ATB (DJ)

ATB
Tanneberger in 2015
Tanneberger in 2015
Background information
Birth nameAndré Tanneberger
Born (1973-02-26) 26 February 1973 (age 51)
Freiberg, East Germany
GenresTrance, progressive house
Occupation(s)DJ, music producer, remixer
Years active1993–present
LabelsKontor
Websiteatb-music.com Edit this at Wikidata

André Tanneberger (German: [anˈdʁeː ˈtanəbɛʁɡɐ, ãˈdʁeː -]; born 26 February 1973),[citation needed] better known by his stage name ATB, is a German DJ and producer of trance music.[1] According to the official world DJ rankings governed by DJ Magazine, ATB was ranked No. 11 in 2009[2] and 2010, and No. 15 in 2011.[3] In 2011, he was ranked as world No. 1 according to "The DJ List".[4] He is best known for his 1998 single "9 PM (Till I Come)", which was a No. 1 single in the United Kingdom. The song's hook would later be reworked into "Don't Stop!" in 1999 for his debut album, Movin' Melodies, becoming a hit in its own right.

Career

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Tanneberger started his music career as a dance project Sequential One (SQ-1). In February 1993, Sequential One released debut single "Let Me Hear You", followed by "Dance"/"Raving". Singles brought André small financial benefits; he gained the opportunity to organize a mini-studio. In 1994 the project turned into the band adding three new members: Ulrich Pöppelbaum, Woody van Eyden and vocalist Morpha. In early 1995 the House Nation label released the group's first album, Dance.

After great success in its native Germany, Sequential One gradually became known elsewhere in Europe. Their second album, Energy issued in Germany, was also released in the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and Hungary. Despite this success and growing popularity, two members of the project —Woody van Eyden and Morpha — left in 1998; only André and Ullrich remained in the group. In 1999 Sequential One ceased to exist. Shortly before the collapse, André managed to release the last single "Angels" and the compilation album Decades.

1998–1999: Formation of ATB and Movin' Melodies

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In 1998, Tanneberger started a solo project named ATB. His first track under this name was "9 PM (Till I Come)", included on the Movin' Melodies album, which topped the UK Singles Chart in 1999.[1] The track featured a synthesised slide guitar riff that became popular.[1] This guitar sound became the trademark of his early hits. ATB continues to evolve and change with every album. His current style involves more vocals and varied sounds, with frequent pianos.

Despite only releasing a few more singles in the UK, namely "Don't Stop!" and "Killer", he still regularly releases music in his native Germany and in other parts of Europe, where he has scored big hits such as "I Don't Wanna Stop" and his cover of Olive's 1996 hit "You're Not Alone".

2000–2001: Two Worlds

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Two Worlds (released in 2000) was his second studio album. It is a two-disc album based upon the concept of different types of music for different moods. The titles of the two CDs are: "The World of Movement" and "The Relaxing World". This album includes two songs featuring Heather Nova: "Love Will Find You" and "Feel You Like a River". The song "Let U Go" featured on "The World of Movement" disc featuring the vocals of Roberta Carter Harrison from the Canadian pop band Wild Strawberries. The song "Enigmatic Encounter" features music from the music project Enigma.

2001–2002: Dedicated and ATC lawsuit

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His third album, Dedicated, was released in 2002. It includes two top hits: "Hold You" and "You're Not Alone". The title refers to the September 11 attacks. In 2002 ATB successfully took ATC's record label to court and sued and were forced to change its name to 'A Touch of Class'.

2003: Addicted to Music

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In 2003, ATB released Addicted to Music, which included hits such as "I Don't Wanna Stop" and "Long Way Home". The same year, ATB's first DVD of the same name was released. It featured all his videos, a tour documentary and photographs.

2004: No Silence

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ATB's hits "Ecstasy" and "Marrakech", both featuring vocals by Tiff Lacey, were included on the album No Silence (2004). "Marrakech" was also included on the soundtrack for the film Mindhunters.

2005–2006: Seven Years

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In 2005, ATB released Seven Years, a compilation album of 20 songs, including all his singles. Additionally, Seven Years includes six new tracks, including the single "Humanity" with Tiff Lacey and the 2005 rework of "Let U Go". Many of ATB's recent albums have featured vocals from Roberta Carter Harrison, singer for the Canadian band Wild Strawberries.

2007–2008: Trilogy

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His next album, Trilogy, was released on 4 May 2007. The single "Justify" was released from The DJ 4 in the Mix compilation. The single "Renegade" was released on 12 April 2007, and features Heather Nova. The third single was "Feel Alive", released in July the same year.

In a Trance.nu interview on 11 May 2007, ATB considered "Don't Stop!" to be his worst production to date, and he no longer stands by it, due to it being similar to his first hit, "9 PM (Till I Come)".[5]

2009–2010: Future Memories

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ATB in 2010

The album Future Memories was released on 5 May 2009. "What About Us" was released as the lead single prior to the album's release. Further hit tracks include the collaborations with Tiff Lacey on "My Everything", "Still Here" and "Missing" (a chillout cover of Everything but the Girl's classic).

2011: Distant Earth

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On 29 April 2011 Distant Earth was released, followed by Distant Earth Remixed on 16 September 2011.

2012–2016: Contact

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On 8 June 2012, Sunset Beach DJ Session 2, was released. On 24 March 2013, ATB announced during A State of Trance 600 Miami at Ultra Music Festival that he planned to release his next album during the second half of 2013. In September ATB posted that he's working on the last track of the album and that the new album will have 24 songs on two CDs. In addition, he announced that he would be bringing the ATB in Concert series to the United States with shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and New York City. Previously ATB had kept the past six ATB in Concert shows in Eastern Europe.

ATB released an album titled Contact on 24 January 2014.

2017–2020: neXt

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On 10 February 2017, Andre announced through his Facebook account that his upcoming tenth studio album is set to be titled Next (stylized as neXt) and its release date would be 21 April 2017. The album will be available in three versions: standard double-disc CD, Limited Edition Box and 12" double-vinyl package, which could be pre-ordered through Amazon starting with the day of the announcement.

ATB released neXt on 21 April 2017[6] through Kontor Records.

2021–present: "Your Love (9PM)"

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In 2021, a remake of "9 PM (Till I Come)" by ATB, German producer Topic and Swedish singer Alexander 'A7S' Tidebrink was released on Positiva Records. Retitled "Your Love (9PM)", the record charted in Germany and on the UK Official Charts Company Top 75 singles chart (reaching the number 42 position on 5 February 2021).[7][8][9][10]

In May 2024, ATB announced on Instagram that his next album in 2025 would be his last, due to "the current era of streaming and downloads, which have pushed albums out of the way in favor of singles and EPs", but reassured that he will continue to release singles and do touring.[11]

Personal life

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On 6 July 2018, ATB married his second wife, Laura Gabriela.[12]

Discography

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DJ Magazine Top 100 DJs

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Year Position Notes Ref.
2003 47 New Entry [13]
2004 13 Up 24
2005 9 Up 4
2006 13 Down 4
2007 26 Down 13
2008 25 Up 1
2009 11 Up 14
2010 11 No Change
2011 15 Down 4
2012 21 Down 6
2013 33 Down 12
2014 58 Down 25
2015 82 Down 24
2016 61 Up 22
2017 54 Up 7
2018 49 Up 5
2019 39 Up 10
2020 56 Down 17
2021 35 Up 21
2022 42 Down 7
2023 49 Down 7
2024 47 Down 2

References

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  1. ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 25. ISBN 0-7535-0427-8.
  2. ^ "DJ Mag Top 100 Dj's 2009". Archived from the original on 2 January 2010.
  3. ^ "DJ Mag". DJ Mag. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  4. ^ "The DJ List 2011". Thedjlist.com. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  5. ^ "Now I do know I have some productions I really hate... the second release of ATB, which was "Don't Stop"". Trance.nu. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  6. ^ "Next – ATB". iTunes. 21 April 2017. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  7. ^ "ATB, Topic, & A7S Recreate Dance Classic with "Your Love (9PM)"". 15 January 2021. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  8. ^ "ATB collaborates with Topic to reimagine "Your Love (9pm)". 15 January 2021. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  9. ^ "ATB x Topic x A7S – Your Love (9pm)". 20 January 2021. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". OfficialCharts.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  11. ^ Gilmore, Grant (28 May 2024). "ATB Announces His Next Album Will Be His Last". EDM Identity. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  12. ^ "I am so lucky to have you by my side #neverbeenhappier". Instagram.com. [dead link]
  13. ^ "Top 100 (250) DJ MAG 1997–2018 | Top 100 DJ MAG DJS VK Music Музыка 2019 2020". M.vk.com. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
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