Draft:Fatmagic

Formation and early years (2008–2009)

Fatmagic was formed in Vienna, Austria in 2008 by Markus Fahrenberger, originally from Mürzzuschlag, and Radina Veliova, a Viennese musician of Bulgarian heritage. The duo played their first show at the Supperclub Vienna, one of the city's most prominent nightlife venues. In January 2009, both members relocated to San Francisco, California, where they established themselves in the city's dance club scene and began touring the American West Coast.^[1] That year they released their debut EP, Higher, and began performing at venues across the San Francisco Bay Area.

Connecting Continents and international breakthrough (2010–2011)

In November 2010, Fatmagic released their debut studio album, Connecting Continents, written, composed, recorded and produced by Fahrenberger and Veliova at Animasound studio, and mastered by Wim Bult at Inline Mastering. Songs from the album were licensed for use in several short films and animations. The duo also released the EP I Still Believe that year and began an extensive European tour, performing across Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and several other countries.

In 2011, Fatmagic released the EP Get Down, which reached the Top 10 of the Austrian iTunes charts and received international radio airplay.^[2] That year, Fatmagic received an endorsement from electric instrument manufacturer NS Design, who provided the duo with two custom-made instruments — a CR5 violin and a CR4 cello — both with a distinctive white finish matching Madmax Fiddler's signature mask.^[3] Fatmagic also won the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Techno/Electronica that year, recognising the success of Connecting Continents.^[4] Their music also received recognition from Austrian public broadcaster ORF, with the band featured on FM4's Soundpark platform, which showcases Austrian independent artists.^[5]

Connecting Worlds and continued success (2012–2013)

In 2012, Fatmagic entered the studio to record their second album, adding live drums and live electric bass to their sound. The duo also undertook a summer European tour, including a UK leg with a concert at The George Tavern in London.^[6] In January 2013, Fatmagic performed at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, appearing at the NS Design booth alongside other endorsed artists.^[7]

In May 2013, Fatmagic were featured on Austrian commercial broadcaster PULS 4's "Rock The Island Contest", a public voting competition connected to Vienna's Donauinselfest, one of Europe's largest open-air music festivals. The duo placed among the top candidates in the public vote.^[8]

In May 2013, Fatmagic released their second studio album, Connecting Worlds, written, composed, recorded and produced by Fahrenberger and Veliova — primarily in Mürzzuschlag, Austria^[9] — and mixed by Warren Huart at Spitfire Studio and mastered by Evren Goknar at Capitol Records. Huart was known for his production work with Aerosmith, Korn, and James Blunt. Goknar is a Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer. The album's title reflected the duo's life split between Austria and the United States. Its release was funded by a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign that raised $10,500 from 103 backers against a $10,000 goal.^[10]

Fatmagic again won the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Techno/Electronica, this time for the song "Blood Diamonds" — a track addressing child labour in diamond mines and what Fahrenberger described as "the unquestioning consumer society of today."^[11][12] The duo undertook an extensive European tour that year, performing in cities including London, Paris, Berlin, Belgrade, and Sofia. As part of the tour, Fatmagic performed an open-air concert at the Bärenkogelhaus in Hönigsberg near Mürzzuschlag, at an elevation of 1,200 metres, where they also premiered a new music video.^[13]

Los Angeles, Hawaiʻi, and hiatus (2011–2018)

In 2011, Fatmagic relocated to Los Angeles, where they continued performing. In 2014, the duo released the music video "Teddy", starring German-Austrian actor Reinhard Nowak, and undertook a Christmas tour of Germany and Austria, performing at venues including the Hüttnwirt in Flattach, Carinthia.^[14] That year they also won the MondoTunes PopRock Song Contest, and in 2015 won the MondoTunes Music Award for Best Song.

In 2015, Fatmagic moved to the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, performing at various venues across the island. In 2017, the duo returned to the studio to work on new material. In April 2018, to mark their tenth anniversary, Fatmagic released Fatmagic Remixed, a collection of remixes of their biggest tracks by collaborating DJs and producers including Playdoughboy, Frost Raven, Jeff Morena, Eddy Santana, Freddie Fiers, AJ Orbit, Cab Canaveral, and Shanti Roots (Markus Dohelsky of Austrian electronic act Vienna Scientists).^[15] As of 2018, the duo has been inactive.

Studio albums

EPs

Remix albums