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!

Tune #109: E-Razor - Mantra

Though an overlooked tune, Mantra by E-Razor belongs to the best tunes of its genre.

E-RAZOR - MANTRA

E-Razor was a music project by Oliver Laib and Martin Eyerer. The partners in crime were frequent collaborators within 1997-2003, producing under various aliases, such as Dixon Hill, Nervouz Boys, Van Helsing, among others. They surely adopted the classic convention of 90's producers by using different pseudonyms according to the music genre they represented, whether it was trance, techno or minimal!

E-Razor alias focused on the hard trance sound, flavored with acidic elements and seamlessly interchanged with different styles of trance (progressive or goa). It was also their most successful project, featured on two Global Underground mixes (Mantra in GU:007 by Paul Oakenfold and India in GU:008 by Nick Warren) and licensed in several DJ mixes and compilations.

What makes Mantra a trance masterpiece is how the deep bass is interchanged with the melancholic piano pads. Though it is a hard trance composition, it creates a feeling of calmness. Mantra was released as a single (with Yeti on the B-side) in 1997 by Technogold, a German label which re-released mostly techno and trance classics between 1997-2003.

So, what are they up to now?

Oliver Laib (often confused with fellow German Oliver Lieb) still works as a producer, but for other artists. On the other hand, Martin Eyerer is a successful label owner of Kling Klong (along with Rainer Weichhold) and a versatile composer of electronic dance music, extending his rich heritage for more than 25 years!

Tune #4: Way Out West - The Gift

Το παρόν post θα αναφερθεί σε ένα πολύ αγαπημένο μουσικό σχήμα, το οποίο είναι οι Way Out West. Ένα από τα πιο καταξιωμένα τραγούδια τους είναι φυσικά το The Gift.

WAY OUT WEST - THE GIFT


Αποτελούμενο από 2 πολύ γνωστούς DJs, Nick Warren και Jody Wisternoff, το μουσικό duo δημιουργήθηκε στο Bristol το 1994 , όταν ο Jody συναντήθηκε με τον Nick σε ένα κατάστημα βυνιλίων, στο οποίο εργαζόταν ο δεύτερος.

O Nick Warren άρχισε να ασχολείται επαγγελματικά με τη μουσική από το 1988, όταν έπαιζε ως DJ reggae, indie μουσική σε clubs του Bristol. Από τις αρχές της δεκαετίας του '90 ήταν από τους πιο δημοφιλείς DJs της περιοχής.

Ο Jody Wisternoff ήταν από την ηλικία των 13 χρονών ένας break dancer που είχε ένα hip hop background. Κι αυτός στις αρχές του '90 άρχισε να εργάζεται ως DJ σε clubs με το όνομα Sub Love.

Το The Gift κυκλοφόρησε το 1996 ως single και εμφανίστηκε στο πρώτο τους album (Way Out West) το 1997. Δανείζεται τα φωνητικά της Joanna Law από το διασκευή της στο τραγουδι The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. Τα breaks του σε συνδυασμό με τη χρήση με των piano samples και basslines δημιουργούν μία ωραία μουσική ατμόσφαιρα, η οποία αναπτύσσεται προοδευτικά μέχρι να ακουστούν τα φωνητικά.

Το Δεκέμβρη του 2009 είχα την τύχη να τους απολάυσω live sto Fuzz Club. Στο set τους δεν έπαιξαν την original version, αλλά ένα νέο remix που έκαναν οι ίδιοι. Μπορείτε να το ακούσετε παρακάτω.


WAY OUT WEST - THE GIFT (WAY OUT WEST 2010 MIX) [LIVE AT FUZZ CLUB IN ATHENS]