Biography
Rauf Shah, performing under the Roger Shah moniker, is a prolific Stuttgart-based German DJ-producer who has been one of the defining voices of Balearic and vocal trance since the late 1990s. His career runs across two parallel project identities — the solo Roger Shah catalogue focused on full-energy uplifting and vocal trance, and the Sunlounger project, a Balearic-leaning collaboration with various vocalists that became one of the defining acts of late-2000s chill-trance.
The Sunlounger album cycle — Lost (2007), Found (2008), Sunny Tales (2010), Beach Disco (2012) — charted across Europe and produced a string of radio-friendly singles including "Lost Whispers", "Beautiful Things", "White Sand", and the long-running collaborative work with Susana, Antonia Lucas, Lorilee, and Zara Taylor. The combination of acoustic-guitar leads, plucked Spanish-influenced motifs, warm female vocals, and Balearic open-air arrangement structure made Sunlounger a template that countless subsequent producers have followed.
Beyond Sunlounger, Shah's Magic Island Records imprint launched in 2007 has released his solo catalogue (Found 2008 album, Tales of Arabia 2014, and an extensive ongoing single calendar) plus collaborative work with vocalists JES, Zara Taylor, Adrina Thorpe, and Brian Laruso. His Magic Island - Music for Balearic People weekly radio show has been broadcasting since 2007 — making it one of the longest continuously-running Balearic-trance shows in production. Shah has performed at Cream Ibiza, Tomorrowland, ASOT festival editions, and the Magic Island Stage at A State of Trance Utrecht. He continues to record and tour internationally and remains the figurehead of modern Balearic trance.