Klangkarussell

Austrian electronic duo Klangkarussell specialize in a melodic strain of tech-house built around live instrumentation, layered samples, and frequent guest vocalists. Their jazzy 2012 release “Sonnentanz” helped establish the tropical-house sound; a vocal edition featuring British soul singer Will Heard arrived the next year and broadened its reach. The 2014 debut album Netzwerk climbed into the Top Ten across multiple European territories, after which the pair kept issuing expansive singles such as “Good to Go” in 2017 and “Home” in 2021, several of which spotlighted Mando Diao, LissA, and Redward Martin.

The Salzburg-based outfit—whose name means “Sound Carousel” in English—was founded by Tobias Rieser and Adrian Held. Rieser had first employed the moniker for solo work while Held recorded as i herald before the two joined forces. The jazz-inflected instrumental “Sonnentanz” surfaced in 2012, entering the Top Ten in six nations and reaching number one in the Netherlands. A vocal adaptation issued the following summer as “Sonnentanz (Sun Don’t Shine)” and featuring Will Heard entered charts in both the U.K. and Ireland, marking one of the earliest successes for the relaxed, summery style of deep house that would soon be labeled tropical house. Their follow-up single, 2014’s “Netzwerk (Falls Like Rain)” with vocalist Tom Cane, also charted and paved the way for the full-length Netzwerk. In 2015 a further iteration titled “Sun Don’t Shine” appeared, this time with Jaymes Young on vocals.

The 2016 singles “Hey Maria” and “In the Crowd Alone” retained emotive singing while shifting away from tropical-house textures. Three more tracks—“Time,” “Circuits,” and “Good to Go”—arrived in 2017 alongside the duo’s first collaboration with Swedish group Mando Diao on “Jericho.” An atmospheric instrumental, “Comoros,” emerged in 2019, followed in 2020 by the slower, atmospheric “Ghostkeeper” featuring GIVVEN. Additional cuts such as “Shipwreck” and “Plastic” preceded the 2021 return to the Austrian Top 40 with “Home.” The next year brought “This Love” with Poppy Baskcomb, a second Mando Diao partnership titled “Calling Out Your Name,” plus “I Feel Fine” and “Sight of You” alongside LissA. Klangkarussell’s 2023 release “Roads of Gold” again featured Redward Martin.