Milli Vanilli – Girl I’m gonna Miss You

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Kneeknee

Milli Vanilli – Girl I’m gonna Miss You

Milli Vanilli - Girl I'm gonna Miss You

Milli Vanilli. The mere mention of the name still calls up the same derision it did when the dance-pop duo’s career came to a sudden and ignominious end:

Fakers. Frauds. A blatant marketing scam. Their story has been retold countless times: after selling millions of records, Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan were revealed to be models who publicly lip-synced to tracks recorded by anonymous studio vocalists. They became the first act ever stripped of a Grammy award and came to symbolize everything people disliked about dance-pop: it was so faceless that every musician involved could remain anonymous without anyone knowing the difference, so mechanical and artificial that the people who constructed it had to hire models to give it any human appeal, so pandering and superficial that people bought it just for its attachment to a pretty face.

Whether that assessment was fair or not, it was beyond easy to hold Milli Vanilli in contempt. Yet for all the scapegoating, they were far from the only dance-pop act to be fronted by lip-syncers in the late ’80s (the Martha Wash-voiced Black Box and C+C Music Factory spring to mind), nor were they the only Europop act to employ similar marketing tactics. (They were simply the most successful and visible, since their incorporation of rap made them more appealing to Americans.) What’s more, pop music had a long tradition of hits recorded by anonymous studio musicians, dating back to ’50s instrumental combos and ’60s bubblegum.
Milli Vanilli had the bad luck to get caught in a hoax during the extraordinarily image-conscious MTV era and a time when dance music of any stripe was accorded virtually no critical respect anyway, before its producers were perceived as the real creative points of focus. It’s not as though Milli Vanilli were acclaimed for their honesty of expression before the scandal broke; it’s more likely that what fuelled the backlash was public resentment over Rob and Fab’s celebrity (why should they be famous if they couldn’t sing?) and embarrassment over the fact that Milli Vanilli’s marketing had worked like a charm on everyone right up through the Grammy committee. Source allmusic

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Deee-Lite – Groove Is In The Heart

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Kneeknee

Deee-Lite – Groove Is In The Heart

Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart

With the massive popularity of their hit single “Groove Is in the Heart,” Deee-Lite brought the colourful sights and sounds of New York’s club culture into the mainstream. Formed in 1986, the trio was led by vocalist Lady Miss Kier (born Kieren Kirby in Youngstown, Ohio) and fleshed out by a pair of DJs, Super DJ Dmitry (a classically-trained guitarist and Russian emigre born Dmitry Brill) and Jungle DJ Towa Towa (born Doug Wa-Chung in Tokyo, Japan).

Fusing house, techno, rap, ambient and funk music with an outrageous visual flair largely influenced by the drag-queen community (Kier’s fondness for Fluevog platform shoes helped the 1970s fashion revival gather steam), Deee-Lite became hugely popular among New York club denizens, and the trio’s own unique cultural make-up earned them a following which ignored racial and sexual boundaries. In 1990, they debuted with the album World Clique, a crossover smash thanks to hits like the loping classic “Groove Is in the Heart” (featuring the fluid bass of Bootsy Collins and the saxophone of Maceo Parker) and “Power of Love.”

With their 1992 follow-up Infinity Within, Deee-Lite’s music turned overtly political as songs touched base with hot topics like the environment, safe sex and democracy. Towa Towa left the group soon after; rechristened Towa Tei, he released his solo debut Future Listening in 1995. Kier and Dmitry, meanwhile, enlisted DJ Ani for 1994’s Dewdrops in the Garden, a sensual outing influenced by the growing rave culture. After the release of 1996’s remix album Sampladelic Relics and Dancefloor Oddities, Deee-Lite disbanded.

Source… artistdirect.com

Chaka Demus & Pliers – Twist and Shout

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Kneeknee

Chaka Demus & Pliers – Twist and Shout

Chaka Demus & Pliers - Twist and Shout

John Taylor (born April 16, 1963 in West Kingston), better known as Chaka Demus, is a Jamaican reggae musician and DJ, best known as part of the duo Chaka Demus & Pliers.

Early Years

Taylor was a regular attendee at Kingston dances and was given a chance by Prince Jammy to DJ on his sound system. Upon releasing his debut single, the Jammy-produced “Increase Your Knowledge” in 1985, he was virtually unknown and none of his early records saw chart success, but would later become huge hits. Other musicians quickly recognised him as having great potential, most notably Yellowman who joined him for such songs as “Everybody Loves Chaka”, “Scotty”, and “Bring It To Me” and Admiral Bailey, who collaborated with him on “One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer”, giving him his first hit. After minor success, he moved to the Penthouse Records label where he recorded the single “Chaka on the Move” but switched back to Jammy’s the following year where he paired up with Shabba Ranks for the Rough & Rugged album. The same year saw the release of “Everybody Loves Chaka”, for the Scorpio label, which was then followed up by the 1989 album, The Original Chaka’ ‘Watch me Ride’

Mainstream Success

He first met Pliers (Everton Bonner) in 1991 and suggested that they team up. They enjoyed an internationally successful partnership including a string of hit singles and a number one album in the UK between 1993 and 1997.

In 2007, Chaka Demus & Pliers reunited to record a track called “Need Your Lovin” which was released on vinyl, on Explorer Records. On November 18, 2007, Chaka Demus & Pliers performed “Murder She Wrote” alongside Alicia Keys at the 2007 American Music Awards. Their subsequent album, “So Proud”, was released in Europe and the Middle east in October 2008. A solo album, called DJ Spirit was released in 2008.

Chaka Demus now runs his own record label, Bright Star, on which he has released records by his son, known by his stage name of Marvellous. He continues to perform with Pliers, and recorded a new album in 2012, featuring guest appearances from Pliers, Marvellous, and Freddie McGregor. Source wikipedia

Breakfast Club – Right On Track

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Kneeknee

Breakfast Club – Right On Track

Breakfast_Club.jpg
Breakfast Club - Right On Track
Breakfast Club was an American pop group. Their biggest hit single was “Right on Track”, which went to No. 7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was remixed for a commercial release in a 12″ version for dance/club play by John “Jellybean” Benitez and went top ten on the Billboard Magazine Hot Dance Club Play chart.

The group was formed in New York in the late 1970s, and went through several line-ups including one in which Madonna was the drummer. In the early 1980s, the band included Madonna, Angie Smit on bass, and the Gilroy brothers, Dan and Ed, both on guitar (Dan sang lead vocals as well). Dan Gilroy was also briefly Madonna’s boyfriend, and he eventually allowed her to sing some lead vocals. Madonna ultimately left to form a new band, Emmy.

In the mid 1980s, the band consisted of the Gilroy’s (with Dan now concentrating exclusively on vocals, while Ed provided all guitars), Gary Burke (bass), Paul Karuk (keyboards), and Stephen Bray (drums). Both Bray and Burke had previously been Madonna’s bandmates in Emmy. Bray had also dated Madonna for a while, and reportedly, Madonna had initially suggested him as her replacement in Breakfast Club.

They signed with ZE Records and released their eponymous album in 1987 on MCA Records, which spawned the U.S. Top Ten hit “Right On Track”. Later, Randy Jackson (bass) and E. Doctor Smith (The Drumstick, percussion) joined the band.

A second album was recorded but never released. Their last single was a cover version of The Beatles’ song “Drive My Car”, from the 1988 film License to Drive. Shortly afterwards the band broke up. Bray later co-wrote several big hits with Madonna. They were nominated in the category of Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards in 1988, losing out to Jody Watley. A majority of their music videos, including “Right on Track,” were filmed by Jeff Stein, director of The Who documentary, The Kids Are Alright.

Dan Gilroy later went on to star in Mother Goose Rock ‘n’ Rhyme as Gordon Goose and in Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle as Pete the Postman. Source….en.wikipedia.org

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Electro Swing – Bei mir bist du scheen

Posted on May 19, 2013 by pasgroup

Electro Swing – Bei mir bist du scheen

is the first of 74 videos in this post, enjoy.
Electro Swing

NOTE The above link auto plays 74 videos of Electro Swing and runs for quite some time.

Electro swing is a musical genre fusing swing styles with house production techniques, with influences from other forms of EDM electronic dance music.

Contemporary artists of the genre incorporate loops, samples, melodies and styles from the Swing, Jazz and Big Band era such as Django Reinhardt, Cab Calloway and Benny Goodman to create new, more club friendly and accessible compositions. Leading artists include Parov Stelar, Caravan Palace, Bart And Baker, Dutty Moonshine, Kiwistar, Swingrowers, Dj Venom and Odjbox.

The genres are connected with a revival of swing dances like the Lindy hop, the popularity of Neo-Burlesque and the resurgence in an appreciation of vintage fashion and culture in mainstream society, championed by style icons Dita Von Teese and successful television shows like Boardwalk Empire.

Most early Electro Swing tunes were one-offs and would not at the time have been described as such. Lucas With The Lid Off by Lucas Secon is an early example which had some chart success. Various others like Doop (1995), Jimmy Luxury (who coined the term ‘Swing Hop’) with “Hi-Ball Swing” (1999), Jurassic 5‘s “Swing Set” (2000), Gry and F.M. Einheit‘s “Princess Crocodile” (2000), and Mr. Scruff‘s “Get A Move On” (1999) all built on this sound adding new variations. Many ‘Lounge’ and ‘Nu-Jazz’ tracks also borrowed Swing music elements, perhaps most notably from the artist St. Germain. In 2005 Parov Stelar, who had been experimenting with a ‘Nu-Jazz‘ type sound released the first of a series of Electro Swing records on his own label Etage Noir label and began to cement a sound. This was developed and built on by artists like G-Swing, Waldeck and Caravan Palace.

Gradually a new genre began to form from the disparate pieces. A tipping point was reached as other artists, some new and some who were already involved with other styles like downtempo, lounge or house began to pick up on the sound and style. In 2009 the first compilation albums of the music began to appear ‘defining’ the genre. Most notably “Electro Swing” from Wagram in France and “White Mink: Black Cotton (Electro Swing versus Speakeasy Jazz)” from Freshly Squeezed Music in England which was described by the dance music magazine Mixmag as “Electro Swing’s first landmark moment”.

In late 2009 the first Electro Swing club was created in London by Chris Tofu (Continental Drifts) and Nick Hollywood (Freshly Squeezed Music) to launch the “White Mink : Black Cotton” Electro Swing compilation series. “Yes this really is a new genre and an exciting one at last” said London’s Time Out (company) of the club.

Milli Vanilli – Baby Don’t Forget My Number

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Kneeknee

Milli Vanilli – Baby Don’t Forget My Number

Milli Vanilli - Baby Don't Forget My Number

Picture source

Milli Vanilli. The mere mention of the name still calls up the same derision it did when the dance-pop duo’s career came to a sudden and ignominious end:

Inner Circle – Sweat – A La La Long

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Kneeknee

Inner Circle – Sweat – A La La Long

Inner Circle - Sweat - A La La Long

Inner Circle is a Jamaican reggae group. The group was formed in 1968 by the brothers Ian and Roger Lewis in Jamaica. With Jacob Miller as their frontman and lead singer the band was one of the most popular in Jamaica during the 70’s, and one of few reggae bands that performed live. They are responsible for the 1987 song “Bad Boys,” which serves as the theme song for Fox Network’s long-running television program COPS. However, at first they covered soul and R&B hits from the United States, and then also a few reggae songs, predominantly from Bob Marley.

Career

The band released its debut album in 1974 on the famed record label, Trojan Records, and resigned in 1979 to Island Records, where the internationally successful album Everything Is Great originated. This album reached top 20 in the UK and preceded their other chart success by some years.

The original Inner Circle included Ibo Cooper (keyboards), Stephen Cat Core (guitar), Funky Brown (vocals), Prilly (vocals), Ian and Roger Lewis, and Mr. Lewis. The band’s residence was originally on Holborn Road in New Kingston. In latter years they had a horn section that included Douglas Gutherie on alto sax and Leighton Johnson on trumpet; both were former members of the Excelsior High School band. During that time the band toured extensively to North America and Bermuda. At the end of this time, Ibo and Cat started their own band, Third World, whose hits included, “Now That We Found Love” and “Ninety Six Degrees in the Shade”. Ibo, Cat, and Funky Brown were at this time students of the University of the West Indies studying for various degrees.

Buggles – Video Killed The Radio Star

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Kneeknee

Buggles – Video Killed The Radio Star

Horn and Downes first met in 1976, at auditions for Tina Charles’ backing band, and worked with her producer, Biddu, whose backing tracks had an influence on their early work. After this stint they briefly went their separate ways, Horn playing bass guitar in the house band at Hammersmith Odeon for a while, where he met Bruce Woolley. During this period Horn yearned to become a record producer, but was frustrated by not being able to find ideal songs or artists to work with. As a result he reunited with Geoff Downes, and the trio of Horn, Downes and Woolley began writing their own songs to record themselves as a studio band.

The Buggles’ sound was characterised by a deliberately synthetic quality in keeping with the technological subject matter of their songs. Two different stories are claimed for the origin of the band’s name. Horn said he chose “The Buggles” because “It was the most disgusting name I could think of at that time while Downes claims that it arose out of a joke and was actually a pun on “The Beatles”:

It was originally called The Bugs. The Bugs were studio insects—imaginary creatures who lived in recording studios creating havoc. Then somebody said as a joke that The Bugs would never be as big as The Beatles. So we changed it to The Buggles.

A demo of the first song which they recorded, “Video Killed the Radio Star”, was sent to Island Records in the summer of 1979, who signed them immediately. This demo featured vocals by Tina Charles, who also helped fund the project. Although the song was chiefly a Woolley composition, he left shortly before its release to form a new band, The Camera Club, who would release their own version of the song. Released in September 1979, “Video” was the 444th number one in the UK charts, spending one week at the top, as well as reaching number one on the singles charts of fifteen other countries The video, directed by Russell Mulcahy, was to be the first video ever aired on MTV two years later, at midnight on 1 August 1981.Award-winning film composer Hans Zimmer makes a brief appearance in the video.

At the time of “Video’s original release, the duo didn’t have an album’s worth of material to record, and so they wrote most of the other tracks for their 1980 debut album, The Age of Plastic, while travelling around Europe promoting their first song. Three subsequent singles were released from the album: “(Living in) The Plastic Age”, “Clean, Clean”, and “Elstree”, which also charted in the UK. Debi Doss and Linda Jardim (now Linda Allen), the female voices on “Video Killed the Radio Star”, contributed their vocals to other songs on the album. Read More….en.wikipedia.org

Dean Martin And Nancy Sinatra – Things

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Kneeknee

Dean Martin And Nancy Sinatra – Things

Dean Martin And Nancy Sinatra Things

This legendary singer was christened Dino Paul Crocetti, and was the younger son of two Italian immigrants; his older brother was called Bill. Being born into an Italian immigrant family, Dino only spoke Italian at home and was teased a great deal at school on account of his poor English and strong Italian accent.

Young Dino wasn’t hugely gifted academically and dropped out of school at the age of 16, when he went to work in the local steel mills. As a teenager, he tried his hand at boxing, and fought several amateur bouts under the sporting name of “Kid Crochet”. He also turned his hand to several part-time jobs that weren’t totally legal. This was also the era of Prohibition, and young Dino supplemented his income by delivering bootleg liquor! Eventually, he found work as a croupier in a local nightclub and began to make connections with the network of club owners throughout the Midwest.

Martin began his singing career at the age of 17, singing in local nightclubs near his home town in Ohio. He dreamed of making the big time as a stage singer, just like his showbiz idol, Bing Crosby. Whilst he was singing with a local group called the Ernie McKay band, a bandleader called Sammy Watkins noticed him, and hired him to be his own band’s lead vocalist. Martin began touring with Watkins in 1938, changing his name to Dean Martin in 1940. By 1943, he’d moved to New York and had been given an exclusive contract singing at the Riobamba Room. Before long, he’d also secured his own fifteen-minute programme broadcasting from Radio City, entitled ‘Songs By Dean Martin’. New Yorkers warmed to Martin’s relaxed, mellow singing style and laid-back charm, and by 1946, he‘d recorded four songs with Diamond Records.

Despite his good looks and undoubted singing ability, major success and the “big time” still lay beyond Martin’s reach. His early years as an entertainer were arduous and tough. In 1946, he succeeded in releasing his first single, ‘Which Way Did My Heart Go?’, and he also met up with another young wannabe showbiz star, a comedian called Jerry Lewis. The two performers soon became friends.

Later that same year, Jerry Lewis was playing at a club called The 500 in Atlantic City when another act on the programme suddenly dropped out. Jerry Lewis suggested that his new pal Dean Martin should step in and the manager agreed. To begin with, Martin and Jerry performed separately, but one night they decided to abandon their normal routine and teamed up in a kind of Mutt-and-Jeff-style twosome that proved to be wildly popular with the club’s clientele. News of their act spread like wildfire through Atlantic City’s Boardwalk, and within weeks, their salary had risen to $5,000 per week. By the end of the 1940s, Martin and Jerry had become the most popular comedy team in America, and a movie offer from Paramount in Hollywood was the next exciting offer in the pipeline.

Lou Bega – Mambo No 5

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Kneeknee

Lou Bega – Mambo No 5

Lou Bega - Mambo No 5

How everything started:

In 1999 the Mambo fever which broke out in Germany arrives in more than 20 countries world-wide: “Mambo No.5” is #1 of the charts, hit of the year, newcomer of the year and all radio stations play the song again and again. Within short time Lou Bega infects the whole globe with “Mambo No.5”.

With his debut album “A little bit of Mambo” Lou Bega enters the top positions of the charts world-wide. In USA the successful album reaches #3 of the Billboard album charts. “A little bit of Mambo” is sold more than 7 million times world-wide. Only in USA he sold more than 3.5 million exemplars. His second single “I got a girl” reaches the top 20 of the charts in 5 countries.

Like no other Lou has been able to form his own style of music by blending elements of the 40s and 50s era with up to date grooves and sounds

Awards from all over the world bombard the down-to-earth artist. He receives the German music award ECHO in 2 categories and is nominated even five times. He is also nominated for the GRAMMY, in Cannes he receives the reputable WORLD MUSIC AWARD. Further awards like the BLOCKBUSTER ENTERTAINMENT AWARD in Los Angeles/USA, FESTIVAL BAR in Verona/Italy, the AMADEUS AWARD in Vienna/Austria as well as the BUNTE NEW FACE AWARD in Berlin/Germany and many more follow…

LOU BEGA LETS THE WHOLE WORLD DANCE AND CELEBRATE!
From 1999 till today Lou Bega tours together with his band and his exotic female dancers all over the world – highlights are e. g. the USA tour with CHER in 22 cities of the USA or “mega live shows” in South America. Rio de Janeiro, in Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo turn into boiling pots by Lou Bega. The artist’s world tour also stops on the Indian subcontinent where he performs in Bombay, New Delhi, Madras, Bangalore and Calcutta. The more than 200 European concerts inspire more than 3 million visitors. Also in Las Vegas, Tokyo, Moscow, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates Lou Bega’s shows cause great enthusiasm. International companies, princes and royal houses – beneath the King of Morocco – book Lou Bega and his live show for private or corporate events. Read More…..lou-bega.com

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Milli Vanilli – Girl I’m gonna Miss You