Dune (band)
| Company type | Music group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electronic music |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Oliver Froning, Jens Oettrich, Bernd Burhoff |
| Headquarters | Münster , Germany |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Dune is a German electronic music ensemble recognized for hits such as "Hardcore Vibes", "Can't Stop Raving", "Are You Ready to Fly", and "Rainbow to the Stars".
History
Established in 1995 by DJ Oliver Froning alongside producers Jens Oettrich and Bernd Burhoff (also known as Plutone), the band derived its name from the sci-fi movie Dune. Their initial offerings featured the instrumental "Hardcore Vibes", which included spoken segments by Froning's niece, and a rendition of Rozalla's "Are You Ready to Fly". These tracks, together with "Can't Stop Raving"—vocalized by Tina Lagao—achieved chart success in Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. The group's first album, Dune, was launched under Urban Records in 1995.
In 1996, Verena von Strenge became the lead singer. Their sophomore album, Expedicion, gave rise to singles such as "Rainbow to the Stars", "Hand in Hand", and "Million Miles from Home", with the latter selected as Germany’s official anthem for the 30th anniversary of Star Trek.
The year 1997 marked a stylistic change for Dune as they collaborated with the London Session Orchestra on a cover of Queen's "Who Wants to Live Forever", which climbed to number two on German charts. Their album Forever included reinterpretations of classics like Phil Collins' "Against All Odds" and Sinéad O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U". Due to internal disagreements, von Strenge exited the group.
Vanessa Hörster stepped in as vocalist with the April 1998 release "Keep the Secret". Despite producing music videos such as "Electric Heaven" filmed on the Côte d'Azur, these singles did not achieve commercial success, leading to the cancellation of their planned album titled 5. Later that year, another orchestral project, Forever and Ever, featuring former vocalist Tina Lagao under the name 'Tina Lacebal', was released but failed to gain traction commercially.
By late 1999, von Strenge returned for the single "Dark Side of the Moon", which reached number 49 on German charts. The band started working on an album called Reunion. However, legal complications concerning their cover of A7's "Piece of Heaven" resulted in halting both the single "Heaven" and the album release. Remaining tracks from Reunion were eventually issued on History. After revisiting earlier hits with remakes in 2000 and 2003, Dune disbanded quietly.
Oliver Froning has continued performing solo under the Dune name as a DJ since 2014. In 2016, he unveiled "Magic Carpet Ride" featuring Kate Wild. Currently, Froning’s use of the Dune brand is subject to a legal dispute with Burhoff.
From 2017 onwards, singles including "Starchild (First Contact – Chapter One)", "Utopia", "We're Alive", and "Turn the Tide" have been released.
Members
- Oliver Froning (1995–present)
- Jens Oettrich (1995–2003)
- Bernd Burhoff (1995–2003)
- Verena von Strenge (1996–1997, 1999–2000)
- Vanessa Hörster (1998)
- Tina Lacebal (1995–1996, 1998)
Albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER | AUT | NED | FIN | HU | SWI | ||
| 1995 | Dune | 21 | – | 59 | – | 36 | 20 |
| 1996 | Expedicion | 15 | 43 | 34 | 38 | 4 | 28 |
| 1996 | Live! | 89 | – | 45 | – | – | – |
| 1997 | Forever | 2 | 4 | 63 | – | 19 | 11 |
| 1998 | Forever and Ever | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2000 | History | 69 | – | – | – | – | – |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart rankings | Album | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER | AUT | SWI | NED | SWE | FIN | UK | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995 | "Hardcore Vibes" | 5 | – | 36 | 10 | – | – | – | "Dune" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| "Are You Ready to Fly" | 12 | – | 23 | 17 | – | – | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Can't Stop Raving" | 7 | – | 16 | 10 | – | – | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | "Rainbow to the Stars" | 12 | – | 7 | 23 | 8 | 52 | – | "Expedicion" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| "Hand in Hand" | 39|–|18|9|–|77 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Million Miles from Home" | –|–|39|10|40|– | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Who Wants to Live Forever" | 3|–|9|12|59|77 | "Forever" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Nothing Compares 2 U" | 36|–|–|–|–|– | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Somebody" (promo only) | –|–|–|–|–|– | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Keep the Secret" | –|–|–|–|–|– | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Electric Heaven" | –|50|–|–|–|– | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "One of Us" | –|–|–|–|–|– | 'Forever & Ever' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| '–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'– | 'History' | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 'Heaven' (promo only) | '–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'– | 'Promo only' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 'Hardcore Vibes 2000' | '–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'– | 'History' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| '−'|'−'|'−'|'−'|'−'|'−' | 'Singles only' | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| '−'|'−'|'−'|'−'|'−'|'−' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| '−'|'−'|'−'|'−'|'−'|'−' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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'Utopia' |
'-' |
'-' |
'-' |
'-' |
'-' |
'-' |
'-' |
Note: The symbol "−" indicates singles that did not enter the charts. | |||||||||||||||||||||
External links
- Background on the cancellation of Reunion – Detailed information about Dune's unreleased project.
- Official fan site – A resource dedicated to Dune's musical works and history.
- Fan site – Updates and materials related to Dune.
- – Comprehensive discography and release information on Discogs.