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 #92: Rocco - Saharien Child

France greets Morocco:

ROCCO - SAHARIEN CHILD (ORIGINAL MIX)


Sémakdji Mourad started DJing with the encouragement of his older brother at local clubs of Lyon, France in his teens. Serving initially as supporting cast for jocks like Laurent Garnier, Carl Cox, Louie Vega and DJ Deep, he developed his craftsmanship as a DJ.

In 2001, he collaborated with Alex Santos (Alex S) and Emmanuel Kossi (Manoo) to form Rodamaal, whose output caught quickly the attention of Ben Watt (of Everything But The Girl fame along with Tracey Thorn) and was published in his label Buzzin' Fly. The most popular tracks of the group were Musica Feliz’ and Insomnia (remixed by Âme), licensed in several compilations.

In the meanwhile, Sémakdji produced his own tracks under the Rocco moniker. His pseudonym resulted from a shortening of his initial name, Morocco, as suggested by a club manager in his early DJing years. Influenced by the veterans of the scene like Todd Terry, Masters At Work and Dimitri from Paris, he established a solid appreciation for deep house music.

After producing several tracks for various labels (Freerange, Defected, MN2S, Real Tone), he marked his name in the club scene. The success of tracks Someday and Memories gave him the opportunity to travel the world, sharing his music. A strong bond has been established with South Africa, a place he visits 3-4 times a year, where he enjoys mostly the appreciation of the crowd for deep house. Even his solo album The Bridge was released by SA label House Afrika Records in 2013, featuring artists and vocalists from South Africa and US.

Although Rocco's favorite place to DJ is found in the southern part of Africa, today's track is largely influenced by Moroccan tradition (I can only guess that Sémakdji has Arabian heritage judging from his name). Saharien Child was released in 2011 by Deeper Shades Recordings, a digital label set up by Lars Behrenroth. The vocal sample is taken from an old folk Moroccan poem, whose content is unknown to me, since I do not speak the Arabian lingo. However, this unfamiliarity does not prevent the listener to be moved by the emotion of the lyrics, combined with the ethno flavoured melody. For full listening experience, I would suggest the Lars' versions:

ROCCO - SAHARIEN CHILD (LARS BEHRENROTH REMIX)


ROCCO - SAHARIEN CHILD (LARS BEHRENROTH REPRISE)


It is a pity that the track is not available in physical format, a must have for appreciators of high quality music!

Tune #91: Electrotete - I Love You

I was always curious for the vocal snippets sampled in tracks, a classic gimmick used in electronic music. Trying to identify the source of the samples was an endless quest, which was extremely more difficult in the years before the world wide web.

This post is no exception:

ELECTROTETE - I LOVE YOU (ORIGINAL VERSION)


Before sharing the information of this track, let me have a flashback in the 80's. In 1982, a band called Brilliant was formed in London, following the craze of British synth pop. It was commercially unsuccessful, but it was notorious for its involved members, who followed later a famous career in the music business:
- Martin Glover aka Youth (founding member of the Killing Joke) would be a prominent producer and remixer!
- Jimmy Cauty would become the one half of the KLF!
- Ben Watkins and Stephane Holweck would be innovators in the goa trance scene!

Even the management group of the band were famous figures:
- David Balfe (manager of the band) founded the independent record labels Zoo Records and Food.
- Bill Drummond (record company A&R manager) would become the other half of the KLF!
- Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman, mostly known as Stock Aitken Waterman, were one of the most successful production partnerships from mid-1980s through the early 1990s.

Today's track belongs to Ben Watkins & Stephane Holweck. Propelled by the explosion of the acid house movement, they collaborated in 1989 for the creation of a pure electronic music project called Electrotete. Their first EP was released in 1991 by Rave Age Records, an influential French label founded by Manu Casana, who was responsible for hosting the first rave events in France. The track appears in this EP as a B-side in its original form.

One year later, the track was re-released with new versions by Apollo, the offshoot label of R&S records for the ambient division. Additional remix duties were performed by Anthony Thorpe (of The Moody Boys fame) and Danny Van Wauwe & Peter Ramson. The second remix sticks more to the original idea, containing additional elements (like an emotional piano loop and woman moaning):

ELECTROTETE - I LOVE YOU (REMIX VERSION)


Unfortunately, the lifespan of Electrotete lasted until 1994, when Shark / Alcatraz EP was released (by Apollo again). The latter track was included in The Goa Mix of Paul Oakenfold in the same year. I believe that the main reason for this was the popularity of their other project, which is no other but the legendary Juno Reactor, one of the core originators in goa trance!

Gradually, Stephane had less involvement in the JR moniker, making Ben the mastermind and undisputed leader of the project till this very day. The former focused on his side project called Total Eclipse, collaborating with the fellow French men Loïc Van Poucke and Serge Souque.

P.S. The "I Love You" sample is taken from Twin Peaks series, as the first video indicated. A interesting fact about this sample is that it is was also used a few year later by Jam & Spoon in Neurotrance Adventure: