Animotion is an American new wave and synth-pop band that was formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The founding members are Astrid Plane (vocals), Charles Ottavio (guitar/bass), Paul Antonelli (keyboards), and Frenchy O’Brien (drums). Later, Bill Wadhams (vocals), Don Kirkpatrick (guitar), Gregory Smith (keyboards), Jim Blair (drums), Paul Engemann (vocals), and Cynthia Rhodes (vocals) joined the band. In 1984, the self-titled debut album Animotion is released. The single “Obsession” is released in the fall of 1984 and reaches No. 8 in Germany and No. 17 in Austria. In 1986, the album Strange Behavior follows, reaching No. 14 in Germany. The single “I Engineer” became their biggest hit in Germany in 1986, peaking at No. 2 on the charts. Further singles such as “Let Him Go” (No. 41 in Germany) and “I Want You” (No. 27 in Germany) followed. In 1989, the album Animotion was released, featuring the single “Room to Move,” which reached No. 9 on the Billboard charts in the U.S. The band broke up for the first time in 1988, reunited later that year with a new lineup, and broke up again in 1990. In 2001, they reunited once more. Animotion performed at concerts and shows and collaborated with artists such as Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, Genesis, Howard Jones, INXS, Phil Collins, and Simply Red.
