top of page
Ancient Astronauts_by FAD Photography_To

Ancient Astronauts

  • Black Facebook Icon
  • Schwarz Soundcloud Icon
  • Schwarz YouTube Icon
  • Black Instagram Icon

ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS are a music production duo from Cologne, Germany, consisting of KABANJAK and DOGU. Their sound defies rigid classification, blending Hip Hop, Downtempo, Reggae, Dub and Breakbeat with a strong organic feel and deep musicality. Rooted in African, Caribbean and African-American musical traditions, their productions combine traditional instrumentation with forward-thinking studio techniques, creating timeless grooves infused with a deep sense of soul.

Following early experiments in DJ culture and event promotion to develop their distinctive style of DJing and remixing, DOGU founded the independent record label Switchstance Recordings in 2001 as a platform for innovative and genre-crossing music. Early releases steadily gained international recognition and eventually attracted the attention of US-based producers Thievery Corporation, who signed ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS to ESL Music. Their debut full-length album We Are To Answer (2009) introduced the duo’s unmistakable sound to a global audience.

Over the years, ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS have collaborated with a wide range of internationally respected artists including The Pharcyde, The Jungle Brothers, DJ Brace, Shawn Lee, Vieux Farka Touré, Raashan Ahmad, Fort Knox Five, Akua Naru, MC Yallah, Bajka, All Good Funk Alliance, Tippa Irie, Nickodemus, Martin Perna (Antibalas), Subatomic Sound System, Anthony B, Azeem, Brazen Rule, BANTU, DJ Zeph, Kid Loco, Dday One, Hugo Kant, Cayetano, Kill Emil, Spyda MC, Federico Aubele, Ladybug Mecca, Zion Train, Zion I, Divine Styler and many more.

Music by ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS has been licensed for numerous international film, television and brand productions including CSI: Miami, Netflix, NBA 2K12, Damages, Red Bull, Eurosport, Davidoff, O'Neill, Element Skateboards, Etnies, Zoo York, TTR World Snowboard Tour, Method TV and Absinthe Films.

The global reach of their music has led to performances in cities including New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, Miami, Chicago, Montreal, Bogotá, Paris, Barcelona, Vienna, Zurich, Warsaw, Budapest, Manchester, Thessaloniki, Sarajevo, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Innsbruck, Milan, Athens, Sofia, Cannes, Austin, Nairobi, Kigali, Dar Es Salaam, Kampala, Jinja, Zanzibar and many more.

© 2026 Switchstance Recordings

bottom of page