Tune #112: B.I.G. - Autumn Waves

Klik Records has been an influential Greek label that pushed the boundaries of Greek electronic dance music. The first five years of the label (2003 - 2008) were extremely productive with the solid releases composed by the best Greek producers of that era, such as Nikos Diamantopoulos, Ioannis Douskos (aka Dousk) and George Pallikaris (aka G-Pal). However, my favorite Klik release is undoubtedly Mindscapes, the seminal studio album by B.I.G.

B.I.G. (Believe In God) is the music project of brothers Dimos & Michalis Siavelis. The Siavelis bros were raised in Aigio, a town in Achaea, West Greece and they had been involved in music studies (including classical music) for more than 10 years. The turning point in their music journey was Dimos' attendance in Yamaha Music School and Michalis' DJing in summer clubs, both under the apprentice of prolific house producer & DJ Nikos Diamantopoulos.

Dimos and Michalis have been influenced from various music artists, spanning different genres, such as rock (Dire Straits, Pink Floyd), ambient (Brian Eno, Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis) and progressive house & trance (Yoogie Van Bellen, Faithless, Bill Hamel). The progressive sound era of the 90's inspired them to a great extent, which can be easily recognized in Mindscapes.

The studio album has been one of Klik Records' earliest releases (seventh), aligned with the company's ethos to publish timeless and classy productions. It was released in 2004 in a double CD format and it features 16 tracks, which are an eclectic blend of progressive house & ambient.

One of the album's highlights is certainly the well-known track A Promise, which has been included in several mix CDs and supported by famous DJs (Armin Van Buuren, Hernan Cattaneo, Nick Warren). However, the current post will present another personal favorite; the soothing Autumn Waves (which also features the mesmerizing words of Giota Nikolaou as per the former track):

B.I.G. - AUTUMN WAVES

B.I.G. should return to music production to provide us with gems like Mindscapes!

Label Realm: numerical stArt

An effective way for searching great tracks is through the labels. My taste in music has evolved through the years, but some labels are memorable for their output, regardless of the genre they represent. If you are a new listener in electronic music, I have compiled a list (based on my Discogs collection) for your reference. Here we go (in alphanumeric order)!

4 Real Communication was a short-lived trance label, set up by David Gates and Malcolm Stanners, mostly known as Salt Tank. Unfortunately, the lifespan of the label was limited, as per the output of Salt Tank...

Additive was a sublabel of EMI, focused on progressive trance music. Under the label, several known artists of the genre were introduced to the masses, such as Chris Cowie (X-Cabs), Oliver Huntemann (Kay Cee), Ralph-Armand Beck (Taucher) and Laurent Véronnez (Velvet Girl). The declined popularity of trance in the mid-00's led to the closure of the label.

Armind is a Dutch trance label, which was the first imprint of Armada Music, the colossal EDM label. It was founded by Armin Van Buuren (prior to his superstar DJ status) and serves as home of his all own productions. While the current output of Armind and Armada Music in general does not seem inspirational, the very first releases were instant classics (Alibi - Eternity, Rising Star - Touch Me, Motorcycle - As The Rush Comes).

Audio Therapy was a label run by Dave Seaman, from 2000 until 2010, specialized in progressive house. It was the first production home of Stelios Vassiloudis, one of my favorite Greek artists of the genre. Additionally, the progressive breaks classic Habersham & Phil K - Cloudbrake can be found in the label.

Avatar Records was founded in 1997 by Israelis Avichay Avigal and Peter Eibenschutz. The label is mostly popular for its psy-trance output, massively produced in Israel. I am not very familiar with the genre, it is worth mentioning that the label hosted the first studio album of Astropilot (Fruits Of The Imagination), a solid release.

Tune #90: Chris Raven - I Know You Love Me Too!

A few days ago I accidentally came across the original version of track I Know You Love Me Too! by German producer Chris Raven (Chris Raabe).

CHRIS RAVEN - I KNOW YOU LOVE ME TOO! (ORIGINAL MIX)


BIO (an "improvised" German to English translation, taken from this Facebook page)

Chris Raven was born in 1972. His first contact with electronic music can be traced back to the start of the 90's in Solingen, a German city. There, he established his first residency at the Orange Club. During his tenure at the club, he organised electronic music events with other known DJs, like Westbam, DJ Dick and Steve Mason. Soon, he attracted the attention of Adam & Eve records, for which he would be become the label DJ, with appearances at Berlin's Love Parade and Zürich's Street Parade. He continued to spin records not only in other places of Germany, but also in Holland and Belgium.

In 1996, he collaborated in the studio with Bart Van Der Zwaan and Dr Logatec (editor's note: For some reason, I am not sure if Dr Logatec is a different person or an alias of Chris Raabe) for the production of his first track named I Know You Love Me Too!, which was released one year later by Electronic, an EMI sublabel. The track gained so much popularity, that it was licensed by important EDM labels, like Bonzai Records in Belgium and Additive in England, while it was canned by superstar DJs of this era (Paul Oakenfold, Sasha & John Digweed), reaching as classic status among clubbers.

Between the period 1999-2003, 3 additional EPs followed:
- I Lost You (2000)
- Smegma / Nevermore (2001)
- Loss Of Memory (2003)

Along to his original productions, he was involved in remix duties for other artists. Major League - Wonder/Wonder Where You Are? (a collab between Tiesto and Armin Van Buuren) and Gaia - 4 Elements (project of AVB) are the most known to be mentioned.

Until 2014, he was a regular DJ for Familiär Statt Populär parties held at Orange Club in Düsseldorf (editor's note: Likewise, I am not aware if it is the same club moved from Solingen to Düsseldorf or a new, different place). Mixing techno, prog and house music, he continues to mark his presence at the clubbing scene.

[End of "improvisation"]


Three remixes have accompanied the original version of today's track, all released in 1997. The version by Van Bellen is a multi-layered production: a 4x4 beat, a 303-esque acid bassline and the seductive vocals lead to the main hook, composing a banging dark progressive trance stomper.

CHRIS RAVEN - I KNOW YOU LOVE ME TOO! (VAN BELLEN REMIX)


The second remix is created by Bruce Norris. It is less sophisticated, but the emotional trance pads, which the version is based on, generate an uplifting feeling with greater emphasis on the vocal sample:

CHRIS RAVEN - I KNOW YOU LOVE ME TOO! (BRUCE NORRIS REMIX)


The last (and the lesser known) remix is provided by Dr. Logatec with the epic-like pads:

CHRIS RAVEN - I KNOW YOU LOVE ME TOO! (DR. LOGATEC REMIX)



I have in my possession the Additive vinyl, which features the Bruce Norris/Van Bellen remixes. Based on my current mood, I select the appropriate side of the vinyl!

Tune #40: Solid Sessions - Janeiro

Το καλοκαίρι μπορεί να πέρασε, όχι όμως και το mood...

SOLID SESSIONS - JANEIRO (ORIGINAL MIX)


Οι Solid Sessions ξεκίνησαν το 2000 ως τρίο, αποτελούμενο από τους Cyril Helwig, Thymen Holleman και Sander Jongerius. Ο τελευταίος αποχώρησε το 2001, οπότε το σχήμα συνεχίστηκε ως ντουέτο. Οι κυκλοφορίες τους (αν δεν ληφθούν υπόψη τα remixes) περιορίζονται στα Janeiro (2000), Fatal Morgana (2000) και Departure At Gate S (2001). Τι συνέβη και υπήρξε μια τόσο μικρή συγκομιδή; Πιθανώς, η τεράστια επιτυχία του Janeiro...


Το κομμάτι γνώρισε τόσο μεγάλη επιτυχία, ώστε να ρεμιξαριστεί από διάφορους DJs και παραγωγούς, αποκτώντας διάφορες ερμηνείες:

• proggy:

SOLID SESSSIONS - JANEIRO (LEMON8 REMIX)

• trancy:

SOLID SESSSIONS - JANEIRO (ARMIN VAN BUUREN DUB)

• downtempo:

SOLID SESSIONS - JANEIRO (CHILLER TWIST MIX)

• techy:

SOLID SESSIONS - JANEIRO (SUBTECH REMIX)

Προσωπική αγαπημένη επιλογή είναι το instrumental remix από τους Pronti & Kalmani (γνωστοί από τις παραγωγές τους στο eurodance σχήμα Alice DeeJay και το πιο πρόσφατο Dash Berlin), καθώς συνδυάζει μαγικά το progressive beat με την balearic μελωδία, δίνοντας περισσότερη ενέργεια, χωρίς όμως να χάνεται το summer feel.

Η γνωριμία τους με τους Solid Sessions ήταν αναμενόμενη: τα studios που χρησιμοποιούσαν βρίσκονταν δίπλα. Οι Pronti & Kalmani πρότειναν να ρεμιξάρουν το κομμάτι και να το κυκλοφορήσουν, μόνο αν οι Solid Sessions το ενέκριναν. Η συνέχεια είναι λίγο πολύ γνωστή...

SOLID SESSSIONS - JANEIRO (PRONTI & KALMANI INSTRUMENTAL)

Για το τέλος αφήνουμε το video clip της cheesy version (με τα φωνητικά της Vera)
SOLID SESSIONS - JANEIRO (PRONTI & KALMANI RADIO EDIT)