The Twins

The Twins

The Twins are a German synth-pop group from Berlin, formed in 1980 by Sven Dohrow and Ronny Schreinzer. The duo are the only members involved in writing, arranging, performing, producing, mixing and mastering their recordings, and the project name reflects that two-person working method rather than a family relationship.

Style and early influences

Their sound develops from synthpop and new wave, with early inspiration drawn from Tubeway Army, Gary Numan, OMD and Depeche Mode. Dohrow and Schreinzer had previously played in other bands, with Dohrow on guitar and Schreinzer on drums before they formed The Twins.

Singles and chart success

Their first single, The Desert Place, becomes a dancefloor hit in Germany, and a remixed long version enters the US Billboard dance charts in 1981. The song Face to Face brings a major European breakthrough, reaching the Italian charts and becoming one of the best-selling singles in Italy in 1983. They also chart in Italy with Not the Loving Kind and Ballet Dancer, and in Germany with Ballet Dancer, Love System and Love in the Dark.

Albums and later work

Their album discography includes Passion Factory, Modern Lifestyle, A Wild Romance, Until the End of Time, Hold on to Your Dreams, The Classics - Remixed, The Impossible Dream and 12" Classics. After Hold on to Your Dreams in 1986, they tour the Soviet Union, playing in Moscow and Leningrad across 10 concerts to an audience they describe as 120,000 people. After that tour, they take a break and produce other artists in their own studios.

They return in 1991 with the remix album The Classics - Remixed, followed by The Impossible Dream, which includes Tonight and brings them back into the charts. They later release 12" Classics, a collection of long versions and mixes of their earlier material, along with later compilations and live releases including Ballet Dancer (Best of..), Live in Sweden on CD and DVD, 12" Classics and rare tracks, Singles Collection and Video Classics and rare clips.

Live work

As their popularity grows, they assemble a live band for touring in Europe, later expanding the stage line-up to include a second drummer. Ronny Schreinzer’s years of drumming help shape the live arrangements. In later years, they play a small number of concerts in Germany with a new live band.