Format:B emerged as a German tech-house duo made up of Franziskus Sell and Jakob Hildenbrand. From the mid-2000s onward the industrious pair turned out dozens of spare yet groovy dancefloor tracks marked by meticulous detail and a lightly mischievous quality. The two first crossed paths during classes at the SAE Institute Berlin audio engineering school. Hildenbrand, already based in Berlin, had begun exploring electronic production on his own, while Sell had worked as a DJ in his native Erfurt in eastern Germany. Starting in 2005 they issued 12-inch singles on Highgrade Records, then quickly added further outings on Stil Vor Talent and Opossum Recordings. Late in 2008 Highgrade put out the duo’s debut album, the continuously mixed Steam Circuit. The record’s reception turned Sell and Hildenbrand into sought-after DJs who began traveling internationally. At the end of 2009 they launched their own imprint, Formatik Records, on which they issued their own material—including club tracks such as “Gospel” and “Dog Tag”—alongside music by Daniel Steinberg, DJ Madskillz, Tobi Kramer, and additional producers. They also launched a long-running residency tied to the label at Berlin’s Watergate club. Their second album, Restless, appeared on Formatik in late 2011 and was followed by several remix 12-inches the next year. Releases on Formatik continued, as did performances across many countries. Their late-2014 single “Chunky” gained traction in clubs and, after Ministry of Sound reissued it in November 2015, crossed over to become a pop success in the U.K.
