Shantel's rather breezy trip-hop productions suffer little considering their stated pop inclinations. Though born in Frankfurt, Stefan Hantel was introduced to clubbing and the music life while studying graphic design in Paris. Back in his hometown, he opened the Lissania club. A noted port of call for similar minds like Kruder & Dorfmeister and Howie B, the club's prosperity led to Shantel's first album, Club Guerilla. He signed to Studio !K7 for his second full LP, which earned high praise around the world, even hitting Spin magazine's end-of-the-year charts. It was followed by a string of increasingly successful albums. ~ John Bush