Klaus Johann Grobe

Klaus Johann Grobe are a Swiss duo who often sing in German and have their roots in a vintage Krautrock style, using bass, synths, and drums to craft a sound both familiar and modern. After the release of their first LP, Im Sinne der Zeit, in 2014, they expanded their vintage-leaning sound to incorporate disco and chillwave (on 2016's Spagat der Liebe) then R&B and soft rock (on 2018's Du Bist So Symmetrisch) before moving into even more relaxed, cinematic songwriting with hints of jazz fusion on their melancholic fourth album, 2024's Io Tu il loro.

The duo of Sevi Landolt (keyboards, vocals) and Daniel Bachmann (percussion) came together in 2011 and self-released a six-song, self-titled EP in 2012, that was picked up by the U.K. label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Sound+of+Salvation%22">Sound of Salvation</a>. The EP appeared in an edition of only a few hundred copies, but it left a positive impression on critics and DJs, and the American indie label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Trouble+in+Mind%22">Trouble in Mind</a> reissued the "Traumhaft" b/w "Nicht zu Stoppen" single in the United States after its original 2013 pressing on U.K. label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Sunstone+Records%22">Sunstone Records</a> sold out. The duo's first full-length album, Im Sinne der Zeit, was produced by David Langhard and released in April 2014. The duo spent the remainder of 2014 touring Europe and the U.K., partly as support for the Growlers and <a href="spotify:artist:4ogwGU9VPWrnVBs1GEwZVV">Temples</a>, then headed out again in 2015 playing more countries and at festivals including Way Back When, Eurosonic, Eindhoven Psych Lab, and Zaragoza Psychfest. In December, they released a single, "Baby Lass Uns Sein." Their next album, 2016's Spagat der Liebe, found them pursuing a less Krautrock-inspired direction, instead adding disco and space age pop to the mix. It was released by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Trouble+in+Mind%22">Trouble in Mind</a> in May of 2016 as the band embarked on its first U.S. tour. After taking some time off in 2017, the duo returned with a third album that continued in the more diverse direction of its predecessor. 2018's Du Bist So Symmetrisch branched out into gently funky R&B and soft rock, added some new vintage synth sounds, and markedly increased the relaxed disco quotient. It would be six years before KJG released their fourth full-length, 2024's Io Tu il loro. This album found them switching gears significantly once again, almost entirely dropping their previous disco and dance affectations, bringing in more Brazilian elements and singing primarily in English for the first time. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi