Laban was a 1980s Synthpop

Synthpop

Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...

 duo consisting of Lecia Jønsson and Ivan Pedersen. Both members were born in Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 and originally sang in Danish

Danish language

Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...

, before moving onto English language

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 releases. They went on to limited international success with the releases of two albums, as well as singles such as "Love In Siberia" and "Caught By Surprise".

The duo formed in 1982, and recorded the song "Hvor Ska' Vi Sove I Nat?" ("Where Should We Sleep Tonight?") in 1982, a track original written by the Italian pop music group Ricchi e Poveri

Ricchi e Poveri

Ricchi e Poveri is one of the most famous Italian pop music groups in Europe and Latin America. Active since the late 1960s, they have sold over 20 million records.-Formation and early success:...

, known as "Sarà perche ti amo". A manager called Cai Leitner heard the song, and two days later it was released as a single. In 1986 they released "Love In Siberia" which spent several weeks in both the US

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 and UK Top 100

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

, and which launched the pair to international success. It resulted in an LP called "Caught By Surprise", in addition to a single of the same name.

The first album also included the single releases of "Donna Donna" and "Ch-Ch-Cherrie", allowing the duo to release a second international album in 1987. The second album was more rocky

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 than the first and failed to do as well. With their popularity fading, Laban split up in 1988.

Singles

• Hvor ska' vi sove i nat? (Where Should We Sleep Tonight?)
• Meget bedre nu/Det jeg føler for dig (Much better now/What I feel for you)
• Came-camera
• Kun et sekund (Danish version of Caught By Surprise)
• Kold som is (Danish version of Love in Siberia)
• Donna Donna
• Ch-Ch-Cherrie
• Love In Siberia
• Caught By Surprise (LP)
• Russian Roulette
• Fange i natten (Danish version of Prisoner of the night)
• Prisoner of the night
• Down on your knees
• Don't stop
• I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten
  I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten (song)
  "I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten" is a song recorded by British singer Dusty Springfield written by Clive Westlake. Recorded June 1 1968 at Chappel Studios in London, "I Close My Eyes..." was released that August to reach #4 in the UK where it ranks as one of Springfield's biggest hits: of her...
  
  

Albums

• Laban (1982)
• Laban 2 (1983)
• Laban 3 (1984)
• Laban's bedste (compilation) (1985)
• Laban 4 (1985)
• Caught By Surprise (1986)
• Laban 5 (1987)
• Roulette (1987)
• Greatest hits (compilation) (1988)
• De største narrestreger (compilation) (1997)
• De 36 bedste narrestreger (compilation) (2009)