Kategoriarkiv: Classic for the Weekend

Classic FTW: Markus Schulz & Anita Kelsey – First Time

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ-0T55WxPM&w=680&h=510]

This weeks article is focused on one of the true pioneers when it comes to trance and progressive. With his weekly radioshow, Global DJ Broadcast, his label, Coldharbour Recordings and worldwide residecies, he’s one really busy DJ/Producer. I’m ofcourse talking about the one and only Markus Schulz. The track featured in this article is the legendary track First Time with vocalist Anita Kelsey and was co-produced by Austin Leeds. (Buy on Itunes)

Lyrics:

It was a brief encounter
you passed among us
a strange sensation
you left behind
countless stories
a new beginning
the journey started
from here

It was a stolen moment
my senses taken
no misunderstanding
could be declared
countless stories
a new beginning
the journey started
from here

it was my first time
first time
it was my first time
from here

Goosebump-points:

01:00 when the music fades
02:01 when the vocals start
03:15 when the chorus starts
04:29 when the chorus starts and the music fades
05:00 when the slo-mo-drums starts while wailing

German-born Markus Schulz emigrated to the US with his family at an early age and started making music in the beginning of the 90’s. His first release, Plastik Traxx Vol.01 (together with CL. McSpadden) was relesaed in 1994 but it wasn’t until 1998 and the release of You Won’t See Me Cry that got international response. The release, first released in 1998 on Plastik Records and later in 2000 licensed to UK label Eve Records.

While releasing tracks under his real name, Markus also released some really awesome material under the names Dakota, Himmel, Mikulas, Clinch & Dino. This article will be focused mostly on releases under his own name aswell as his darker, more progressive side, Dakota.

Under the early years, Markus released 3 Dakota-singles, Swirl (1999), Lost In Brixton (2002) and Frozen Time (2002) but the main focus on Dakota came in 2009 with the album Thought Become Things which spawned 7 singles. But we´ll get to that abit later.

After the success of You Won’t See Me Cry came a break where he focused on Dakota and it wasn’t until 2005 that the second single, First Time (with singer Anita Kelsey) came out.

Under 2003 and 2004 Markus Schulz co-produced 3 tracks under Markus Schulz presents Elevation. The first one, Clear Blue is one of my alltime-classics, especially the Intro Mix.
The progressive monster made a huge impact on me and most of the world. It was also remade with vocals by Justine Suissa under the name Somewhere (Clear Blue).

The second single, Largo is another progressive monster which uses most of the elements that made Clear Blue great.

The third track was Somewhere (Clear Blue) with Justine Suissa on vocals. I love the track but prefer the non-vocal version.

In 2004 Somewhere/Clear Blue got signed to A State Of Trance, a label owned by Armin Van Buuren which Markus met after being signed to the same agency, David Lewis productions agency.

Armin asked Markus to start a record-series with progressive tracks so Markus started on his compliation series, Coldharbour Selections. It was first after releasing volume 1-3 on Electronic Elements that Markus set up his own label, Coldharbour Recordings which is a sister-label to Armin Van Buuren’s Armada Music.

The name Coldharbour comes from his old production-base in London’s Coldharbour Lane.

The new label made a huge impact on the progressive scene, especially with signed artists like Santiago Nino, Rex Mundi, Mark Otten & Niklas Harding just to name a few.

The single, First Time with singer Anita Kelsey from 2005 was the first of his own tracks to be signed to the label. The same year also saw Markus first album, Without You Near which was followed by the track with the same name. The track was a collaboration between Markus, Departure and Gabriel & Dresden.

The 2006 single, Never Be The Same Again (with singer Carrie Skipper) was the next own release which was followed by the non-vocal tracks Fly To Colors in 2007 and The New World in 2008. The New World is a really pumping track which I really love. All tracks was featured on the second album, Progression from 2007.

It was also in 2007 that Markus started his weekly radio show, Global DJ Broadcast.

2008 also saw the release of Perfect (with singer Dauby) aswell as the fabulous collaboration with Andy Moor with Daydream. I really love the track, especially the Benya remix.

The next collaboration with Departure came the same year with Cause You Know which had an amazing Nic Chagall remix.

2009 only saw the single, Do You Dream as all focus was on Markus’s alter ego, Dakota.
The Dakota-album, Thought Become Things held 7 singles. What do you say about Johnny The Fox, Chinook, Sin City, Mr Cappuccino, Steel Libido, Koolhaus & Roxy’84. All major tracks on the darker, deeper progressive side of Markus. Dakota is like Markus dark and sinister twin!

The 2010 album, Do You Dream focused on the lighter side of Markus again. With some major singles as Dark Heart Waiting (with singer Khaz), the remake of Cass & Slide’s old track, Perception (with vocals by Justine Suissa) and Not The Same (with Jennifer Rene).

With the original to Perception being an all-time favourite, the new remake ain’t half bad. I remember hearing Markus playing his version at a club and I got major goosebumps. The version he played was the non vocal version. I really love Justine Suissa’s voice but it’s nothing compared to the original vocal version by Cass & Slide and singer Naimee Coleman.

In 2011, Markus released the second Dakota-album, Thoughts Become Things II which so far has spawned the singles Sinners, Saints/In A Green Valley, Katowice and Sleepwalkers.

2012 has some major tracks stored up for us. Both Markus Schulz and Dennis Shepherd – Go and Markus Schulz & Ferry Corsten – Loops & Things will be released later this summer.
Loops & Things is a remake of Jens’s old track from 1994 which I really love. The new remake is slower, more to the progressive side of trance and will be a huge hit!

There has also been some huge remixes over the years and here is a selection of some of the more memorable ones:

2003 Motorcycle – As The Rush Comes
2003 Jewel – Stand
2004 Filterheadz – Yimanya
2004 Airwave – Ladyblue
2004 Deepsky – Talk Like a Stranger
2004 Space Manoeuvres – Stage One
2005 Departure – She Turns
2005 Ridgewalkers – Find
2006 Kyau & Albert – Are You Fine?
2007 Joop – The Future
2008 Sia – Buttons
2008 Mike Foyle – Bittersweet Nightshade
2009 Cosmic Gate – Sign of the Times
2009 Ferry Corsten – Brain Box

As a DJ, Markus has gained major crowds and played at Ultra Music Festival, Amsterdam Dance Event, Nature One, Dance Valley, Love Parade, Global Gathering & Trance Energy just to name a few. He’s been holding a top 10-position on the established DJ Mag top 100 the last few years which itself is a sign that people love what he do.

Markus has been active in the music business since 2004 and spawned some major tracks/remixes over the years. Since 2004 and onwards his name has been synonymous with quality releases and remixes. My guess is that Markus and his label, Coldharbour will continue releasing quality tracks for many years to come, just listen to the new collaboration with Ferry Corsten for Loops & Things.
Markus future looks bright and sounds really awesome!

Classic FTW: Lange featuring Kirsty Hawkshaw – Sincere For You (Lange Remix)

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFQnRUi7UHU&w=680&h=383]

This weeks article happens to feature one of last weeks artists. A true legend in the trance-scene with loads of quality tracks, both original aswell as remixes.

This weekends classic is Lange featuring Kirsty Hawkshaw – Sincere For You (Lange Remix). (Buy on Itunes)
What I really like with the track is Langes bassline, the stunning vocals from Kirsty and the mellow synths.

Lyrics:

Some will play a game with love
steal your heart away
some will say those words
you want to hear
but if you look closer
is it really what it seems?
I can give you everything you need

I’ll be sincere for you
whatever’s gonna happen now
sincere for you, I will
always here for you
whatever you decide right now
sincere for you, I will

I’ll be sincere for you
whatever’s gonna happen now
sincere for you, I will
always here for you
whatever you decide right now
sincere for you, I will

I’m not the one to fill your head
with false security
I’m the one with nothing left to lose
don’t be taken in by
what you think is honesty
just realize what I can offer you

I’ll be sincere for you
whatever’s gonna happen now
sincere for you, I will
always here for you
whatever you decide right now
sincere for you, I will

Goosebump-points:

00:29 when the bassline kicks in.
01:51 when she starts to sing and that mellow synth starts playing in the background
02:20 when she starts to sing and the music fades down
03:16 when the music fades away
03:30 when the main vocals comes on
03:58 when the drums start again
05:50 when the main vocals stop
06:18 when the main song comes back on

Lange is english-born Stuart Langelaan. Most his major releases has been released under his own name, but he also uses a few different monikers like Firewall, LNG, Offbeat, SL, Vercetti & X-odus

Langes music career started in 1997 when he got signed to Additive Records, His first release was a remix for Babe Instinct’s track called Disco Babes From Outer Space. His first original work, The Root of Unhappiness / Obsession came out in 1998 aswell as remixes to DJ Sakin & Friends, DJ Quicksilver, Sash!, Marc et Claude, Ruff Driverz & Lost Witness just to name a few.

The 1999 release I Believe got good reviews and together with remixes of Friends Of Matthew, Space Brothers, Lost Witness, Pet Shop Boys, Agnelli & Nelson & Faithless, Lange became a household name and was supported by most major DJs worldwide.

The remix of Faithless – Why Go is one of my all-time favourites and I listen to it atleast a couple of times every week and I really love the remix of Lost Witness – Red Sun Rising aswell.

The next original release, Lange featuring The Morrighan – Follow Me was released in 2000. The same year, Lange together with Rohan Heath & Steve Long released SuReal – You Take My Breath Away. The remix-work in 2000 featured tracks from Brainchild, Atlantis vs Avatar & DuMonde.

Of the bunch I have to say that SuReal – You Take My Breath Away aswell as Atlantis vs Avatar – Fiji is still going warm on my stereo,

Last weekends classic, DuMonde vs Lange – Memory came out in 2001, the same year as Lange released his alter ego, Firewall – Reflections & Touched, and SuReal – Always On My Mind, He also did some remixes of artists like Ian Van Dahl & DB Boulevard just to name a few.

Next original track was Lange featuring Skye – Drifting Away came out in 2002 and peaked at no 9 in the UK single chart which gave him the opportunity to perform on Top Of The Pops aswell as the Pepsi Chart Show. The same year, Lange remixed tracks for Ayumi Hamasaki & Dario G.

2003 saw the release of Don’t Think It (Feel It) featuring Leah, another club classic. He remixed tracks for Rhythm Of Life, Pulser & Hemstock & Jennings,

In 2004, Lange set up his own record label, Lange Recordings and the first track featured on it was his alter ego, Firewall with the track Kilimanjaro and later the same year this weeks featured track, Sincere For You, He later re-released the track in 2005 as Lange Presents Firewall – Sincere but this time as an instrumental. In 2004, Lange also gave us remixes for The Thrillseekers & Jas Van Houten,

Lange vs Gareth Emery – This Is New York and Firewall – Sincere (2005) were the only releases in 2005

The year after Lange & Mike Koglin released – Bermuda. The remix-work featured artists like Hemstock & Jennings.

In 2007, Lange’s first album, Better Late Than Never, was released and featured some fresh tracks aswell as the best of Lange’s remix work since 1998 and onwards. He also released the single, Angel Falls aswell as remixes for DT8 Project.

Lange featuring Sarah Howells – Out Of The Sky came out in 2008 aswell as the track Songless.
The remix-duty was filled with track by Matt Cerf, Martin Roth & Kyau vs Albert

Another single with Sarah Howells came out in 2009 called Let It All Out. Lange also did the track Stadium Four with Andy Moor and Wanderlust under his alter ego, Firewall. Some remixwork was also made for Ferry Corsten.

2010 saw the second album, Harmonic Motion, which featured only new tracks. The album was followed by the EP, All Around Me with Betsie Larkin.

In 2011, Lange released Lange Remixed, a 2CD album on which first CD was remixes of his track by others and the second CD was remixes of some of his Lange Recording-artists.
There were also 2 EP’s released, Remixed EP1 & Remixed EP2.

When I look back on Langes releases over the years, the period I like the most is from 1998 to 2005 where most of his classics were concieved. The material since then holds a very high quality but doesn’t have that feeling that the older tracks has.

The good thing with an artist like Lange who’s been active around 15 years is that there is music for all tastes. Some like the older, some like the newer. While I stick on the older material, the youngsters can focus on the new stuff. However you look at it, Lange IS true quality!

Featured tracks:

Lange – I Believe
Lost Witness – Happiness Happening (Lange Remix)
Lost Witness – Red Sun Rising (Lange Remix)
Faithless – Why Go (Lange Remix)
Agnelli & Nelson – Everytime (Lange Remix)
Lange – Follow Me (Lange Remix)
SuReal – You Take My Breath Away
Atlantis vs Avatar – Fiji (Lange Remix)
DB Boulevard – Point Of View (Lange Remix)
Lange – Drifting Away
Lange – Don’t Think It (Feel it)
Lange – Sincere For You (The Thrillseekers Remix)
Rhythm Of Life – You Put Me In Heaven With Your Touch (Lange Remix)
Lange – Let It All Out

Classic FTW: DuMonde vs Lange – Memory

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPljAVq3VyY&w=680&h=510]

This weeks article is on the harder side of trance. This German duo has concieved some major tunes during the years, and their remixes are already legendary. I´m talking about DuMonde vs Lange – Memory (Original Vocal Mix).

lyrics:

Today I’m gonna start again,
Find my home,
If only I could escape,
My danger zone,
I have to take my own advice,
Don’t make it hard,
There’s something in the universe,
The birghtest star.

Here’s what I’ve been waiting for,
Day, night, seen it all before

Memory! Telling lies,
I am scared and cannot hide,
When I sleep,
Be my guide,
Could this be my paradise?
Something deep in my soul,
Tells me where I must go,
All my dreams, telling lies,
Could this be my paradise?

I want to share it all with you,
The special place,
Imagining the perfect day,
In time and space,
The secret of the universe,
Is beautiful,
If you could listen close enough,
You’d here it call….

Here’s what I’ve been waiting for…

Goosebump-points:
1:08 when the vocals start
2:16 when the chorus starts
2:52 when the buildup starts after the short breakdown
3:19 when the drums kick in again
4:28 when the vocals start again
5:24 when the 2nd verse comes in and everything fades out

DuMonde is Jürgen Mutschall (aka DJ Jam X) and Dominik De Leon (aka De Leon). They have both been active in the music business since late 90’s and started collaborating in 1997 under a few different aliases.

The first release under the DuMonde-moniker came in 1998 with the single, Tomorrow (with singer Evil Iris)

The track became an instant hit and even made it to the German Dance Chart top 10 in 1999 and was supported by most major DJ’s like Oakenfold & Judge Jules.

The track was re-released in 2000 with remixes by Moogwai (which IMHO is one of the best ever) and Lange.

It was later re-released again in 2006 with remixes by Ralph Novell vs Bas&Ram, Observer & DJ Spacecase and a fresh makeover by DJ Jam X & De Leon called Retro Mix.

Also worth mentioning is that it was also released as Just Feel Free (Tomorrow 2000).
The same year also saw the first remix under the DuMonde-name, Push – Universal Nation (DuMonde Remix). They did a few other remixes that year but this is the best IMHO.

The followup-single was the 1999 single See The Light (with vocalist Evil Iris). It has that driving bassline i’ve always loved by DuMonde.
The same year Anastasia vs. DuMonde ‎– Fly To The Sky was also released.
1999 also saw some remix-work for Yves De Ruyter – Feel Free, Alice Deejay – Better Off Alone, Alice Deejay – Back In My Life and Sash! – Adelante and my favourite DuMonde-remix of all time, Tin Tin Out – TWM.

TWM stands for Trance With Me which essentially was a remix of Tin Tin Out’s track Dance With Me.

Just Feel Free (Tomorrow 2000) saw the light of day in 2000 together with some amazing DuMonde-remixes of Binary Finary – 2000, Sweep – Running Up That Hill, Lange – Follow Me, Hurley & Todd – Sunstorm and CRW – I Feel Love. All track has that hard DuMonde-edge that I really love.

DuMonde vs Lange – Memory (with singer Alexis Strum) came out in 2001. It’s one of those tracks that will always give me goosebumps. I hadn’t heard it in quite a while but thought about it for years. The vocals does wonders for the track together with the dark and driving music.

It was followed by the single Never Look Back (with singer Evil Iris), another hard-pumping track.
The remixes that year includes Angelic – Can’t Keep Me Silent and Barthezz – On The Move.

The 2002-track, God Music (with singer Santoshi) was another floor-stomper. The year also gave us DuMonde-remixes of Marc Aurel – Running, Hi-Gate – Saxuality and Jurgen Vries – The Theme.

Human (with singer Evil Iris) came out in 2003. The same year also saw remixes of Dave 202 & Phil Green – Moments Of Silence & DJ Snowman – And Then They Started To Dance.

The 2004 track, Kalt/Cold is the same, but with different spoken vocals in either german or english. Ich Will Raus / Let Me Out (with vocalist Santoshi) came out the same year. Ich Will Raus is with spoken words in german while Let Me Out has spoken words in english. Both are pumping floor-busters. The DuMonde-remixes of Rank 1 – It’s Up To You (Symsonic) is that years most memorable remix.

The collaboration with Dave 202 on the track Singularity 2005 and Judge Jules on What’s In Your Head in 2005 was IMHO the beginning of the end for Dumonde. While Singularity was a pretty straight-forward floorfiller, What’s In Your Head was the opposite. A good thing though is that their remix of Nelka – Beautful Dawn kept that oldskool DuMonde-feeling.

2006 saw the release of I Feel You and the 2006 re-release of Tomorrow.

In 2007, DuMonde’s first (and only) album came out, A Decade 1997-2007. It contained their best works over the 10 years they had worked together under the DuMonde-name.

10th of December 2007. DuMonde posted a Press-statement that they had decided to stop working together. Both parties decided to work on own projects.

They did release a final single, Gun some days later. The track isn’t as hard and dark as the previous tracks, it feels more commercial than the classics. You can still hear that distinct DuMonde-sound but I miss the harder, pumping bassline and the dark, mellow strings.

The classic DuMonde-sound that I once fell in love with will always be a big part of my classics. That hard, edgy synths, the phat, driving basses and those haunting stings will live on forever, atlease as long as I play them. After all, it’s up to us to educate the people that have missed these true gems. Atleast, I will always look back at them with chills all over my body and a big smile.

Classic FTW: Alt+F4 – Alt+F4 (Original Mix)

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW460WqM3wQ&w=680&h=376]

This weeks article is about a ”one hit wonder”, or atleast the duo only released one original track.
They did do some really awesome remixes though. The track i’m thinking of is Alt+F4 – Alt+F4. (Buy on Itunes)

Goosebump-points:

0.57 when the bass kicks in
1.37 when the bass starts playing before the drums kick in
2.20 when the main melody starts
3.03 when the music has faded
3.16 when the pad kicks in
4.11 when the bass starts just before the drums
4.54 when the main melody starts

Alt+F4 is finnish guys Joonas Hahmo and Matti Kotala. The track with the same name was first released on promo 12” in 2004 and later released in 2005 on Anjunabeats.
Jonas and Matti had been working toghether before under Avanto (with the track The Flute) and Magellan Project (with the track Dive Theme)

Since then, they have done some really stunning remix-work. Or what do you think about these?

Ayu – Unite (Alt+F4 Remix)
Kenneth Thomas & Mike Skye – Varekai (Alt+F4’s Blue Screen Remix)
Orkidea – Beautiful (Alt+F4 Remix)
Peaktwins – Dreamer (Alt+F4 Remix)
8 Wonders – 8th Wonder (Alt+F4 Mix)
Matti Kotala – Missing You (Alt+F4 Remix)

Out of the remixes, I recommend all tracks a good listening. They do all have that special Alt+F4-touch.

The collaboration ended in 2006 and Matti & Joonas went seperate ways.

Joonas first own release was The Fusion, released on Andy Moor’s label AVA Recordings in 2006.
The followup Together / Sound Of Sunday came out 2007 on Above & Beyond’s progressive label Anjunadeep.

The first big impression on me came with the third release, Coctail Bar. The sweet progressive beats together with the housepiano and the trance-stabs makes the perfect combination of all the styles I like.

The followup, Tampere By Night / Radience is also an EP that I recommend a listen. Tampere By Night is a flirt with late 80’s music together with some fresh sounds to make it fresh If you too like that sound, also check out fellow finn Michael Cassette.

The 2009-release Warm Up / Bendbass was the last release on Anjunadeep. Warm Up is a sweet progressive stomper while Bendbass is another flirt to the 80’s

in 2010, jonas set up his own label, Hahmo Recordings which firstly was aimed at release Joonas own material but nowadays they’ve let in a few other artists.

The first release on the new label was the Brainflush / Now Or Never EP. Both tracks on the EP are sweet progressive tracks.

The next release was Pizzi & Section 1 EP. I especially like the Proff & Vadim Soloviev Remix of Pizzi, another progressive stomper.

The last release from 2010 was the single Mojito. I really love the driving progressive beat toghether with the house-piano.

The single Western was released in 2011 and is a sweet and bouncy progressive beat with a nice housepiano over it.
The follow up was the single I Like Chopin. The track was another flirt with the 80’s.

Although I mostly like the early Alt+F4-sound with its trancy beat and phat sounds, the solo-stuff aint that bad. I like the combination of using modern sound with just a touch of the 80’s which brings some nostalgia to us music-listeners. I especially love the use of piano in the tracks.

The future looks good for Joonas and I hope he will continue on the path he’s taken. But I wouldn’t mind a flirt back to the Alt+F4 days with its trancier sound. For that’s the sound my heart truly loves.

Classic FTW: Angelic – It’s My Turn

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrzCvsORCWA&w=680&h=491]

This weeks track was from the beginning a remix for another group and later re-released from the remixers as their own track. I’m talking about Angelic – It’s My Turn. (Buy the 2009 version on Itunes)

Lyrics:

Why start to worry
About the hands of fate
When right before your eyes
It becomes to late

I’ve learnt to ignore them
When they bring me down
I’m warned that vicious people
Fool around

It’s my turn
It’s my turn

It’s my turn
It’s my turn (It’s my turn)

Goosebump-points:

0:02 when the vocals start
0:30 when the chorus starts
1:48 when the main vocals start again
2:18 when the chorus cames in again

Angelic is Julius O’Riordan (better known as Judge Jules), Amanda O’Riordan (Judge Jules’s wife) and Darren Tate. This article will focus on Darren Tate though.

English born Darren Tates musical background started out as a classically trained musician. His first release came with the Angelic project in 2000 and has since then worked under a few different aliases.

Angelic’s It’s My Turn was released in June of 2000 with vocals by Amanda and became a huge hit and peaked at no 11 in the UK Singles Charts and stayed on the chart for 10 weeks.
Its My Turn was built on Angelic’s remix for Sunscreem’s track called Change which was released in early 2000. It’s My Turn was re-released in 2009 with fresh remixes.

The single was followed in 2001 with 2 new tracks, Can’t Keep Me Silent and Stay With Me, both dis well in the UK Singles charts

After the 3 tracks, the group split up and they all went their separate ways.

While in Angelic, Darren released a 3 releases under the name Orion. Eternity and New World EP was both released in 2000 wile See Me Here came the year after. The project re-emerged in 2011 with the album Electronic Witchcraft with 10 all new tracks.

After Orion, Darren released one track as Citizen Caned called The Journey. If you listen closely, you can almost hear whats up next.

In 2002, Darren worked under the name Jurgen Vries and the first track, The Theme became a major hit all and peaked at no 13 in the UK charts and was played by all major Djs all over the world. The track has also influented many artists over the year, for instance a new track by Filo & Peri called Sub Zero. Cosmic Gate also released an own version of The Theme in 2011.

The second track from Jurgen Vries was The Opera Song (Brave New World) with singer Charlotte Church. When the track first was released, the singing was only credited to CMC when it first was released as Charlotte’s record label wouldn’t wanna be connected to the track if it flopped as it was a big change from her classical singing to pop. There were alot of speculations who sung on the track under the mysterious guise and many people guesses on Kylie Minogue or Christina Aguilera. The Opera Song peaked at no 3 in the UK singles charts in 2003.

After The Opera Song, Darren released the track Destination under the new project name DT8 with singer Roxanne Wilde. The track peaked at no 23 in the UK Singles Chart

The third single from Jurgen Vries, Wilderness came out in 2003 and featured Shena on vocals, It did fairly well and peaked at no 20 in the UK Charts.

The last single from Jurgen Vries was Take My Hand with Andrea Britton on vocals. The track was a cover of Dido’s track with the same name. Peaked at no 23 in the UK Charts.

From 2003, Darren put all his focus on his DT8-project, later named just DT8 Project.
The secnd single from DT8 was The Sun Is Shining (Down On Me) and featured singer Rob Li. The track was another chart-success and peaked at no 17 in the UK Singles Charts in 2004.

Winter, with singer Andrea Britton was released in march of 2005 also became another chart-success and peaked at no 35 in the UK Singles Chart.

African singer Mory Kante was featured on the single Narama released in 2006.

One of my favourite DT8-tracks came out the year after. Hold Me Till The End with singer Alexta. Her moaning vocals makes the track magical. The album Perfect World was released the same year and features another stunning track by Alexta, Tomorrow Never Comes but it wasn’t released as a single.
The album also got voted the most inspiring and original electronica album of the year.

The last single, The Power Of One was released the same year.

While releasing under aliases, Darren has also released quite a bunch under his own name.

Darren Tate vs Marcella Woods – Lifted came out in 2001 and was followed by the epic track Darren Tate vs Jono Grant (of Above & Beyond-fame) – Let The Light Shine In (with singer Shirley Randall). Let The Light Shine In was first released as a double-feature with Darren Tate vs Mike Koglin – Now Is The Time in 2002 and later re-released as an own single.

2003 saw the EP’s Gracelands Episode 1 & Prayer For A God (Gracelands Episode 2) and later the same year another collaboration with Jono Grant called Nocturnal Creatures.
The single-release of Darren Tate vs Mike Koglin – Now Is The Time was also released the same year.

The next collaboration came with Blue Amazon vs Darren Tate – The Other Love. The original version by Blue Amazon is an old favourite of mine and the remix only makes the track better.

The 2005 EP, Horizons 01 was followed in 2006 by the first feature album Horizons 01 which contained all the singles so far.
.
The EP Elephant (Are You Ready) / Pulse came the same year and was followed by the EP Echoes / Chori Chori the year after.

The EP Horizons 02 came out in 2008 and was followed in 2009 by the second artist album with the same name. The EP When The Morning Comes / Reverse The Silence came out the same year.

The Midnight EP came out in 2010 along with Tokyo / Vespers.
2011 saw the release of The Eternal along with the Horizons 03 EP.

In 2011, Darren started on 2 new projects, one with Boy George and Marc Vedo called Funkysober, another one with Harry Diamond called Tate & Diamond.
Funkysober has to date released one single, Sunshine Into My Life (with singer Sharlene Hector)
Tate & Diamond has released 2 singles so far, Turn It Back and Electrified (with singer Nicolai)

If Darren follows the same pattern as before, we should se the new artist album Horizons 03 sometime this year.

As many of these articles, I’d have to say that the best material from Darren Tate came out from 2000-2006. Darren is a brilliant producer and I love the sound that he had in the past. Can’t say that i’ve listened much to his latest material but I guess I have to give it a chance. After all, he’s achieved over 10 top 40 tracks and sold over 10.000.000 units in total. That stands for quality in my book.

Classic FTW: Fragma – Toca’s Miracle (Inpetto 2008 Remix)

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko-V7FCHJvA&w=680&h=491]

This weeks classic also comes from two german brothers. Its not often that your first release also becomes your biggest success. The original track was released back in 1999 but this remix is abit newer. Actually, the youngest classic so far. The track i’m talking about is Fragma – Toca’s Miracle (Inpetto 2008 Remix).

Lyrics:

If you’re gonna save the day
And you’re hearin’ what I say
I feel your touch
Your kiss, it’s not enough
And if you believe in me
Don’t think my love’s not for real
I won’t take nothin’ less then a deeper love

[Chorus:]
Let me tell you, you know
Aah, I need a miracle
I need a miracle
It’s more than physical
What I need to feel from you
Let me tell you, you know
Aah, I need a miracle
I need a miracle
It’s more than physical
What I need to get me through

Tell me that you understand
And you’ll take me as I am
You’ll always be the one to give me everything
Just when I thought no one cared
You’re the answer to my prayer
You lift my spirits high
Come on and rescue me

[Repeat Chorus x2]

Goosebump points:
1.01 when that guitarsound comes in
1.41 when the vocals ”Toca Me” comes in
2.40 when the Toca Me-vocals comes in for the second time and later the music fades down
3.10 when Coco’s vocals comes in and the guitar-sound starts again
4.17 when the vocals Toca Me comes in again and the drums restart together with
the rest of the music
5.15 when the chorus starts
5.46 when the music fades down
6.15 when the chorus starts again

Fragma is brothers Dirk and Marco Duderstadt together with monster producer Ramon Zenker.

Ramon Zenker is well known name in musical productions as he’s been apart of some cool projects like Bellini, Fragma, Interactive, Hardfloor, Mega’Lo Mania, Paffendorf, STFU & Tom Tom just to name a few. He has also done remixes for the likes of Mike Oldfield, Paul van Dyk, The Shamen, Scooter, Mylene Farmer, Jam & Spoon, Depeche Mode, Yello & New Order.

This article will focus more on the Duderstadt-brothers though, known under the Fragma-name aswell as Inpetto and Duderstadt.

Dirk & Marco Duderstads first release ever was the now-epic Fragma – Toca Me. The track did well in the charts and topped several charts worldwide including the no 11 position on the UK Single Charts.

A fun fact is that there was an original mix done in 1999 with almost the same name, but then spelled as In Petto Remix

But then something wierd happened. Around this time, it was very popular to do mashups i.e. taking the backingtrack of one track and re-arranging it with new vocals from a different track.

A DJ named DJ Vimto did just that and took Toca Me and put on the vocals of gospel-singer Coco Star’s 1997 hit single I Need A Miracle (written by the legendary producers Rob Davis & Victor Imbres) and named it Toca’s Miracle. The original bootleg was supported by legendary DJ’s Pete Tong and Judge Jules.

The track did so well that Fragma’s Label, Positiva decided to release it with re-recorded vocals by Coco which was possible due to both artists were under the same label.

The track, released in April 2000 became a monster all over the world and went straight to number 1 in the UK Singles Chart as well as in most of the worlds dance charts. With the success of Toca Me/Toca’s Miracle, Fragma became a name known all over the world. In fact, the original version was the 7th best selling single of 2000 in the UK and was promoted Worldwide in live sets by official vocalist Coco Star.

The second single, Everytime You Need Me (with singer Maria Rubia) also did well in the charts and spiked the UK Singles Chart at no 3. The third single, You Are Alive (with singer Damae) also did well and ranked no 4 in the UK Charts.

All three singles were featured on the 2001 album, Toca which landed the top 20-spot in Scandinavia and the top 40-spot in the UK.

At the same time as the Fragma album and hit singles, the brothers decided to work on a side-project, producing under the name Duderstadt. The first releases were remixes of other artists tracks.

2000 – Monoculture – Light Of My Life (Duderstadt Remix)
2001 – Fragma – Say That You’re Here (Duderstadt Remix)
2002 – Fragma – Time And Time Again (Duderstadt Remix)
2002 – Fragma – Embrace Me (Duderstadt Remix)
2002 – Mega lo’Mania – Emotion (Duderstadt Remix)

In 2002, Duderstadt also set up their own studio called Evergreen-Terrace and also started working on the second Fragma album, Embrace which spawned the singles Say That You’re Here, Embrace Me, Man In The Moon and Time And Time Again.

My favourite of these is the 2003 single Man In The Moon which is a remake of one of my biggest personal favourite-tracks, Energy 52 – Cafe Del Mar, but with vocals by Damae. The track isn’t a good as the original Cafe Del Mar-track but still worth noticing. The release was also known as Mar In The Moon (which implies on the Cafe Del Mar-connection).

Between 2003 and 2006, the brothers mostly worked under the Duderstadt-moniker.
First single, Sunrise was released in 2003 and followed by Mahananda in 2005.
2006 saw the release of third Duderstadt-single, Muhanjala. The same year also saw a new Fragma-release with singer Kirsty Hawkshaw, called Radio Waves. This was also the year that they changed record label to the fast-growing german imprint Afterglow Records. The new tracks and the move to the label also gave Duderstadt major DJ support by the likes of Paul Van Dyk, Armin & Ferry Corsten.

The fourth Duderstadt single, Smile (with singer Anita Kelsey) became a big club hit and was named both the Tune of the Week & Future Favourite on Armin van Buuren’s A State Of Trance-radio show. It also was voted Web Vote Winner on Above & Beyond’s Trance Around The World-radio show, The single was followed by Beatitude (with singer Kirsty Hawkshaw) which also got major DJ-support all over the world.

Since 2007, mosr effort has been put on remixes. And man, have they released some quality stuff.
Here are some of my favourite picks:

2007 – Boom Jinx – Remember September (Duderstadt Remix)
2008 – Oceanlab – Breaking Ties (Duderstadt Progressive Remix)
2008 – The Thrillseekers – The Last Time (Duderstadt Remix)
2008 – Mr. Pit – Shana (Duderstadt Progressive Dub)
2008 – Armin van Buuren – If You Should Go (Inpetto vs. Duderstadt Remix)
2008 – Solarstone – Spectrum (Duderstadt Uplifting Remix)
2008 – DJ Shog – Feel Me (Duderstadt Uplifting Remix)
2008 – George Acosta f. Aruna – Falling Backwards (Duderstadt Uplifting Rmxs)
2009 – Cosmic Gate feat. Aruna – Under Your Spell (Duderstadt Remix)
2009 – Ferry Corsten – Made Of Love (Duderstadt Progressive Remix)
2010 – Oliver Smith – Chordplay (Duderstadt Progressive Mix)
2010 – Ronski Speed pres. Sun Decade – Lasting Light ft. Emma Hewitt (Duderstadt Remix)
2010 – Mike Shiver & Aruna – Everywhere You Are (Duderstadt Remix)
2011 – SHato & Paul Rockseek – Wonderfooled (Duderstadt Remix)
2012 – Mark Eteson & Meredith Call – Together (Duderstadt Remix)

If I had to pick one favourite of the Duderstadt Remixes, I’d have to choose Mike Shiver & Aruna – Everywhere You Are (Duderstadt Remix). Released in 2010 and already a classic in my mind!

2008 saw Duderstadt collaborating with Store N Forward for the single Broken. I especially love the Nitrous Oxide Remix which is a pure uplifting monster.
The 2010 single Stranded In NYC was a sweet progressive track in the style of the recent Duderstadt-remixes.
In 2011, Duderstadt collaborated with legend Nic Chagall (of Cosmic Gate fame) and singer Relyk for Alone With You. A really sweet vocal track imho.
The same year also saw the singles Yanooa and Painted Red (with singer Hannah Ray). The latter, another sweet progressive vocal track.

2008 saw the re-release of Toca Me/Toca’s Miracle with fresh remixes from the brothers-side project, Inpetto aswell as remixes from Richard Durand. Again, the track did well in the charts and a new Video for the single was also produced. The new single Memory was also released the same year, Memory sounds more like an Impetto-track as its sound is based on the re-release of Toca Me/Toca’s Miracle.

Since Memory, most releases has been fresh versions of old singles.
Everytime You Need Me got a 2011 re-release, Even Tocas Miracle got a 2012 re-release.
2012 has also seen 2 new singles so far, Thousand Times (with singer Damae) and the newest track, Where Do We Go (with singer Damae).

I can’t say that I like the new Fragma-sound, it’s way too commercial for me. But I definately love the Duderstadt-sound, especially from 2008 and onwards. Let’s hope that they will continue on both projects side by side. Atleast so I can get my daily dose of quality Duderstadt-remixes for a while longer.

Classic FTW: York – Farewell To The Moon (En Motion Remix)

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bxz-8g5ePg&w=680&h=376]

This weeks article is focused on two brothers from Germany. They have both been involved in various projects over the years but the project and the track i’m thinking of is York – Farewell to the Moon (En Motion Remix). (Buy on Itunes)

York is German brothers Jörg and Torsten Stenzel. Both have been active in the music scene since the early 90’s.

Torsten Stenzel started playing the piano at the age of 5 and later turned to church organs where he recieved his organist diploma at the age of 15 when graduating from the prostentant church in Frankfurt. Meanwhile Jörg focused on stringed instruments.

Torstens first step into dancemusic came with the 1990 release Recall IV – Contrast, though he’s not credited as a writer on the track because his partner at the time forgot to mention him because of his lack of knowledge of the music industry.. Only ”mixed by Torsten Stenzel” appeared on the credits.

After becoming A&R for the record label Crash Records, he released N.U.K.E. – Nana with partner Zied Jouini. The track went straight to No1 in Italy and No3 in Benelux.

His collaboration with DJ Taucher came in 1993 with the single, Happiness but it wasn’t until the release of the second single, Atlantis that the real rise to fame came.
Later in 1993 he formed his first own underground label, Liquid Records just to be able to release whatever he choose to. It was also at this time he started collaborating with Oliver Lieb with the project, Paragliders.

Except from Oliver Lieb, he also worked with Booka Shade, DJ Tatana, Dj Taucher, Talla 2XLC and DJ Sakin.

In 1995 Torsten bought the rights to Planet Love Records to focus on developing a trancier sound together with Dj Taucher. Their first release on the label, Fantasy was licensed to Sony Dance Pool and later became a top 50-single in the german charts.

Toghether with Dj Taucher, Torsten had remixed over 52 different artists and was named ’worldwide third best remixers’ in 1997 by Raveline magazine. An example was their remix of Faithless – God Is A DJ, a huge success which topped the charts worldwide.

The project York was born in 1997 with their first single, The Awakening released on Talla2XLC’s label, Suck Me Plasma. The single reached no 11 in the UK chart. What did the track special was that it was the first trance track ever to be released with an electric guitar as a lead instrument. The single sold over 250.000 copies The guitar, played by Jörg has been a key instrument in all York-releases.

The second release, York featuring Jamila – Jastamba was another guitar-driven track. Though not as successful, it established the York sound. The same year, Torsten collaborated with Sakin Bozkurt a.k.a. DJ Sakin for the project DJ Sakin & Friends. Their first release, Protect Your Mind was a clubversion of a James Horner-track off the Braveheart-soundtrack. The track became an instant success and was played by every major DJ all over the globe. Protect Your Mind hit the No1 spot on the German dancechart and also No3-position on the German music sales chart. It sold Gold, Silver & Platinum in most european countries. The track sold over 700.000 copies worldwide.

The second single from DJ Sakin & Friends, Nomansland did pretty well but not near the success of Protect Your Mind. It landed on No10 in the German charts and No16 in the UK charts.
The track was a rework of the track Vladimir Cosma – David’s Song.
They had a hard time struggling with the success of Protect Your Mind to find so they trashed the project after the album Walk On Fire was released. The Album itself did pretty well in the charts.

The really big breakthough for York came in 1999 with the release of On The Beach, which is a remake of Chris Reas old anthem with the same name. The first vinyl was On The Beach and on the B-side was the track The Reachers Of Civilisation but later the same year there was a real release with alot of remixes. The mix that made the video-edit was the CRW remix (by italian Mauro Picotto amongt others). The single reached no 4 in the UK charts and became a worldwide hit. Chris Rea was amazed that this version had outsold his 1986 original that he pushed for the single and later performed with York at the British Top Of The Pops-show.

At this time, Torsten had moved to Ibiza and established his studio there.

The followup to On The Beach was the 2000 single Fields Of Love together with André Tanneberger a.k.a. ATB who also sings on the track. The track became another huge hit worldwide.

The same year also saw the single Farewell To The Moon (with vocalist Pat Appleton). Farewell To The Moon became another big hit and its also my favourite from York, especially the En Motion-remix by Steve Helstrip which gives me that summery feeling and a driving beat that just makes you wanna dance. The single also features remixes by Watergate and ATB.

2001 saw Yorks first album, Experience and later the single-release of The Reachers Of Civilization. First released as a B-side to On The Beach but now with an awesome remix-pack from Rank 1 and Push. The same year also saw the release of the single Silence which contains a sample from Héroes del Silencios single Entre Dos Tierras. Silence was re-released 2002 with vocals by Alaska and renamed Yesterday (Silence).

In 2004, York released I Need You and later the same year, a collaboration with Roger Shah under the name DJ Shah Meets York – Sunset Road / Dead Drummer. When Roger Shah later released his Sunlounger-singles, White Sand & Aguas Blancas Jörg was featured on Guitar. He was also featured on most of the Sunlounger 2007 album, Another Day On The Terrace

The year after saw the new album, Peace and the single York feat Angelina – Iceflowers
.
In 2006 York released their last single, Mercury Rising and later York took a break.

Jörg worked on some productions with Roger Shah and Torsten worked on various projects which included Finnish rock singer Tarja Turunen (from the group Nightwish), Jennifer Paige, All Saints, Nelly Furtado & Joss Stone together with production partner Rick Nowels.

2010 saw the return of York. The first single, DreamMan featuring York – Moonrise On The Beach released on Laurent Veronnez’s label, Green Martian.

In 2011, York moved to Armin Van Buuren’s Armada Music Label and released York feat. Brandon Jones – Wanna Be Known and in 2012, the release Touched By God saw the light of day. Later in 2012 will see the release of the new album, Islanders

I still think the typical York-sound sounds fresh even today. As long as Jörg plays his typical guitar, you can still hear the distinct York-sound which once made them famous. The future looks bright for them and hopefully they’ll keep their sound for many more years.

Classic FTW: Delerium feat Jaël – After All (Svenson & Gielen Remix)

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lckszwixLc&w=680&h=491]

This weekends classic comes from a very odd background. Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber, 2 guys from an Canadian EBM-band Front Line Assembly formed a side-project in 1987 to jump on the popular spritual Enigma-wave with angelic voices and munk-chanting but ended up as the trance-remixers favourite band. The track i’m talking about is Delerium feat. Jael – After All (Svenson & Gielen Remix). (Buy on Itunes)

Lyrics:

She knows the voices in her mind
They tell her
To leave

She’s tired of smiling madly
Until silence becomes very silently
A noise in her mind

After all she has nothing inside
No good to give
No meaning to live
The mist engulfed tonight
Every single star

After all they shared
How could he simply say no
After all they shared
He turned away from her to go
She said she wouldn’t cry
That was really just a lie

She knows the noises in her mind
Nothing’s left but
Screaming silence

After all she feels numbness inside
The feeling’s gone
She’s upside down
The pictures behind her closed eyes
This time you went too far

After all they shared
How could he simply say no
After all they shared
He turned away from her to go
She said she wouldn’t cry
That was really just a lie

After all they shared
How could he simply say no
After all they shared
He turned away from her to go
She said she wouldn’t cry
That was really just a lie

After all she has nothing inside
No good to give
No meaning to live
The mist engulfed tonight
Every single star

After all they shared
How could he simply say no
After all they shared
He turned away from her to go
She said she wouldn’t cry
That was really just a lie

After all they shared
How could he simply say no (simply say no)
After all they shared
He turned away from her to go
She said she wouldn’t cry
That was really just a lie

After all they shared
How could he simply say no (simply say no)
After all they shared
He turned away from her to go
She said she wouldn’t cry
That was really just a lie

After all they shared
How could he simply say no (how could he simply say no)
After all they shared (after all)
He turned away from her to go (he just turned away)
She said she wouldn’t cry
That was really just a lie

Goosebump points:

0:58 when the bassline kicks in
1:27 when the vocals start
1:54 when the vocals change
2:37 when the breakdown starts
2:51 when the chorus starts
3:38 when the chorus comes again and the music builds
5:49 at the second breakdown when the chorus kicks in and the buildup thereafter

Delerium was formed in 1987 by Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber, and their first release was the 1988 album, Faces, Forms And Illusions. After this, they released a bunch of albums and singles.

The group has always been a duo but the lineup has changed over the years although Bill Leeb has always been the key character. After the release of the album Karma, Rhys Fulber quit the group and Chris Peterson came in. With the album Chimera, Fulber came back and stayed for the rest of the albums.

The big breakthrough came with the 1997 album, Karma which featured the single Silence (with singer Sarah Mclachlan). The single was released in 1998 and later peaked at no1 in the irish chart the year after. The cool thing is that it was the Airscape-remix which recieved the radio airplay.

The single was re-released in 2000 with remixes by Tiësto, Fade and Airscape and did even better in the charts worlwide. Tiesto’s In Search Of Sunrise-remix became one of trance biggest anthems and is still played by most trance-djs worldwide. It is one of those track that most people sing along with when they hear it played in a club. The single has since being re-released in 2004 (with remixes by Above & Beyond), 2006 (with remixes by Filterheadz) and in 2008 (with remixes by Niels van Gogh and Thomas Gold).

Worth noticing is that the Filterheadz-remix is often mislabeled as Trentmoller 2006 remix, which doesn’t excist.

The huge success of Silence ended in most delerium-singles after this being remixed for the dancefloors.

The next single, Heaven’s Earth (with singer Kristy Thirsk), released in 1999 also did well in the charts and was late remixed by Matt Darey in 2000.

2000 also saw the release of the album, Poem.

The followup-single was the 2001 single, Innocente (with singer Leigh Nash from the band Sixpence Non The Richer) which also did well in the charts and peaked at no 3 in the US Dancechart. The remix-package was delivered by Tiesto, Lost Witness, Deep Dish and Mr. Sam.
The official single and video-release was the Lost Witness edit

The year after saw the single Underwater (with singer Rani). Again, the single did well in the charts and peaked at no 9 on the US Dancechart. Underwater came with a remix-package from Rank 1 & Above & Beyond. The official single and video-release is the Above & Beyond edit.

After All (with singer Jaël) came out in 2003 was the first single from the new album, Chimera. The new album focused more on pop-music than the former album. The track also came with a remix-package from Svenson & Gielen and Satoshi Tomiie. The track didn’t do that well in the charts, but did peak at no 9 in the US Dancechart. The official single and video-release was released in 2 versions, one as album version and one as the Svensson & Gielen edit.

The second success from the Chimera-album came with Truly (with singer Nerina Pallot), again did pretty well in the charts and peaked at no 2 in the US Dancechart. The remix-package came with remixes from Infusion and Signum.

The 2007 single Angelicus (with singer Isabel Bayrakdarian) peaked at no1 on the US Dancechart and came with a remix-pack by Andy Moor and Redanka.
It was followed by Lost & Found (with singer Jaël) which peaked at no 4 on the US Dancechart. The remix-package came with a beautiful Blank & Jones-remix). Both tracks were featured on the 2006 album, Nuages du Monde.

The last single from Delerium, Dust In Gravity (with singer Kreesha Turner) was released in 2009 and again peaked at no1 in the US Dancechart. The remix-package was this time delivered by Sultan & Ned Shepard, Nervo and Niels van Gogh vs. Dave Ramone.

IMHO, Deleriums career peaked between 2000-2003, atleast dance-wise. The cool thing with their tracks is that there is always a version that fits your mood. If you’re tired of dancemusic, then put on the albums for some nice ambient chillout. The music and the style of Deleriums original material is timeless and hopefully people will remember them as well as the dancemixes. If not, they will always be remebered for Silence. Because that’s a true classic!

Classic FTW: Signum feat Anita Kelsey – Come Back Again

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW3KNaao8To&w=680&h=376]

This weeks classic track comes from Signum, a duo that has been around for quite some time. They have released some serious gems over the years so it was pretty hard to choose which track to feature but I finally landed om Signum featuring Anita Kelsey – Come Around Again (Extended Vocal Mix) from 2004. (Buy on Itunes)

Lyrics:

Never planned it this way
Never thought I’d see the end of this
fantastic dream.

See you turn towards me,
place your lips on mine,
just one last kiss,
before you leave.

O there’s something there
in the back of my mind
haunting me,
pulling me down.

Going round on empty,
from the sense you made to me,
o what a fool.
It’s come around again,
I’m falling to the sound of my heart
empty sands.

The feeling’s just the same,
when love is ending,
there is nothing like this pain.
And it’s come around again.

It’s come around again.
It’s come around again.

O no, o no, o no

The feeling’s just the same
O no, o no, o no

There is nothing like this pain,
it’s come around again.
It’s come around again,
I’m falling to the sound of my heart
empty sands.

The feeling’s just the same
when love is ending,
there is nothing like this pain
and it’s come around again.

Goosebump points:
0:55 after the music faded up
1.23 when the main melody kicks in
2:19 when everything starts to fade out
2:47 when the main vocals kick in
3:42 when the chorus starts
4:08 ”and its come around again” and the major breakdown with the guitar
5:06 when the whole track starts up again

Dutch duo Ronald Hagen & Pascal Minnaard started their career as Signum back in 1997 with the EP Adaptor, released on Jinx Records-label (formed in 1993 by Randy Katana and a sub-label to BPM Dance.)

Their big success came with the second single, What Ya Got 4 Me. The club-anthem was first released in 1998 but became an even bigger hit with the UK re-release in 2001.
1998 also saw the classic Signum-remixes of ATB – 9PM (Till I Come) & Alice Deejay – Better Off Alone.

1999 saw two new tracks, both collaborations with Scott Mac. The first, Just Do It was pretty good but the second, Coming On Strong became another huge club hit especially after being featured on the legendary club-movie Kevin & Perry Go Large-soundtrack. Check out that movie and don’t forget to listen to the soundtrack, some really cool gems on it. The same year, Signum remixed the classics like Blank & Jones – After Love & Scooter – Faster, Harder, Scooter.

The EP Solar Level was released in 2000, the same year as the signum-remixes of Crispy – In & Out and The Space Brothers – Shine.

The EP Five Yards / Afterglow and the single First Strike came out in 2001, the latter was a huge club success. I especially recommend the Mark Norman remix released in 2003.

2001 was also the year that Signums dj-career started. Their first ever gig was at the legendary Gatecrasher-club in Sheffield and after this, they have played quite alot of dj-gigs worldwide.

The single Cura me, released in 2002 contains a vocal sample from the celtic singer Ailein Duinn. The angelic vocals fits perfectly with the track and give it another dimension. The same year also saw the collaboration with Randy Katana under the name Signum feat Katana – Third Dimension.

In 2003, Signum signed a contract with Armin Van Buuren´s label, Armada Music and their first release was the EP Push Though / Sunny Changes. Push Through became another floor filler.

The year later, Signim teamed up with vocalist Anita Kelsey for the track Come Around Again. Signum themselves has called it ”the track they’ve always wanted to make”. The stunning vocals made it another big smash hit. The same year also saw the release of The Timelord, another epic trancetrack.

The EP Back @ Ya / In Your Face came out in 2005 and the EP What Ya Got 4 Me 2006 / Supersonic came out the year later. The latter feels more like a mini-album as it contains What Ya Got For Me 2006, Supersonic, Second Wave (Signum Signal 2004 Remake), Come Around Again (DJ Danjo & Rob Styles Remix) and Second Wave (Original Mix)

In 2007, Signum released Harmonic / Cloud City and Syndicate / Hit That Note.

In 2008, Pascal Minnaard decided to move to Norway with his fiance. Both Hagen and Minnaard still work together with the help of internet to make new tracks and put togheter sets for their DJ-performances. The same year they also started their monthly radioshow Xposed on Afterhours.FM. They also had the time to release Distant Signature and Royal Flash / Any Given Moment.

The 2009 releases Addicted and Riddles In The Sand (As Ron Hagen & Pascal M) made a huge impact on the clubbers, especially Riddles In The Sand which captures that warmish summery feeling with the stunning guitar-riff and the slower progressive tempo. The Omnia Remix of Riddles In The Sand was IMHO 2009’s best track.

The track made such a huge impact on the whole trance-scene, especially after being featured on Armin Van Buurens compilation A State of Trance 2009 which got them to later perform at A State of Trance 400. This sudden rise to fame again resulted in the collaboration between Roger Shah & Signum called Healesville Sanctuary, another soon-to-be classic.

2010 saw the release of their first album, For You, and the second collaboration with Roger Shah, called Ancient World. It also saw the release of another vocal track, featuring Kate Louise Smith, called Liberate.

They were followed in 2011 with Shamisan and the stunning vocal track Never Be The Same featuring Julie Thompson. I especially love the Myon & Shane Monster Remix of Never Be The Same. It gives me the chills just thinking about it.

The future looks really bright for Signum. They still sound really fresh, even if they’ve been around for 15 years. Hope to see them on tour near me soon, and hope to hear some of their major classics, for they really do have them!

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Kategoriarkiv: Classic for the Weekend

Classic FTW: Markus Schulz & Anita Kelsey – First Time

Classic FTW: Lange featuring Kirsty Hawkshaw – Sincere For You (Lange Remix)

Classic FTW: DuMonde vs Lange – Memory

Classic FTW: Alt+F4 – Alt+F4 (Original Mix)

Classic FTW: Angelic – It’s My Turn

Classic FTW: Fragma – Toca’s Miracle (Inpetto 2008 Remix)

Classic FTW: York – Farewell To The Moon (En Motion Remix)

Classic FTW: Delerium feat Jaël – After All (Svenson & Gielen Remix)

Classic FTW: Signum feat Anita Kelsey – Come Back Again