André Tanneberger, widely known in the music and dance world as ATB, was born on February 26, 1973, in the former German Democratic Republic, in the town of Freiberg. Due to the low standard of living in the country, his parents decided to move to West Germany in 1984 and start anew.
In the late 80s, on weekends, André frequented the "Tarm center" club in Bochum, where he still resides, to listen to the music of DJ Thomas Kukula, better known as "General Base."
Fueled by his passion for dance music, André decided to compose it himself in 1992. His initial equipment consisted of an outdated "Amiga" computer and a small synthesizer connected to it. His first compositions emerged after nights spent in a small home studio. These musical experiments impressed Thomas Kukula, who offered the services of his recording studio to help André finalize his compositions. In this studio, André had the opportunity to use a professional Sequential Pro One synthesizer, which, incidentally, inspired the name of André Tanneberger's first project.
In February 1993, under the name Sequential One, he released his first singles, "Dance" and "Let Me Hear You." The singles generated some income, allowing André to set up his own mini-studio. In 1994, the Sequential One project expanded, with the inclusion of Ulrich Poppelbaum, now a well-known producer Woody van Eyden, and vocalist Morpha. A stream of various releases followed, and the fruitful collaboration of the "quartet" resulted in the full-fledged album "Dance," released on the "House Nation" label in early 1995.
After significant success in Germany, Sequential One gradually gained recognition in other European countries. Their second album, "Energy," was released not only in Germany but also in the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, and Hungary. However, after the release of such successful releases, the creative paths of the project members diverged, and in 1998, Woody and Morpha left the group. The days of the Sequential One project were numbered, and in 1999, Sequential One ceased to exist. Shortly before the breakup, André and Ulrich released the final single, "Angels," and the group's compilation album, "Decades."
André attempted to preserve the project in some way. To continue what he started, he shortened the name to SQ-1 and independently moved to a new label. According to Tanneberger, SQ-1 became his best side project.
The first single released under the name SQ-1 was the composition "Can You Feel...". The single quickly conquered various charts, surpassing the popularity of all Sequential One releases. Two months later, another album, "Music So Wonderful," was released. In 2000, André's remix of this work was included in the single "One, Two, Three." At the end of 2001, the long-awaited SQ-1 project single, "Dance!," was released, featuring a sound distinct from previous SQ-1 releases and seemingly concluding a significant period in André's life. The final single, the track "Balare!," appropriately closed the chapter of the Sequential One and SQ-1 projects.
However, in 1999, immediately after the Sequential One breakup, André decided to start a solo career, adopting the abbreviation of his name and surname—ATB—as his pseudonym. And it was under this name that he soon became famous worldwide! In the summer of 1999, the melodic track "9 PM (Till I Come)" echoed across the planet, released on Kontor Records.
This track was an amazing blend of lively dance rhythms and a distinctive sound that would become characteristic of ATB in the future. It quickly reached top positions in German and British charts. Thanks to this work, music lovers around the world began to recognize André and eagerly anticipate his new releases.
Soon, the next two singles by ATB, "Don’t Stop" and "Killer," entered wide rotation. Interestingly, the latter is a rework of an old electronic track by Adamski. Around the same time, André, in collaboration with DJ Talla 2XLC, Sunbeam, Schiller, DJ Mellow D, and Taucher, formed the Trance Allstars project. Their debut album, "Worldwide," was released in 1999. André's popularity led to his participation in the charitable project "United Deejays For Central America."
The tremendous success of his works within the ATB project inspired André to create his first album, "Movin’ Melodies," featuring 15 tracks. Following this, in 2000, the album "Millenium Remixes" was released, including André's remixes of works by global music giants such as William Orbit, Moby, A-Ha, Enigma, Bob Marley, Sash!, Blank & Jones.
In 2000, André released his second album, "Two Worlds," conceived as two distinct-sounding parts. The decision to release a double-disc album was natural: the first disc represented the dance world (The World of Movement), while the second featured relaxing music (The Relaxing World), reminiscent of the style found in "Cafe Del Mar" compilations. During the album's preparation, André collaborated with the renowned singer Heather Nova and Michael Cretu, known for his work with Enigma, who had a significant influence on André's creative process.
The collaboration with Michael resulted in the track "Enigmatic Encounter," recorded in one night on the Spanish island of Ibiza. Later, in support of the album, ATB released a joint single with the duo York titled "The Fields of Love" (also present on the "Two Worlds" album), seamlessly blending two different musical styles. André continued this album release format in the future, allowing listeners to experience two contrasting emotional states and making his music more accessible to everyone.
The subsequent single, "Let U Go," recorded in collaboration with Roberta Carter Harrison, the lead singer of the Canadian rock group Wild Strawberries, showcased a remarkable blend of diverse musical styles. André expressed his love for experimentation and the combination of different genres. The success of the single "Let U Go" paved the way for further collaborations. In November 2001, a new single, created with Wild Strawberries, titled "Hold You," was released and quickly gained popularity, topping many European charts.
On January 28, 2002, André's next album, "Dedicated," was released, quickly entering the Top 20 German albums chart. This release delved into further experiments with Dream Dance and Cafe Del Mar styles, presenting a more club-oriented sound. With "Dedicated," André bid farewell to his signature "singing guitar" effect, known from tracks like "9 pm," "Don’t Stop," "Killer," and "The Summer." He decided not to stand still but to constantly evolve and move forward. The cover version of Olive's song "You're Not Alone," included in the new album, topped the German dance chart for eight consecutive weeks, becoming a club superhit in 2002. For his musical achievements, ATB received awards such as the "Echo" and "WDR 1 Lilve Krone" in the categories of Best DJ. Additionally, he won Best National Producer and Best National DJ at DJ Meeting 2002. During this time, André also found time to work with his old friends on the new Trance Allstars album, "Synergy 2. The Story Continues," released on August 12, 2002.
Throughout 2003, André worked extensively on his next album, "Addicted To Music," which became his most trance-focused work, marking the next step in perfecting the ATB style. The first single, "I Don’t Wanna Stop," achieved commercial success, but it reached only the fourth position in the German dance chart. The situation was rectified by the second release from this album, "Long Way Home," which held the top spot on the same chart for four consecutive weeks. In addition to the album, a bonus DVD, "Addicted To Music," was released, featuring a complete videography, singles in 5.1 format, a documentary about ATB's tour in the USA, photos, lyrics, interviews, a quiz on ATB's work, and many other interesting materials.
In the fall of 2003, a two-disc mix, compiled from the musician's favorite tracks, was released under the title "The DJ In the Mix." André mentioned in one of his interviews that the "The DJ" series aims to fill the gap between full albums, delight fans, and, most importantly, showcase that ATB is not only a musician who writes his tracks but also a skilled DJ. In the fall of 2004, the second part, "The DJ 2 In the Mix," was released, accompanied by a special tour to the best clubs around the world.
On May 28, 2004, ATB released his fifth album, "No Silence," featuring 13 outstanding tracks. According to critics and music enthusiasts, this album marked ATB's highest creative achievement up to that point. It became increasingly evident that with each album, ATB refined his sound, and the new release was the best confirmation of that. The album also stood out for including the track "Marrakech," released as a separate single and later becoming the main theme for the Hollywood thriller "Mindhunters."
The album was rich in vocal tracks, with contributions from Roberta Carter Harrison, Madelin Zero, Tiff Lacey (who performed vocals in "Marrakech" and "Ecstasy"), Ken Harrison (Roberta's husband), and Michal the Girl.
On June 13, 2005, ATB released a sort of compilation of his best compositions with six new tracks, titled "Seven Years." This release commemorated the seventh anniversary of the first track released under the name ATB. Among the new compositions was a reworked version of "Let U Go," featuring vocals from Jan Loehel, a former rock guitarist and current German trance artist. Jan also provided vocals for the new track "Believe In Me."
The compilation also featured the beautiful composition "Take Me Over" with vocals by Nicole McKenna, the instrumental trance piece "Far Beyond," and the single "Humanity," recorded with Tiff Lacey. The DVD version of the compilation included media materials such as music videos for "Believe In Me" and "Humanity," photos, an interview with the author about his seven-year journey, behind-the-scenes footage of the "I Don’t Wanna Stop" music video, and an exclusive airplay version of the "Believe In Me" video.
In February 2006, the single "Summer Rain" was released with the distinctive vocals of Jan Loehel. The single quickly reached the 9th position on the German Deutche Club Chart. Soon, fans of ATB's work anticipated another compilation from the "The DJ" series, titled "The DJ 3 In the Mix."
Simultaneously, a tour in support of this release kicked off. Interestingly, as part of the tour, ATB visited the capital of Ukraine, delivering an explosive three-hour set on November 4, 2006, in front of a large audience at the Kiev Palace of Sports during the celebration of the anniversary of the Kiss FM radio station.
In late summer 2006, André officially announced that he had started working on a new album, later named "Trilogy." The album followed the concept of "Two Worlds": the first disc featured dance tracks, while the second offered relaxing music. The single "Justify," initially scheduled for release in November, was postponed to April 2007, almost preceding the release of ATB's seventh album. In February 2007, the Kontor Records label presented André's new work, the single "Renegade," recorded with his longtime acquaintance Heather Nova. On March 9, the vinyl version of "Renegade" with André's A&T mix and an excellent treatment by Ronski Speed was released.
The single quickly climbed the dance charts in Germany and England. On April 27, 2007, André's new album, "Trilogy," in both single and double-disc editions, left the Kontor Records factory and entered wide distribution. André doesn't pause for a moment, and by the end of this year, he promises to release the fourth compilation from "The DJ" series.
In addition to creating his own works, André contributed to remixing tracks by other producers. His remixes for Gouryella's "Tenshi," Narcotic Thrust's "When The Dawn Breaks," Above & Beyond's "Can’t Sleep," Mark Norman's "Ventura," Herbert Groenemeyer's "Celebrate The Day" (FIFA World Cup 2006 anthem), and many others gained wide recognition.
As a DJ, André Tanneberger doesn't perform as actively as some of his peers, spending much of his time in the studio refining the sound of his works. Nevertheless, each of his live performances is a transmission of powerful energy and excellent interaction with the audience! Throughout his long career, André has performed at festivals such as Trance Energy (2001), Planeta (2004), Exposure Festival (2004), Dance Planet (2006), Nature One (2006), Sensation White Poland (2006), and Loveparade (2007). Traditionally, he is warmly welcomed in Poland, Germany, Romania, and the Czech Republic, and recently, countries of the CIS have also become part of his tour route.
"In today's restless life and high levels of tension, it significantly affects people. Music can relax, distract, and calm," says ATB.
With this conviction, he creates his music, using any available methods to infuse positive tones into his melodies. Besides the desire to make quality music, ATB also aims to share his skills with talented individuals. With vast experience, André, along with his partner and friend Woody van Eyden, opened the "School for Engineering and Audio Producing" (SEAP) in Bochum in 2004. The school not only teaches DJ skills but also helps students acquire studio work and music producing skills.
