Immortalized by legions of adoring fans around the world, it may be hard to believe that there was a time when the trio now known as Lazër were just three children in a Rhineland metal factory, laboring long hours in poor conditions for slave wages. However, this harrowing experience created a lasting bond between Briso, Hammel and Keinhorst; one which would help them persevere and eventually form the techno/hip-hop hybrid that has since topped music charts across the globe. Lazër wasn't always the musical sensation and multimedia juggernaut they are today. A series of unsuccessful ventures preceded the formation of the group now commonly referred to as "The Sexiest, Most Dangerous Group in the World." From Briso's Christian goth band (Unicorn Holocaust) to Hammel's stint as a solo balladeer (his album "Just Me," which covered songs by artists such as Anne Murray and Gloria Estefan, was shelved), the road to success was rocky to say the least. In fact, it wasn't until their mid-teens that destiny finally united "The Sons of Rhineland." One fateful day in the metal factory, a vat of liquid steel boiled over and three of the factory's head smelters were burned alive, leaving the plant shorthanded in its most crucial department. The tragedy was enough to send most workers home for the day, but Briso, Hammel and Keinhorst - previously assigned to separate sectors - volunteered to fill the vacancies to keep the factory running. In his memoirs which were published after his tragic death in 2004, Keinhorst wrote, "I knowed that I had to be the smelter, because metals is important." After some difficulty, the boys found their rhythm in the smelting quadrant. Soon they were friends, toiling over the hot metal by day and spending their evenings chasing girls and occasionally retreating to Hammel's house, where he and his "Grandmomski" played accordions while everyone danced. It wasn't long before Hammel realized the obvious: "I am doing the smelt one day, and I look at Keinhorst making a dance to rhythm of sprockets machine. Then I look at Briso sweating and doing the sexy face. I say, 'Oh my God! I want to do a musics group with them!'" Hammel's proposal was met with mixed reactions. Briso, for one, was immediately receptive to the idea, recalling, "I knowed we can have bag of money if Hammel do a good beats for Briso to be the sexy." Keinhorst, on the other hand, was not so easily convinced. A loner born with a speech impediment, his silence was often mistaken for arrogance by coworkers, and many employees envied his skills in metalworks. Rumors circulated about Keinhorst's drug use and the late nights he spent in the factory alone, working on his own projects after hours. "Keinhorst was so much quiet; at first I am scared to ask him to make the group," Hammel explained. "Then I find out he cannot do talking good, and he show me secret invention." This invention turned out to be Lazër Crow, a cybernetic organism outfitted with a powerful "lazër eye." A true scientific marvel, few claim to have actually seen the bionic bird. Nevertheless, Lazër Crow became the group's mascot and bodyguard, and was the inspiration for their name. Hammel recalled, "When I see Crow, I tell Keinhorst, 'We can use this for group.' After I ask him over and over some mores, he finally believe me." With Keinhorst and Lazër Crow on board, the plan was in motion. Once the foundation was laid, Lazër struggled to find their voice. The group was hardly a hot commodity in the early days, but Hammel's "Grandmomski" pulled some strings and got them a record deal with the now-defunct Squeezetone Records. A small Rhineland label known best for their traditional accordion albums, Squeezetone wasn't equipped to promote dance music, but Lazër had their foot in the door, and that was all they needed. With Briso on lead vocals, Hammel producing the beats and lending his vocals, and Keinhorst behind the boards engineering, the trio began work on their first EP, "Time for Lazër." Though lacking the complexity and overall pop sensibility of their later work, songs like "Time for Lazër" and "We is a Lazër" were regional hits and showed flashes of great things to come. "I remembers when we first is making a musics," mused Briso during an in-flight interview aboard Lazër's recently-acquired Concorde jet. "First we is making a song that is too much dangerous. Then we do a change to it, but it is too much sexy. For long times, it is hard to do a balance." Lazër finally struck the perfect balance with the monster dance single, "Lazër Party Countdown." Released in late 2004, the track received heavy airplay on European video and radio stations. The buzz eventually made its way stateside, where Lazër capitalized on this momentum by signing a record deal with Dallas-based Whale Voice Entertainment. However, in typical rock-n-roll fashion, this success has not come without a price. Shortly before departing Rhineland for America, a drug-related accident claimed the life of Keinhorst, leaving Briso and Hammel reeling and the future of the group in limbo. After deciding to continue as a duo, Lazër collaborated with musicians like King David and Ice von Shredula in hopes of filling some of the void their third member's passing left. The result is their debut album, "Let Me Dance You," an aural autobiography of a group whose success was wrought of humble beginnings and a lifetime of struggle. While many will be immediately entranced by the album's numerous discotheque anthems, a more thorough listen provides insight into the essence of Lazër. Hardly a one-trick-pony, the record reveals details such as the circumstances surrounding Keinhorst's death, and even includes a ballad Briso and Hammel recorded in tribute to their fallen comrade. An auditory tour-de-force, "Let Me Dance You" is a testament to Lazër's indomitable will and the enduring power of sexiness in the face of hardship. As Briso put it, "We start off just three sexy children making metal. Now, Lazër is future of the future." ***BUY THIS ALBUM FROM WWW.LAZERTHEBAND.COM***