DJ Bobo

A keen ear for a good tune has helped Switzerland's René Baumann, aka DJ Bobo, sell over 14 million records and make a name for himself along the way. Although technically speaking Baumann is a songwriter, his true forte is working other artists' hooklines from popular hits and arranging them into catchy club dance tunes. Songs which have received the Baumann treatment and enjoyed a second lease of life have included Rockwell's 'Somebody's Watching Me', 'What a Feeling' from the movie 'Flashdance' and Kool and the Gang's 'Celebration'. Baumann has a formulaic approach to his songwriting which invariably uses a fast-paced Eurodance sound, female vocalists singing the hook accompanied by a rap overlay by Baumann himself. It's a recipe which is popular among dance audiences in mainland Europe but which has thus far failed to capture the interest of UK and US music buyers. Baumann has been outspokenly critical of Switzerland's Eurovison entries where on occasion the selection panel have controversially hired talent from outside of Switzerland to perform on the country's behalf, most notably Celine Dion's 1988 entry which won that year's competition. Baumann was invited to be the Swiss entry for 2007 with his song 'Vampires Are Alive' and although he only made it to the semi-finals before being knocked out, Swiss music lovers gave support to their home grown talent and the spin-off album 'Vampire' went to number two in the Swiss Charts. Baumann has 13 studio albums to his credit and remains one of Europe's most popular producers of club hits.

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