While they released an installment of K7's 'DJ Kicks' mix series in 2007, German house duo Booka Shade, aka Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier, aren't DJs per se. All the same, 2008 was still an important year for them and they put out their third album, 'The Sun and the Neon Light'. It saw them represent a more mature take on the evocative melodies and subtle, twitchy grooves that dominated the debut, 'Memento', and allowed them to hone the songwriting skills they'd explored on second album 'Movements'. One of the most exhilarating live acts in electronic music, they promoted the new album with one of their infamously gruelling world tours. "The current world tour is shorter in the number of months but is more intense, because we sometimes play five concerts in one week," explains Arno. "We also played some of the biggest and nicest festivals in the world, including Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, Coachella, Exit and Benicassim," he adds. Arno also feels that touring the world has inspired the Booka Shade sound. "You get around, see places and meet people, it inspires you, you turn it into music, it's a constant development that creates our own universe," he says. It's no surprise then that they're touring South America and Australia over the coming months, and in 2009 will start working on their fourth album.
While they released an installment of K7's 'DJ Kicks' mix series in 2007, German house duo Booka Shade, aka Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier, aren't DJs per se. All the same, 2008 was still an important year for them and they put out their third album, 'The Sun and the Neon Light'. It saw them represent a more mature take on the evocative melodies and subtle, twitchy grooves that dominated the debut, 'Memento', and allowed them to hone the songwriting skills they'd explored on second album 'Movements'. One of the most exhilarating live acts in electronic music, they promoted the new album with one of their infamously gruelling world tours. "The current world tour is shorter in the number of months but is more intense, because we sometimes play five concerts in one week," explains Arno. "We also played some of the biggest and nicest festivals in the world, including Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, Coachella, Exit and Benicassim," he adds. Arno also feels that touring the world has inspired the Booka Shade sound. "You get around, see places and meet people, it inspires you, you turn it into music, it's a constant development that creates our own universe," he says. It's no surprise then that they're touring South America and Australia over the coming months, and in 2009 will start working on their fourth album.
