Klangkarussell begin 2021 with ‘Plastic’, a synth-heavy piece of emotive electronic music released via their Bias Beach imprint. ‘Plastic’ is a commentary on consumerism. The poignant vocal and the video created by the band tell of a world – Earth – where people are more disconnected than ever from each other, from themselves, and from the planet that they live on. And, as it fills with plastic from their endless appetite for consumption and convenience, how humans have begun to take that form and become ‘plastic’ themselves.

Klangkarussell launched Bias Beach with ‘Comoros’, their first single away from a major label deal that spawned hit singles ‘Sonnentanz’ and ‘Time’, and their debut album, ‘Netzwerk’. Creating their own label has proven to be a winning strategy: Klangkarussell’s releases on Bias Beach alone totalled over 25 million in 2020, spurred by the huge success of a run of singles. The label has now become home to GIVVEN (‘Ghostkeeper’) which comprises Klang’s Adrian alongside Jordan and Nico; and SIN, whoselatest release ‘Neon’ is out now.

Adrian and Tobi’s previous single, ‘My World’ (feat. Kyle Pearce), and the accompanying short film, portrayed environmental issues that Klangkarussell now continue with ‘Plastic’. This single joined ‘Shipwreck’ as a two-track release. Ahead of this came ‘Ghostkeeper’, their previous collaboration with GIVVEN, which now has over 9 million streams.

Following the outbreak of the current covid 19 pandemic, Klangkarussell put all touring on hold. Their last shows were in the UK for a sold out Night Tales London, Europe (including taking the Saturday night honours at Benicassim), Beirut and South America.

Klangkarussell, which translates to English as “Sound Carousel”, were formed in Salzburg, Austria by Tobias Rieser and Adrian Held. Both respected producers in their own right, they first broke through with the jazz-tinged instrumental club record ‘Sonnentanz’, which reached the Top 10 in 6 different countries, including No.1 in The Netherlands. Unexpectedly, a record they’d written for their own DJ sets had taken on a life of it’s own, and when a vocal version – retitled ‘Sonnentanz (Sun Don’t Shine)’ and featuring British soul singer Will Heard – was released the following summer, it became a global hit and went on to become one of the biggest dance records of that decade (despite the pair shunning all publicity).

Following the success of ‘Sonnentanz’, the duo then released their second single, ‘Netzwerk (Falls Like Rain)’, featuring vocalist Tom Havelock, and which also became a hit. Klangkarussell’s debut album, ‘Netzwerk’, appeared soon after and sporting the singles ‘Hey Maria’ and ‘In the Crowd Alone’ appeared in 2016, followed by ‘Time’, ‘Circuits’, and ‘Good to Go’ in 2017. Musically, and with the type of creative freedom they had during their initial rise to fame, both Tobi and Adrian have entered a new decade exactly where they want to be.