Schiller

The name of this German electronic project borrows from the poet and dramatist Friedrich Schiller. Formed in 1998 as a duo of Christopher von Deylen and Mirko von Schlieffen, it became von Deylen's project alone around 2001 or 2002, after Schlieffen's appetite for trance clashed with Deylen's wish for a more eclectic sound. The real signature is the rotating cast of guest singers, among them Peter Heppner, Sarah Brightman, Tarja Turunen and Nena, who give each record its own emotional colour. The act has sold over seven million albums worldwide.

Their debut single was "Das Glockenspiel", and a remix by DJ Tiësto followed in 2001. The first full album, Zeitgeist, appeared in August 1999, blending ambient trance with ambient chillout. Weltreise, from July 2001, carried "Dream of You" with Peter Heppner, which won the 2002 ECHO for Best Dance Single of the Year. Later records included Tag und Nacht, with Mike Oldfield and Moya Brennan, and Sehnsucht, which went gold. Atemlos debuted at number two in Germany in 2010, and Illuminate, from 2023, reached number one.