave approach the pair had tested in earlier projects and collaborations.
Albums
Singles
