When in hard times, there is no other option than to hold on tight...
LAMBDA - HOLD ON TIGHT (ORIGINAL MIX)
RED was a short-lived electronic music label (1995 - 1999) based in Netherlands. A funny thing about this label was the formula used for the aliases of the signed artists: the letters of the Greek alphabet!
The Greek letters were distributed among the following producers:
- Letters α, ζ, μ, ξ, π, ρ, τ, υ, φ and ψ were occupied by Vincent Kriek (I can only assume that Vincent is the founder of the label, using the most letters!).
- Letters β, γ, δ, κ, σ, ο and χ were reserved by Dutch versatile artist Alex Dijksterhuis, mostly known for his pseudonym Jamez.
- Georgio Schultz used letter ε.
- René ter Horst (better known through his collaborations with his partner in crime Gaston Steenkist) used letter η.
- Theta (θ) release was actually Sonic Evolution - Electron (it seems that Oliver Wischerath deviated from the strict naming).
- Letter ν is missing in the Discogs database, so no information is currently available.
- The remaining letters ι, λ and ω were given to today's artist Edwin Keur.
Influenced by the electronic dance music of the early eighties (hip hop/electro-boogie/swingbeat), Edwin Keur created with the help of his friends an illegal radio station at the end of the same decade. At the same time, he got acquainted with Olav Basoski and Georgio Schultz. In the early 90's the radio station got busted, so Edwin and his friends performed a new program via a legal radio station, at which he met René ter Horst and Gaston Steenkist. In the meantime, he expressed interest in writing his own compositions, so he bought some equipment in order to produce the first tracks.
Hold On Tight was written in 1995 by Edwin as Lambda (λ) and it is undoubtedly the most successful release of RED (1996). Having more than 30 releases in Netherlands, Italy, Germany, France, UK, Belgium, Spain and Australia and featured in many compilations & mixes, it is widely considered a club classic.
The original version has a dark and cold feel, just like it was generated in a factory! Additionally, it samples the vocals of Martha Walsh from her song Give It Back To Me. There are many remixes of the track, but the most prominent reprise belongs to the trance masters of that era, Nalin & Kane (1997)!
LAMBDA - HOLD ON TIGHT (NALIN & KANE REMIX)
The dark atmosphere is still present in this version. The track slowly builds with a intro which underlies the storm to follow. Finally, the energy is released by the outro synth which transforms the record to a club dynamite!
Nowadays, Edwin Keur seems to be inactive in terms of music production, but he occasionally DJs in events held in Netherlands. However, Hold On Tight is still remembered by the club community for its energy!
Τετάρτη 6 Δεκεμβρίου 2017
Δευτέρα 23 Οκτωβρίου 2017
Σάββατο 14 Οκτωβρίου 2017
Tune #83: Quench - Dreams
One of the most interesting waves that appeared in electronic music was the Aussie progressive breaks sound that blossomed during the first half of the '00s. This post however will NOT refer to this scene (ok, not the most conventional way for an introduction!), but to one of the tracks that defined the Australian electronic music of the '90s and set the path for new artists and genres. MUSIC MINER presents:
QUENCH - DREAMS (ORIGINAL MIX)
Quench was a project created by producer CJ Dolan and DJ Sean Quinn (with the occasional assistance of Kasey Taylor). The first release of the group was Feel My Love (1993), a plain house tune released by Melbourne-based label Vicious Vinyl. The minor success of the track changed the plans of CJ & Sean, leading them to the production of the hard monster track Dreams in the same year.
In 1995, Quench was continued as a solo project of CJ (until 2000), as Sean formed a new partnership with Kasey Taylor, in order to form Our House (until 2004). The popularity of Dreams had undoubtedly influenced the inspiration of the three guys. Their future releases for the first 5 years focused on harder compositions, accompanied by the peak of the prog movement:
· Narcotik - Blue (a collab between CJ Dolan & Gab Olivier)
· Chrome - Chromium (same line-up)
· Our House – Floor Space
In a seven-year-period, Quench released two studio albums (Sequenchial in 1994 & Conse-Quench-Ial in 2000) and a bunch of EPs. However, Dreams had already set the bar too high, so no other release reached a point of adequate success.
Dreams was originally featured in a sampler by Sirius Music in 1993. It is amazing how a primitive track compared to the today's productions has stood well the test of time. The atmospheric intro leads to a fat-nearly-to-explode bassline with the presence of ethereal bells (welcome to the Church of Quench!). The track creates a build-up, in order to release an anthemic synth riff that will certainly melt the dance floor at any given time!
Although it achieved great success with various releases, it became more popular in its rip-off format, titled Gamemaster by Lost Tribe (Matt Darey) and released by Hooj Choons in 1997.
LOST TRIBE - GAMEMASTER (ORIGINAL MIX)
Fueled by their success, several emerging artists followed their path, resulting to the Melbourne sound and especially to the Australian breaks scene. Most notable examples include Phil Krokidis (the master of breaks), Luke Chable (mostly remembered for the remix of PQM - Your Are Sleeping), Ivan Gough and Andy Page.
Which are the whereabouts of each guy today? CJ Dolan seems to have given up music production (no recent entry in Discogs) for a regular job in insurance industry. Kasey Taylor is a music label owner (the defunct Vapour Recordings & the new Lo-Fi-45) and occasional DJ. Last but not least, Sean Quinn continues his long-running tenure as a touring DJ.
P.S. Sean Quinn & Kasey Taylor, who had mastered the art of DJing, were honored to compile the first two installments of the legendary Balance series, which continues to this day!
QUENCH - DREAMS (ORIGINAL MIX)
Quench was a project created by producer CJ Dolan and DJ Sean Quinn (with the occasional assistance of Kasey Taylor). The first release of the group was Feel My Love (1993), a plain house tune released by Melbourne-based label Vicious Vinyl. The minor success of the track changed the plans of CJ & Sean, leading them to the production of the hard monster track Dreams in the same year.
In 1995, Quench was continued as a solo project of CJ (until 2000), as Sean formed a new partnership with Kasey Taylor, in order to form Our House (until 2004). The popularity of Dreams had undoubtedly influenced the inspiration of the three guys. Their future releases for the first 5 years focused on harder compositions, accompanied by the peak of the prog movement:
· Narcotik - Blue (a collab between CJ Dolan & Gab Olivier)
· Chrome - Chromium (same line-up)
· Our House – Floor Space
In a seven-year-period, Quench released two studio albums (Sequenchial in 1994 & Conse-Quench-Ial in 2000) and a bunch of EPs. However, Dreams had already set the bar too high, so no other release reached a point of adequate success.
Dreams was originally featured in a sampler by Sirius Music in 1993. It is amazing how a primitive track compared to the today's productions has stood well the test of time. The atmospheric intro leads to a fat-nearly-to-explode bassline with the presence of ethereal bells (welcome to the Church of Quench!). The track creates a build-up, in order to release an anthemic synth riff that will certainly melt the dance floor at any given time!
Although it achieved great success with various releases, it became more popular in its rip-off format, titled Gamemaster by Lost Tribe (Matt Darey) and released by Hooj Choons in 1997.
LOST TRIBE - GAMEMASTER (ORIGINAL MIX)
Fueled by their success, several emerging artists followed their path, resulting to the Melbourne sound and especially to the Australian breaks scene. Most notable examples include Phil Krokidis (the master of breaks), Luke Chable (mostly remembered for the remix of PQM - Your Are Sleeping), Ivan Gough and Andy Page.
Which are the whereabouts of each guy today? CJ Dolan seems to have given up music production (no recent entry in Discogs) for a regular job in insurance industry. Kasey Taylor is a music label owner (the defunct Vapour Recordings & the new Lo-Fi-45) and occasional DJ. Last but not least, Sean Quinn continues his long-running tenure as a touring DJ.
P.S. Sean Quinn & Kasey Taylor, who had mastered the art of DJing, were honored to compile the first two installments of the legendary Balance series, which continues to this day!
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