The Stuttgart-based trio Freundeskreis (Circle of Friends) released their full-length debut, Quadratur des Kreises, in 1997. Their politically and socially charged lyrics, along with their exuberant live show (which often featured a band alongside the DJs), won them instant fans. In 1999 Freundeskreis followed up with Esperanto, an album that featured multilingual rapping. Soon after, the members of the group began to focus on individual side projects, but in 2007 they regrouped in order to perform at festivals that summer, and also in honor of being together for a decade, a feat that was also celebrated by their label, Four Music, which released a retrospective later that year. ~ Marisa Brown