Producing sophisticated psychedelic Chill Out music is a discipline within the electronic music scene that is similar to playing Jazz in a certain respect: It needs maturity and extensive musical experience to go beyond the scope of standards, to become really good and extraordinary. This might have to do with the fact that this kind of music is not aiming a busy dance floor, rising its hands and shouting out loud during the breaks. Instead of that, it is made for the individual mind and therefore includes a less functional but pretty intellectual, mature and also very artistic moment. Seen in front of this background, the history of Koan gives some interesting hints about the astonishing musical quality of this Russian duo.

It were the early nineties with their wild and excessive Techno parties, still exotic like from another world back then, that brought Daniel Roeth to the scene: As a passionate DJ he experienced electronically generated Trance in the underground clubs of Moscow. Discovering the fascinating creative possibilities of tracker programs, first forms of software based audio sequencers, some time later, made him neglecting the turntables more and more often to dive deeper and deeper into his very own universe of sounds instead of. In this situation it was only a question of time until he met William Grey, who was an essential part of the tracker scene in those days, programming his own modules for Atari, C64 and PC computers. Joining their creative energies in a mutual studio in 1993 brought to live even three projects: Vacuum Stalkes follows the idea of “Digital Dance Sampledelica”, which is Progressive in the original meaning of the term, Fatum Sci-Fi is a project dedicating abstract noise experiments, IDM and Minimal and finally the Chill Out project Koan became the most popular of these three. Beside these activities, Daniel Roeth is also busy with composing music for video games and Russian documentary films.

Sixteen years of constant evolution, of trying and testing different hardware and software and exhausting their possibilities have formed a sound that is outstanding concerning its ideas and arrangements as well as its production quality. So Koan today represents top-notch Chill Out music that seeps into the listener’s mind with touching harmonies and a mind bending brilliance. Beside its high musical activity within Russia, the duo has also chilled numerous international Trance festivals around the globe.

Whoever witnessed them playing live on stage, will not entertain doubts any more: These two boys really leased the groove! And they did so quite extensive: Within no time, Schaeufler & Zovsky have convinced their technoid audience by a series of compelling releases on Acker, SAT, Finger Tracks and others.

An icy wind blows over the frozen surface of the lake in this dark night in January. Over there, at the shore, the houses of the tiny village Mirow are cuddling up to one another, warm lights shine from their small windows invitingly. But what’s that? Beside the roaring winter thunder, another sound becomes audible: Some kind of dull, rhythmic pounding… It originates from one of the cosy little houses of the village. The situation in here contrasts really exotically with the icy winter night outside: Wearing only t-shirts, two dudes are wriggling frantically in front of a groovebox, a laptop and some connected MIDI controllers. They obviously really enjoy working their gear in some kind of hyperactive rush. But it is not only their passionate efforts on the equipment which makes the two of them sweating heavily. Also that groovy sound itself, which is modulated again and again and piled up to peak after peak in this way, radiates very special, energetic warmth. In this night of the still young year 2003 Sandro Schaeufler and Stefan Witzovsky decide to start a mutual live project.

But it takes 5 more years before the two guys from the North- East German state of Mecklenburg release their pushing, put-in-a-nutshell Tech House sounds finally to a crowd on a dance floor. After some promising first releases, they eventually succeed in breaking through to the producer avant-garde with their production “Everyday” that is released on Acker Records in 2009. They managed to do so due to countless sessions in their mutual studio. One time, they barricade themselves in front of their gear for full four days without any break, finish the track “Am Utkieck” as well as a sunbathed live set during this period and even remain more or less sane despite an acute lack of oxygen and losing all sense of time. This remarkable productivity of the two of them is represented currently in a constant series of releases on labels like Acker, SAT, Finger Tracks, Superfancy and POPNorama. Their relaxed and cheerful style has been realized as a valuable enrichment for sets by numerous DJs.

Beside the entertaining independency of their releases also their sophisticated live act is highly appreciated: True mass euphony evolved for example when they rocked the crowd during the SOS U-Ground party on the venue of famous Fusion Festival in October 2009. Inspired by great experiences like this, the gents Schaeufler & Zovsky are industriously busy with their debut album in the beginning of 2010.