Klangkarussell

Austrian electronic duo Klangkarussell play a melodic form of tech-house which often incorporates live instruments, samples, and guest vocals. They helped set the stage for tropical house with their jazzy 2012 single “Sonnentanz,” which earned further success when a vocal version featuring Will Heard was released in 2013. Netzwerk, their 2014 full-length debut, reached the Top Ten in several European countries. The duo have continued releasing anthemic singles such as 2017′s “Good to Go” and 2021′s “Home,” including tracks featuring the likes of Mando Diao, LissA, and Redward Martin.
The evocatively named house production duo Klangkarussell — which translates to English as “Sound Carousel” — was formed in Salzburg, Austria by Tobias Rieser and Adrian Held. While Rieser originally used the name for his solo project, Held worked under the name i herald until the pair teamed up. The jazz-tinged instrumental “Sonnentanz” was issued in 2012 and eventually reached the Top Ten in six different countries, even hitting the number one spot in the Netherlands. When a vocal version — retitled “Sonnentanz (Sun Don’t Shine)” and featuring British soul singer Will Heard — was released the following summer, the track charted in both the U.K. and Ireland. The song was one of the first hits of what soon came to be known as tropical house, a laid-back, summery variation on deep house often utilizing live instruments. In 2014, the duo released their second single, “Netzwerk (Falls Like Rain),” which featured vocalist Tom Cane. The song also became a hit, and set the stage for the duo’s debut full-length, Netzwerk, which appeared soon after. In 2015, the duo released a third version of their debut single, this time titled “Sun Don’t Shine” and featuring vocalist Jaymes Young.
Singles “Hey Maria” and “In the Crowd Alone” appeared in 2016, keeping the emotional vocals but moving away from the tropical house sound. These were followed in 2017 by “Time,” “Circuits,” and “Good to Go,” as well as the duo’s first collaboration with Swedish group Mando Diao, “Jericho.” The shimmering instrumental “Comoros” appeared in 2019, and “Ghostkeeper,” a haunting, slower-paced single featuring GIVVEN, was issued in 2020. The duo continued issuing tracks such as “Shipwreck” and “Plastic,” and they returned to the Austrian Top 40 with 2021′s “Home.” “This Love,” featuring Poppy Baskcomb, appeared in 2022, followed by a second song with Mando Diao, “Calling Out Your Name.” “I Feel Fine” and “Sight of You” (with LissA) also surfaced during the year. In 2023, Klangkarussell released “Roads of Gold,” featuring Redward Martin. ~ James Wilkinson & Paul Simpson