Camouflage (DE)

About

Few German synth pop acts made a dent on American charts in the late 1980s, but Camouflage managed it: their debut single "The Great Commandment" hit number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent three weeks at the top of the Dance Club Songs chart. The trio from Bietigheim Bissingen took their name from a Yellow Magic Orchestra track, and their early sound drew heavily from YMO, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Ultravox. Their debut album Voices and Images topped the US Billboard Dance Charts twice, landing them a deal with Atlantic Records. Over the following years, Camouflage kept evolving, sometimes controversially. Their third album Meanwhile brought in real drums and live musicians, a sharp turn that even the band later admitted was too drastic. The fourth album Bodega Bohemia leaned back into electronics, but label troubles with Metronome limited its reach. A fifth album, Spice Crackers, followed under BMG with full creative freedom, blending experimental production with sci fi inspired writing.