Dopplereffekt is one of many electro projects involving Detroit's Gerald Donald (of the legendary duo Drexciya), although he refuses to confirm or deny his participation, typically using pseudonyms such as Rudolf Klorzeiger and Heinrich Mueller. As the German names and scientific themes suggest, Kraftwerk is a major influence on Dopplereffekt. The group made its debut in 1995 with the Fascist State EP, released by its own Dataphysix Engineering. This was followed by Infophysix in 1996 and Sterilization in 1997. Featuring co-conspirators Kim Karli and William Scott (also involved with Donald's Der Zyklus project), the records expanded on Drexciya's biting, perverse sense of humor, with songs about sexual intercourse with mannequins and robots wiping out the human population. Dopplereffekt's early output received wider exposure when it was compiled as Gesamtkunstwerk on DJ Hell's International Deejay Gigolo Records in 1999.

Dopplereffekt disappeared for a few years, as Donald concentrated on other ventures such as Japanese Telecom and Arpanet. When the project returned with 2003's Linear Accelerator, Dopplereffekt had abandoned its sense of humor, instead concentrating on scientifically themed deep space excursions. Calabi Yau Space followed on Aphex Twin's Rephlex label in 2007, further exploring themes such as physics and cosmology. Dopplereffekt members Donald and To Nhan Le Thi performed more frequently, but no new releases appeared until 2013's Tetrahymena EP, released by Berlin label Leisure System. The group collaborated with Visonia (Chilean producer Nicolas Estany) on the single "Die Reisen," released in early 2014 by Last Known Trajectory. Also that year, Leisure System released Hypnagogia, Dopplereffekt's split 12" with Objekt, which received much acclaim from the dance music press. Cellular Automata, Dopplereffekt's long-awaited third proper full-length, arrived on Leisure System in 2017. An EP titled Athanatos followed in 2018. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi