TeamLegat.Legat.

Team Legat began with an invitation from Count Basic founder and guitarist Peter Legat: could he, Dieter Kolbeck and Michael Dörfler create a smaller, electronically driven setup for a gig that could not accommodate the full band? Their early sessions at Vienna’s Bar Italia brought Peter’s guitar together with Dieter’s keyboards and Michael’s live electronics and beats.

After the first few performances, the trio’s musical chemistry took the project beyond the Count Basic repertoire. It became a band of its own, taking a name Peter already had in mind: Team Legat. Peter organised the shows; the musical decisions were made together. Anji Hinke soon joined on vocals, with Albin Janoska occasionally contributing on keyboards.

Small club nights grew into festival appearances, Vienna’s Stadtfest and performances abroad. The pleasure of playing together remained the common thread.

The live collaboration naturally found its way into Michael’s studio. Peter, Dieter and Michael developed and produced the material together, with Anji also contributing to the songwriting and lyrics. Michael handled the recording, mixing and mastering.

Part of the album was recorded at Peter’s country house in Lower Austria. The garden became part of the music, too: the band recorded its ambient sounds and worked them into the album. The closing track, Der Garten Liesling, recalls those sessions.

The result was Sick Conversation (2010), an eleven-track album bringing electronic grooves and live musicianship together. The band presented it at Vienna’s Roxy.

Their most recent performance together was at Peter’s 60th-birthday concert at Porgy & Bess on 24 May 2018. Team Legat has never formally called it a day; for now, its members are busy with other projects.