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 #93: Joker Jam - Traffic

Where are they now?

JOKER JAM - TRAFFIC (ORIGINAL MIX)


Joker Jam was the birth child of German producers Uwe Hölters and Bart van der Zwaan. Their first track was Innocence, released in 2001 by Red Series (possibly a label set up by themselves). Supported and remixed by Paul Van Dyk, it was also re-released by Green Martian (subsidiary label of the Bonzai guys) in Belgium and by Five AM in UK. Additionally, it was featured in many mix and comp CDs, achieving great success in the club scene.

The popularity of the track secured a new release called Traffic (not to be confused with Tiesto's track!!!) in the following year. The new production was included in the eighth installment of In Trance We Trust series, crafted by DJ Ton T.B. (mostly known as the one half of the alias Three Drives On A Vinyl). While the DJ mix is not very interesting in terms of flow and track selection (however, we should not deny the greatness of Ton T.B. as a producer), one of the highlights is undoubtedly this track.

I am wondering why such an energetic track like Traffic was not licensed in more compilations, since it is a progressive trancer which is capable for taking the listener to a euphoric atmosphere. I guess that Innocence stole its thunder, being the first production. Anyway, the usual suspect of that era Yoogie Van Bellen steps in on remix duties, adding his unique touch for a blissful listening experience. Additionally, a guitar-free version is also featured, performed by Joker Jam.

JOKER JAM - TRAFFIC (VAN BELLEN REMIX)


JOKER JAM - TRAFFIC (SUNSET MIX)


So, where are they now? Uwe has teamed up with fellow "Düsseldorfian" Felix Kessler to form a new project called Danzzer. No track has been released officially yet, since the duo is seeking for singers and songwriters to collaborate with them (according to their Soundcloud account).
Although his music output outnumbers considerably Uwe's work, Bart seems to be inactive for many years (at least according to Discogs!). However, he has found a new passion in handmade crafts!

Happy New Year!

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 #56: Van Bellen - Groovepalette

Ο Γερμανός Jörg Querner, γνωστός ως (Yoogie Van Bellen), ανήκει στην τρομερή φουρνιά της progressive trance μεταξύ τέλη 90's - αρχές 00's, μιας εποχής που παρήγαγε καταιγιστικά κομμάτια (όπως το Breeder - Tyrantanic που αναρτήθηκε παλαιότερα). Κινούμενο σε αυτά τα πλαίσια, το Music Miner παρουσιάζει το Soul Feel Groovepalette!

VAN BELLEN - GROOVEPALETTE


Το μουσικό υπόβαθρο του Yoogie περιλαμβάνει διάφορα ακούσματα, όπως οι πρωτοπόροι Pink Floyd, Jean Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk (από τα 70s), disco και soul (από τα 80s), καθώς και italo dance και hip hop. Μεγάλη επιρροή σύμφωνα με τα λεγόμενά του αποτελεί το συγκρότημα Art Of Noise, ένα από τα πρώτα μουσικά σχήματα που χρησιμοποίησε το sampling σε pop μουσική.

Το DJing και η παραγωγή μουσικής ξεκίνησε σε ερασιτεχνικό στάδιο στο δεύτερο μισό της δεκαετίας του 80. Ολοκληρώντας τις επαγγελματικές του σπουδές το 1994, η χρονιά ορόσημο αποτέλεσε 3 χρόνια αργότερα, όταν συνεργάστηκε με τους Harry Kane & Andreas Bialek, οι οποίοι δεν είναι άλλοι από τους Nalin & Kane.

Στο label τους, Superfly, κυκλοφόρησε το 1997 η πρώτη παραγωγή του Van Bellen με την ονομασία Let Me Take You (On A Journey). Την ίδια χρόνια οι Nalin & Kane του δάνεισαν τον κομμάτι τους Talkin' About για remixing.

Το χρονικό διάστημα 1997 - 2004 αποτελεί την χρυσή εποχή για τον Yoogie, καθώς κυκλοφόρησαν κομμάτια όπως:

• Saint & Sinners - Pushin' Too Hard (σε συνεργασία με τον Wilfried Belz)
• Saint & Sinners - Pacific High
• Power Dove - September Soul (σε συνεργασία με τον John Johnson)
• Breeder - New York FM (remix)
• DJ Sakin & Friends - Protect Your Mind (remix)
• John Johnson - I Want Your (remix)

τα οποία χρησιμοποιήθηκαν κατά κόρον από τους Sasha & Digweed, προμοτάροντας τον ήχο της progressive trance.

Στην ίδια κατεύθυνση κυμαίνεται και το Soul Feel, το οποίο κυκλοφόρησε το 2000 στο βρετανικό label Beak Recordings. Την επόμενη χρονιά το κομμάτι συμπεριλήφθηκε στο Bedrock DJ Mix του Jimmy Van M, κάνοντας το ευρύτερα γνωστό στο κοινό της ηλεκτρονικής μουσικής.

Πραγματοποιώντας ένα διάλειμμα μεταξύ 2005 - 2011, ο Jörg Querner επέστρεψε στη δράση με μουσικές στο φάσμα της progressive house. Μπορεί αυτές να μην προσεγγίζουν τα πρότυπα της χρυσής εποχής, αλλά ένα είναι σίγουρο: o Van Bellen έχει στο παλμαρέ του μία πληθώρα από σπουδαίες δουλειές και θα έπρεπε να τυγχάνει μεγαλύτερης αναγνώρισης...

Tune #54: David Alvarado - Klugh

H deep house στα καλύτερά της: David Alvarado - Klugh!

DAVID ALVARADO - KLUGH (MAIN MIX)

Γέννημα θρέμμα του L.A., ο David Alvarado ξεκίνησε το dj-ing σε underground parties της περιοχής στις αρχές της δεκαετίας του 90. Επηρεασμένος από την house μουσική που ήταν δημοφιλής στην γενέτειρα Αμερική ήδη από τα 80's, βοήθησε στη διαμόρφωση της deep house και αποτέλεσε έναν από τους σημαντικότερους εκπροσώπους της.

Η δουλειά του απαριθμεί 4 studio albums και δεκάδες singles/remixes, τα οποία κυκλοφόρησαν σε σημαντικές δισκογραφικές, όπως η Peacefrog Records (γνωστή για την ποικιλία των κυκλοφοριών της), Yoshitoshi Recordings (δημιούργημα των Deep Dish), Ovum Recordings (ιδιοκτησίας Josh Wink) και Definitive Recordings (θυγατρικό label της Plus 8 των Richie Hawtin - John Acquaviva).

Το σημερινό κομμάτι βρέθηκε σε ένα πραγματικά αδιάφορο mix CD του Carl Cox και αποτελεί πιθανώς τη μόνη ενδιαφέρουσα στιγμή του DJ mix. Το Klugh είναι ένα επιτυχημένο μείγμα tech house - deep house, το οποίο έχει αντέξει στο χρόνο (1999) και μπορεί εύκολα να ακουστεί και σε σημερινά DJ sets. Δεν είναι άλλωστε τυχαίο το γεγονός ότι το κομμάτι χαίρει της εκτίμησης του Γερμανού Yoogie Van Bellen, ο οποίος είναι γνωστός για trance κομμάτια και συνεπώς δεν έχει ιδιαίτερη σχέση με την deep house!

Πριν από έναν χρόνο περίπου, o David Alvarado ανέβασε στον προσωπικό λογαριασμό που διατηρεί στο Soundcloud το πρώτο mix CD που κυκλοφόρησε με την δικιά του συμβολή. Το intro κομμάτι του mix πρέπει να βρεθεί!!!