The feeling may be Brazilian – but the Samba parade in the video for this 1997 summer hit was shot in Cologne, while the song itself was created by German producers Ramon Zenker and Gottfried Engels aka Bellini. "Samba de Janeiro" sold some five million copies, giving fans around the world a three-minute taste of Brazil.

Satire, or a work of genius? The music critics couldn't quite decide. But one thing is certain: Trio's "Da Da Da" became a cult hit in 1982, making its way into the Top 10 in seven European countries and New Zealand. One of Neue Deutsche Welle's biggest hits racked up 13 million sales units.

Hamburg beat band The Rattles had been around for ten years before they made their international breakthrough with the single "The Witch" in 1970. By then, most of the founding members were already pursuing other career options. The band's songwriter and producer Herbert Hildebrandt was left to put out a hit that rattled the British charts for 15 weeks.

School chums Clemens Rehbein and Philipp Dausch from Kassel produced a song by themselves and posted it online, little suspecting what would come of it. In 2013 "Stolen Dance" swiftly collected over 250 million views and went platinum 16 times over as a single. But it's remained their only hit – so far. A second album with new songs is currently in the works.

Future Breeze consists of DJs Markus Boehme and Martin Hensing from Essen. The German dance act got in step with the 1990s with "Why Don't You Dance With Me". The single even soared to number four on the United States charts. But they've never been able to repeat their success.

German producers Heiko Schmidt and Roberto Rosan scored their only international hit in 1997 with help from a rather famous melody maker. "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" is based on an orchestral suite by baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach. It made the charts in 15+ countries and then made a successful comeback in advertizing.

Peter Schilling's tribute to the hero of David Bowie's classic "Space Oddity" (1982) became one of the biggest songs of the Neue Deutsche Welle era. The original German-language version blasted to number one in several European countries. The English edition even made the hit lists in Britain and the US.

"Around the World" became a hit for eurodance outfit ATC, and they took the title by its word, storming charts all around the planet in 2000. ATC stands for a “A Touch of Class”. Producer Alex Christensen's touch of class was in his choice of material. ATC's only international hit was a cover version of the Russian "Persenka" by the duo Ruki Vverh!

This international hit was written and sung by a genuine Bavarian: Harold Faltermeyer recorded "Axel F" for the Hollywood motion picture "Beverly Hills Cop". Axel F stood for for police detective Axel Foley, played by Eddie Murphy. In 1984 the catchy synth-driven tune jumped off the big screen onto dance floors and charts worldwide.

He claims he's had a little bit of Monica, Erica, Rita, Tina … and many, many more. At least, that's what Munich native Lou Bega sang about in his mega-hit "Mambo No. 5". In 1999 it jumped up to the top of the charts in Germany and over a dozen other countries. And it's sold around 12 million copies – so far.