Paso Doble

New German wave band, Paso Doble, was founded in 1983 by composer, music producer, and keyboardist Frank Oberpichler (born Frank Hieber on May 9, 1957, in Paderborn) and singer Rale Oberpichler (born December 14, 1952, in Pinneberg). The duo took their name from the Spanish-Latin American dance Paso Doble. Before forming the group, Rale Oberpichler worked as a background singer for Udo Lindenberg and Marius Müller-Westernhagen, and had successful collaborations with Rolf Zuckowski. Frank Hieber was already an established producer and composer, notably co-producing "Major Tom (völlig losgelöst)" with Peter Schilling, which topped the German single charts for eight weeks in 1983. Paso Doble's first single "Computerliebe" reached the top 20 in 1985. Their subsequent album Fantasie, along with the single of the same name and "Herz an Herz", achieved moderate chart success. In 1986, they won the Goldene Stimmgabel award and performed in the ZDF-Hitparade, known for their intricate choreography. Frank Oberpichler continued his production work, contributing to various artists including Blümchen, whose cover of "Herz an Herz" reached number 4 on the German charts in 1996. Paso Doble released several albums and singles over the years, including Versunkener Schatz (2006), Hautnah (2008), and Urknall (2021). They also undertook a notable chamber musical tour in the 2010s.