Sometimes music is all about the numbers, and when Modeselektor (Gernot Bronsert, Sebastian Szary) and Apparat (Sascha Ring) come together as one, a brilliant new entity is brought into the world: Moderat. It was in 2002 that Sascha, Gernot and Sebastian first met, and at the time, both Apparat and Modeselektor were well established in the Berlin music scene. Moderat debuted in 2003 with the Auf Kosten der Gesundheit EP, and then needed another six years to release the self-titled debut album. Following the rapturous response to their first album, Moderat released the soberly titled II in 2013. The album kicked off a frantic few years, with Sascha, Szary and Gernot touring the globe and each new Moderat single seemingly making a bigger impact than the last. A third album, III, was released in 2016, and after another intense spate of touring—not to mention the release of the band’s Live LP—the group announced that they would be taking an extended break following a final concert in their hometown of Berlin in September 2017 in front of 17.000 people. Five years later, Moderat have returned with a new album, MORE D4TA, and a new live show. Despite the long layoff—and the fact that the LP was largely created during a time when touring (and most traveling) was off the table—the record is quintessential Moderat. Moderat is not a conceptual outfit, and never has been, and MORE D4TA showcases a group that’s creatively recharged and fully dedicated to its craft.