Leader of the Palast Orchester, Max Raabe was known for his loyalty to a style long past -- that of dance and film music of the 1920s and '30s. With Palast Orchester, Max Raabe -- born in Lünen, Germany -- created his own style within that genre, reshaping modern tunes (such as "Oops … I Did It Again" by Britney Spears) into the retro sound of pre-World War II European dancehalls. He also starred in a number of musical theater roles, including Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera in 1999, which saw him share the stage with fellow German performer Nina Hagen. In 2008, Raabe and the Palast Orchester released their well-received 2007 Carnegie Hall performance on CD and DVD, entitled Heute Nacht Oder Nie (or, for those keeping up in English, "Tonight or Never").

Übers Meer followed in 2010 before Raabe worked with fellow German and frontwoman of seminal Neue Deutsche Welle (German New Wave) act Ideal, Annette Humpe. The two first collaborated on 2011's Küssen Kann Man Nicht Alleine, which featured lyrics by Humpe and music written by Raabe. The two teamed up again for 2013’s Für Frauen Ist das Kein Problem, which debuted on the German sales charts at number three. The live album, Eine Nacht in Berlin, appeared the following year. In 2017, he delivered Der Perfekte Moment... Wird Heut Verpennt, which also featured appearances by Annette Humpe and Peter Plat. ~ Chris True