månadsarkiv: augusti 2012

News: One Night Live Aftermovie

On May 14th 2011 FSOS Events™ and FSOS Management™ held the most unique live Trance event in Stockholm, Sweden. Featuring legendary Chicane Live, The Thrillseekers Live Xtreme show, Airwave with his amazing keytar performance set as well as Ferry Tayle in co-appearance with Airwave and they really brought us some Capetown vibes. They also had Swedish upcoming DJ/producer Johan Vilborg, who was the first runner up and the now well established DJ/producer Johan Ekman to close down on main floor.

Now the official Aftermovie has been released from FSOS, and it is a very special movie, not like any other aftermovie. More feeling and less tits & asses is the key word.
Check it out!

Classic FTW: IIO – Rapture (Riva Remix)

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-iX6gOdfHE&w=680&h=510]

This week’s article is about a singer who took the dancemusic-scene by storm as her first hit topped all major charts when it first was released in 2001. Since then, she’s worked with most major players in the house- and trance-scene like Armin Van Buuren, Schiller, BT and John Creamer & Stephane K just to name a few.

I´m ofcourse talking about Nadia Ali and her first big hit, Rapture with the duo iiO. (buy on Itunes)

I remember when Rapture first was released. All my music-friends talked about it, Armin hyped it, especially his own remix but I still prefer the Riva Remix over Armin, Deep Dish, Creamer & Ks versions.

Lyrics:

La
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La
La la la la la la
La la la la la la

The night I laid my eyes on you
I felt everything around me move
Got nervous when you looked my way
But you knew all the words to say

And your love slowly moved right in
All this time, oh my love, where you been

Mi amore
Don’t you know
My love I want you so
Sugar
You make my soul complete
Rapture tastes so sweet

I’m mesmerised in every way
You keep me in a state of daze
Your kisses make my skin feel weak
Always melting in your heat

Then I soar like a bird in the wind
Oh I glide like I’m flying through heaven

Mi amore
Don’t you know
My love I want you so
Sugar
You make my soul complete
Rapture tastes so sweet

Mi amore
Don’t you know
My love I want you so
Sugar
You make my soul complete
Rapture tastes so sweet

La
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La
La la la la la la
La la la la la la

Mi amore
Don’t you know
My love I want you so
Sugar
You make my soul complete
Rapture tastes so sweet

Mi amore
Don’t you know
My love I want you so
Sugar
You make my soul complete
Rapture tastes so sweet

La
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La
La la la la la la
La la la la la la

(La la la la la la)
(La la la la la la)

Goosebump-moments:

01:12 when the full music starts.
01:55 when the break starts.
02:10 when the vocals starts.
03:35 when the second verse starts.
03:49 in the mini-break.
05:01 when the second verse starts.

Libyan born Paikstani, Nadia Ali emigrated to Queens, New York at the age of 4 and started singing at the age of 8 but it was first in the late teens that she got her recognition as a singer. She started working at Versace’s New York-office at the age of 17 and it was at one of their christmas parties that she performed and first got attention.

One of her collegues at Versace introduced her to producer Markus Moser who originally was looking for a singer who could write tracks for a German girl-group. Their collaboration instead ended up with their own material under the name iiO. They first decided on the name Vaiio after the Sony-computer that Nadia wroter her lyrics on but later changed the name to iiO.

The first track Nadia wrote, Rapture was written in 30 minutes and was based on an encounter with an Australian nightclub owner. Their first demo was first played at the New York-club Twilo and was later hyped by Pete Tong who played the demo-version on his Radio 1-show.

The track really hit it off when big names as Sasha, Danny Tenaglia and Sander Kleinenberg started hammering it at the Ibiza clubs the same summer and with the release of the single on Ministry Of Sounds label the following autumn, the big success came. The track peaked at no 2 in the UK Singles Chart and hit the same position on the Billboard Dance Hot Club Play Chart in the US.

Rapture has since it’s original release been licensed to various record labels and been re-released several times over the years. Since Rapture came out, iiO was on tour most of the time.

IiO’s next single, the 2002 track At The End did fairly well and peaked at no 13 in the Finnish chart an no 16 in the Danish chart. It came with a pretty good remix-package with reworks by The Scumfrog, Johnny Vicious, JCA, Saeed & Palash just to name a few. Out of the lot, I prefer the Scumfrog-remix.

The followup-single, the 2002 release of Smooth peaked at no 2 in the Finish chart and was released with 2 radio versions. The original, slow radioversion and the more uplifting Airbase radioversion. Of the two, I prefer the Airbase one.

Again, the single came with a pretty good remixes from Airbase, Steve Porter and Pig & Dan just to name a few.

The 2004 single, Runaway did well in Finland again where it peaked at no 2, and was released on CD-maxi with 7 versions or 3×12” with the same versions. I prefer the Ford Remix and the Austin Leeds vs Sinesweeper Remix over the Original Serenity Mix which is ballad-ish.

After the release of the 2005 single, Kiss You, Nadia Ali left the duo. Markus Moser finally got the long postponed debut album, Poetica, released the same year. The track peaked at no 3 in the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart and at no 5 in the Finnish chart.

Markus Moser kept releasing some tracks under the iiO-moniker and their biggest US hit came with the 2006-single, Is It Love?, which peaked at no 1 in the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart.

There was even a second album, the 2011 release, Exit 110 which still uses Nadia on song although she hasn’t recorded with Markus Moser since 2005.

The last single from the iiO-moniker came in 2011 with It’ll Be Like.

When it comes to Nadia Ali’s solo career, she has had alot of success.

Her first single, a collaboration with the almighty Armin Van Buuren featuring Nadia Ali – Who Is Watching is the most meaningful texts she’s ever written. It’s about ”one’s struggle to reach the top, only to realise once one is there how lonely it is and how one has forgotten their priorities and the important people in their life”. The track peaked at no 19 in the Finnish chart.

Her first own release, Crash & Burn peaked at no 6 in the US Hot Dance Club Play Chart and came with an impressive remix-package from DJ’s like Roger Shah, Dean Coleman and Sultan & Ned Shepard Remix.

Love Story, the second solo-release topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart and was even nominated for the Best Progressive/House Track at the 2010 International Dance Music Awards at the Winter Music Conference in Miami.

Nadia was featured on the MTV program Iggy in 2009 where she performed acoustic versions of Rapture, Crash & Burn and Love Story.

Third single, Fine Print was another chart-success and peaked at no 4 in the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart

Nadias 2009 debut solo album, Embers contained all 3 recent singles plus another 10 tracks including the 2010 single, Fantasy which actually was voted as the fourth single by her Facebook-fans. The Morgan Page remix of Fantasy was nominated for Best Remixed Recording at the 53rd Grammy Awards and was also chosen as the video version. There was also an alternative video with the album version.

The album title, Embers was chosen because ”most of the songs that I wrote were about relationships that I’ve experienced and how they leave like tiny embers inside me still”.
Embers was also released on Nadia Ali’s own label, Smile In Bed along with all the singles from the album.

There was also 3 remix-albums released, Queen Of Clubs Trilogy: Diamond Edition, Ruby Edition and Onyx Edition. Where the Diamond Edition contains extended versions, the Ruby Edition contains remixes and the Onyx Edition contains tracks that features other artists and Nadia on song.

Since Embers, Nadia has been working on her second studio album with the working title ”Phoenix” for which she took 40 days off in February 2012. She even moved from New York to Los Angeles after living there for 26 years just to get inspired for the new album. The only own release we’ve seen so far is the Youtube-video, When It Rains and the EDX-single This Is Your Life with Nadia on vocals.She’ll also sing on the upcoming track from BT, Must Be The Love.

Nadia Ali’s unique singing has always made me curious. Her original material is really great but the remixes takes her tracks to a whole new level. I hope she’ll finish her second solo album soon as her future still looks really bright. If the new album fails, she’s still some true classics in her luggage to keep her touring for several more years. Hope to see her on the road nearby soon!

Pictures: Remember Rave 1

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First Episode of the Remember Rave sessions in a suburb to Stockholm.
Dj’s: Anneli, Lasak and Douchebag

Remember Rave 1, Underground Lounge, Högdalen, Sweden, 20120706
Pictures: 23

Classic FTW: Three Drives On A Vinyl – Greece 2000

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cXMnZ2vrx8&w=680&h=510]

When people think of classic tracks, especially tranceclassics, I guess this next tracks comes to mind in a few cases. When released back in 1997 I guess noone knew how big this track would eventually become. With several re-releases over the years and licensing to more than a dozen labels, this is truly a classic! I´m ofcourse talking about Three Drives On A Vinyl – Greece 2000. (buy on Itunes)

Dutch born Erik De Koning (a.k.a. Enrico) and Ton van Empel (a.k.a. Ton T.B.) both have tonnes of various aliases on their own and some 14 aliases together. This article will only focus on their Three Drives-alias though.

The name Three Drives On A Vinyl came from the fact that both of them could play on 3 decks at the same time. However, there was a mixup with the record production staff early on in their career so many releases were licensed as ”Greece 2000 – Three Drives On A Vinyl” as they couldn’t imagine a group calling themselves with that name. Many record labels also shortened the Three with a 3. Eventually, they shortened their name to only Three Drives.

Greece 2000 was originally released on the Massive Drive Recordings label (Owned at the time by their good friend Mark Van Dale and later to be run by Ton Van Empel). It was released in most countries as a single with a few different remixes but in Germany and The Netherlands it was first released as an EP with Greece 2000 as the A-side track while Not Overdrive and Piano Freq on the B-side and later released as an own single. The track eventually peaked at no 44 in the UK Charts.

The year after, Greece 2000 (The Remixes) peaked at no 12 in the UK Charts.

Greece 2000 is one of those tracks that you recognize instantly and gives you goosebumps. I remember first hearing it sometime in 1998 and didn’t think much of it then. But it eventually grew on me and is today IMHO one of the best pre-2000 anthems ever. It just gives me a special warm feeling and almost teary eyes.

The followup 1999 single, Turkey 2000 did fairly well and came with a pretty good remix-pack by Southside Spinners, Atlantic Ocean and Jaydee just to name a few. There was also a white label with a remix called Taskforce ”Greece” Mix which uses the original sound of Greece 2000 with the new track.

The same year also saw Three Drives debut album, 2000 which contains Greece 2000, Turkey 2000, Italy 2000, France 2000, UK 2000, Germany 2000 and USA 2000 just to name a few.

1999 also saw the release of Superfunk, an EP with Superfunk, Europa 2000 and A Very Good Day.
Both Superfunk and A Very Good Day shows some new influences. While Superfunk samples some funky track, A Very Good Day sounds more balearic/spanish.

The next big success, the 2000-track Sunset On Ibiza was another chartclimber and peaked at no 44 in the UK Charts. The remix-pack included versions by Yves De Ruyter, Above & Beyond, Sonorous and Sirius There was even a vocal-version released. The track was hyped by Judge Jules who played the white label 5 weeks in a row on his Radio 1 show.

A fun fact is that many releases has the Sonorous version on it but mislabeled as the Above & Beyond Remix due to the fact that they have the same length.

The 2002 single, Carrera 2 was another chart-climber which peaked at no 57 in the UK Charts. It came with a remix-package with version from Gabriel & Dresden, Roger Shah & Pedro Del Mar, Nu-Nrg & DJ Montana.

Three Drives’s second album, Melodies From The Universe came out in 2003 and contained 2 Cds. The first one was original mixes of their tracks wereas CD2 were remixes of their tracks.

2003 also saw the first of many re-releases of Greece 2000, this time with a massive G&M Remix.

The 2004 release, Air Traffic was another chart-hit and peaked at no 75 in the UK Chart. Air Traffic came with a pretty huge remix-pack by Cor Fijneman, Montana and Bobina just to name a few, and eventually a vocal version with singer Julie Morrison.

Signs From The Universe was released the same year and has a massive TB-303 bassline in it. It’s a pretty decent track.

Greece 2000 was re-released in 2005 with remixes by Marcel Woods, Mark Norman and DJ Chus just to name a few. It was also re-released in 2007 with remixes by Plastic Angel, Leama & James Davis and Koishii & Hush just to name a few. The 2008-version contained remixes by Daniel Portman & Chris Reece. The last re-released was in 2010 with remies by Sander Van Dien, Mycel & Lush 7 just to name a few.

Together, released in 2008 was an EP with the tracks Together and Feel The Rhythm.

Their last new release, Automatic City from 2009 contained remixes by Orjan Nilsen and Fast Distance.

The last we saw from Three Drives was another re-release of Greece 2000, this time with vocals and called Letting You Go. Originally remixed by Dabruck & Klein for an Armada compilation album called Hands On Armada vol 2 and later remixed by Armada residents Roger Shah and Markus Schulz. The 2012 release got the 1997 vibe but still sounds fresh, even after 15 magnificent years.

Three Drives has accomplished some big tracks over the years, especially Greece 2000, Carrera 2. Sunset On Ibiza and Air Traffic. They have played their tracks all over the world and most major DJ’s still play their tracks every now and then. Their latest releases sounds fresh but still keeps that classic Greece-sound.

Ton T.B. Is still active, both as a producer and DJ so I hope to hear him perform a classics-set soon.

Classic FTW: Lost Tribe – Gamemaster

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8ouW5vwDk0&w=680&h=510]

This week’s article is about another legend in the trance-community. He’s been active since 1994 and have some 15 aliases that many people recognice. I´m talking about Matt Darey.
The featured track this week is his from project together with Red Jerry, called Lost Tribe – Gamemaster. (Buy on Itunes)

Lyrics:

Embracing the godess energy within yourselves
Will bring all of you to a new understanding and valuing of life;
A vision that inspires you to live and love on planet earth.
Like a priceless jewel, buried in a dark layer of soil and stone,
Earth radiates her brilliant beauty, into the caverns of space and time.
Perhaps you are aware of those who watch over your home,
And experience it as a place to visit and play with reality.
You are becoming aware of yourself,
As a gamemaster.

Imagine earth restored to her real beauty,
Steady trees seems to brush the deep blue sky,
The clouds billow to form the majestic peaks.
The songs of birds fill the air,
Create a symphony on symphony.
The godess is calling for an honouring of what she allows to be created,
Through the form of strength and blood.
Those who own our planet, are learning about love.

English-born Matthew Jonathan Darey started making music early in his career. His first release, Li Kwan – Point Zero was released in 1994 and concidered a true trance-classic. It was about this time that Matt first met Jerry Dickens (a.k.a. Red Jerry). The two made a track for Carl Cox’s compilation Fantazia III: Made In Heaven,
called Lost Tribe – Musika (Bivouac Mix).

But it was with their second Lost Tribe-release, The Distant Voices EP which featured the tracks Gamemaster and Angel (with singer Mala Moonbeam) that their big success came. The EP, released on Red Jerry’s legendary label, Hooj Choons became an instant success, most of all for the track Gamemaster which later came out as an own release with remixes by Signum, Lost Tribe, Michael Woods and Matt Darey just to name a few.

The vocals heard on Gamemaster was pieced together from an arrangement from ”Earth: Pleiadian Keys to the Living Library” by Barbara Marciniak. The track uses a sample from the track Quench – Dreams from 1993. Gamemaster peaked at no 24 in the UK Chart.

The Lost Tribe-moniker was now put on a shelf as Matt Darey started producing under his own name.

Matt’s first solo hit, Matt Darey presents Mash Up – Liberation (with singer Marcella Woods) came out in 1999 and was another success and came with remixes by Ferry Corsten, Solarstone and Matt Darey. The track peaked at no 19 in the UK Chart.

Second single, Matt Darey presents DSP – From Russia With Love was a really pumping track with angelic vocals. I really love that guitarsound in it. The track peaked at no 40 in the UK Chart.

The 2002 single, Beautiful (with singer Marcella Woods) was another success, It was actually one of the first tracks I heard from Matt Darey and I still listen to it quite often. The track was a big chartsuccess and peaked at no 10 in the UK Chart.

The followup to Beautiful, Matt Darey & Marcella Woods – U Shine On also did fairly well in the charts and peaked at no 34 in the UK Chart. The track is pretty good, in some ways even better than the more popular Beautiful as it’s better produced.

The track Moody was also featured on U Shine On but later released as an own single with a new remix of U Shine On.

Voice Of An Angel EP came out in 2004 and featured 3 versions of Voice Of An Angel (with singer Marcella Woods), Nocturnal Delight and Electro Buzz, the latter was released on a onesided promo the year before. Voice Of An Angel EP featured a remix by Michael Woods, the brother of Marcella Woods.

Matt Darey set up his own label in 2004, Darey Products LTD where he re-released a few of his older releases and also features other artists like Adam White & Headstrong.

His first new release on the label, Lost Tribe – Posessed was an own production without Red Jerry.

He also released Incentive Maxi CD which essentially was a mini-album with a few of his older releases from Incentive Records where he used to release his singles.

The 2005-single, Eternity (with singer Izzy) features operasinging and it works really well with the track.

2005 also saw the start of his radioshow, Nocturnal which in April 2006 became a weekly show. His radioshow occasionally features guestmixes and Matt even does his own guestmixes for other radioshows/podcasts every now and then. He even did one exclusively for Bejbi.se in 2011. Listen to it HERE.

Point Zero EP, only released in the US in 2006 contained most of his legendary tracks including the Li Kwan-track with the same title. The EP did well and Matt eventually moved to Miami for a while.

Gamemaster was re-released in 2006 with new mixes from Mark Sherry.

The Sum Of All Fears (with singer Tiff Lacey) is abit slower than previous tracks.

After 2008, Matt started to work on his Urban Astronauts-moniker which specializes in Rocktronica, a new genre which features rock inflences with the latest electronic music.

The first release, Urban Astronauts EP 1 contains the tracks Animal, No Submission and This Way. There was also an EP2 released with remixes, moslty of the track Animal.

In 2009, Matt set up another label, Nocturnal Global.

The second release, See The Sun (with singer Kate Louise Smith) was a big success, especially the Aurosonic Remix which IMHO is one of the best tracks of the whole 21st century.

The last single from Urban Astronauts, Black Flowers (with singer Kirsty Thirsk), came out in 2010. It also features an Aurosonic Remix, but not as good as See The Sun.

From now on, Matt started producing under his own name again.

The 2010-track, Matt Darey & Aeron Aether featuring Ridgewalkers – Chasing The Sun is more house-influented than previous.

Lost At Sea (with singer Ashley Tomberlin) is another house-oriented track. I really love the breakdown, so atmosperic and love the guitar that they used.

Black Canyon and I still Remember (with singer Kate Louse Smith) are 2 pretty sweet track, both pretty commercial but still good housetracks.

Since 2012, Matt was signed to S107 Recordings, a sublabel to Armada Music.

The 2012 track Hold On is an instrumental track, more to the progressive side of house with influences of the recent swedish wave of housemusic. It even has some orchestral sound in it.

The 2 vocal tracks of 2012, Matt Darey & Stan Kolev feat Aelyn – Follow You and Matt Darey feat Leah – Hold Your Breath are both pretty housy but still got that special feeling.

Matt just released his first artist album, Blossom & Decay which features 17 tracks from the last 5 years. You can listen to a guide to the album here with comments by Matt Darey HERE.

Matt Darey has always been synonymous with Trancemusic but as most older artists, he has started to focus on the more commercial sound, like the tracks that you hear on the radio daily. I don’t blame him as more people will hear his stuff and hopefully start listening to his whole discography and find some true gems.

Hopefully, Matt will be on tour this year to support his album so I guess i’ll have the opportunity to see him perform this year. Atleast, I hope so. For he’s worth seeing/hearing.

www.bejbi.se – A webzine about electronic music

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månadsarkiv: augusti 2012

News: One Night Live Aftermovie

Classic FTW: IIO – Rapture (Riva Remix)

Pictures: Remember Rave 1

Classic FTW: Three Drives On A Vinyl – Greece 2000

Classic FTW: Lost Tribe – Gamemaster