ZHI VAGO

Zhi-Vago was a German dream house project that paired melodic 1990s dance music with a changing line-up of female vocalists. Producers Claudio Mangione and Gottfried Engels were behind the name.

Having already worked on electronic music projects, the pair founded Zhi-Vago in 1996. Their first release, a dance version of U2’s „With or Without You“, had to be withdrawn following objections from the band’s management. The project’s early releases came out on the German label Dance Street.

Its breakthrough followed later in 1996 with „Celebrate (The Love)“. Sung by Joane Wilson, the track reached the top ten in France and Switzerland. The follow-up, „Dreamer“, also entered the singles charts in Germany and France. Appearances from this period included television shows and the Alfa Dance Festival in Mexico in 1996.

Drawing on the sound of Robert Miles at the time, the project moved between dream house and vocal trance. After a break of several years, Zhi-Vago returned in 2002 with a remixed version of its biggest hit.