Yello

The pioneers of electronic music came in a variety of guises. Some whipped up a Milky Way of cosmic sounds. Others explored the hypnotic power of robotic repetition. Still others experimented with conceptual sound patterns. And then there were Yello. Inspired by the Dada spirit of their hometown, Zurich, as well as records by the likes of John Coltrane, Pink Floyd and Californian mavericks, the Residents, every single sound that came out of their machines told a story. Some were absurd, some bizarre, some just plain funny. Whatever the story was, it also had swing and it was dead catchy. „Solid Pleasure“ promised Boris Blank and Dieter Meier with the title of their debut album in 1980. Forty years later, their fourteenth album, “Point”, still delivers just that, solid pleasure. Their first single, “Bostich”, mysteriously became a hit in New York’s Afro-American underground club scene. From there, the unmistakable Yello sound – a collage of styles from everywhere – travelled the world. Albums like „Stella“, „One Second” and „Toy” hit the upper regions of the charts internationally. Their hit singles “The Race“ and „Oh Yeah“ still frequently turn up in movie soundtracks world-wide. All sorts of voices, from Shirley Bassey to Billy Mackenzie and Stina Nordenstam, have abandoned themselves to the Yello groove in the band’s studio high above Lake Zurich. Three years ago, the unlikely duo conquered their fear of the stage with a mini tour that was brilliantly captured on film.