Few bands have divided opinions as much as the three producers from Hamburg who, together with their manager Jens Thele, have been causing a sensation in international charts since May '97. The road to success of this exceptional band has been marked by countless top-ten hits, releases in over 30 countries, numerous platinum and gold-selling hits, numerous music awards, concerts in front of up to 80,000 fans and, finally, sales close to the 10 million mark. H.P., Rick and Jay make no secret that they are proud of what they have achieved: "We won't go home until everybody has lost interest in us," is the band's philosophy.

While this success may seem to have been simple and well-planned for outsiders, it was actually a tough hill to climb, not in line with our fast-moving society: "You sit there in your cellar for years, producing songs like a madman. They all flop, and just when you think nothing's going to happen, you suddenly get into the top five all over Europe", - says frontman H.P. summing up the start of his career when Ferris Bueller (later replaced by DJ Axel Coon) was still on keyboards.

However, by 1995 Scooter were already embarrassing the critics who had said they would be a one-hit wonder. "Hyper Hyper" was followed by another four top-five hits: "Move Your Ass," "Friends," "Endless Summer" and "Back In The UK," making Scooter an established act. Creativity and a great deal of light-hearted self-irony ("We Are The Greatest," 1998) allowed the trio to surprise their fans and critics over and over again, for example, incorporating the "Miss Marple" title theme in a chorus and using guitar riffs (as in "Fire" 1997) that would make even the "Rock Musicians Against Techno" movement of the period doubt the purpose of its own existence.

Scooter are not only a band but also a way of life. Anyone who has met the boys will know what "party" means for Scooter.

Their musical concept, however, often also provides for thoughtful moments. Tracks like "No Fate" (1997), "She's The Sun" (2000) and also the chorus of the current single "Jigga Jigga!" show a musical diversity that clearly sets Scooter apart from other popular techno and dance acts.

So what is the secret behind Scooter's ongoing success?
The lads have their own roles within the band: Jay, who joined Scooter in February 2002 after Axel left, forms the DJ part of the group and mainly deals with the basic grooves and the latest underground trends. H.P. not only writes almost all of the lyrics, he also often lays down the creative foundations for the typical, slightly over the top Scooter choruses. Rick contributes a conservative music style to the whole thing and looks after the sound design. He also shares the job of engineer with Jay.

The team is rounded off by Jens Thele who, as manager of Scooter, also set up the Hamburg-based record label Kontor Records through which he runs Sheffield Tunes, Scooter's own exclusive label.

Those of you who have seen Scooter in action on stage will know that not only guitar bands produce the unique live feel of punk and rock 'n' roll.

The real reason for success seemingly lies elsewhere though: it is the naturalness, the energy put into the music which, combined with creativity and imagination, characterises all 27 singles and twelve albums released so far by Scooter. In times of talent shows and reality TV, team spirit, fun and disagreements as well as the experiences gathered over ten years of touring and working in the studio together have made Scooter probably one of the last authentic self-made bands in the charts.

Scooter will also make no compromises on their "We Like It Loud!" jubilee tour. They will be playing their longest set ever rocking and mesmerising the audiences with pyrotechnics, lasers and no end of decibels.

True to H.P.'s maxim: "If you love me or you hate me I don't give a damn!"