Booka Shade

Booka Shade came to define European dance music in the 2000s and 2010s, through both their own music and their Get Physical label, a cornerstone of Germany’s electronic scene. Frankfurt’s Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier got their start making synth-pop in the late ‘80s before moving into trance and techno, but the 2002 launch of Get Physical, following their move to Berlin, positioned them at the forefront of the underground. With their 2005 singles “Mandarine Girl” and “Body Language”, Booka Shade took the lean grooves of minimal techno—then peaking across Europe—and fused them with deep house and a hint of disco shimmy, setting the conditions for a sea change in clubbers’ tastes. Bringing electronic drums on stage, they also expanded the possibilities of live performance for dance music. Over the years, they’ve kept up a steady stream of output, thrilling dance floors with lean, rhythm-driven singles and stretching their tonal and textural muscles on ambitious albums where intricate arrangements, guest vocalists and even the occasional acoustic instrument are as crucial as their hypnotic and enveloping grooves.