Smash FX, a Zurich based DJ Duo has been making music together for some 8 years now and since roughly 3 years they go from strength to strength. They successfully copromote a monthly Breakbeat Night called „Miami Vice“ at Zurichs infamous UG club, playing next to people like Adam Freeland, Meat Katie or Freq.Nasty and have gone weekly a year ago. Besides they are busy playing the trendiest spots in town and have just released a Nu Skool Breaks mix on Muve (Offshoot of Swiss major Musikvertrieb) featuring a hot selection of their favourite tracks and remixes by people such as Ils, Koma & Bones or Meat Katie.
Smash FX have so far submitted one remix and one original track to the growing list of Ritmic tracks and it is highly possible that more good things will follow from these two cats.
Tobias Schmidt's techno sound has landed him albums on such respected labels as Tresor and Telepathic. Originally from Scotland and then relocating to England, Tobias built his name through vinyl-only singles and EPs. He has also worked with friend Neil Landstrumm, under the guise Sugar Experiment Station, and Dave Tarrida. Strictly a producer, Schmidt has traveled the world performing live to loyal fans and techno heads. His first full-length on Telepathic, Immigration, was issued in 1995, followed by two more releases including the more recognized Dark of Heartness. The album was followed a year later, in 2000, with Destroy on the German techno label Tresor. ~ Diana Potts, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
Raised in the bosom of a working class family, daughter of a male flamenco singer and a female dancer, Isabel Pantoja was strongly influenced by her parents to become an artist, debuting on a stage at the age of seven. As a teenager, Isabel Pantoja joined a dance group, later she moved to Madrid where she met Juan Solano and they decided to start working together. The singer debuted in 1974 with an album called Fue Por Tu Voz. After falling in love with bullfighter Francisco Rivera, the couple got married in April of 1983. A year later, Rivera passed away after a tragic accident during a bullfight. In 1985, Isabel Pantoja recorded Marinero De Luces, dedicated to her former husband, presented live at Madrid's Lope De Vega Theatre. That album became the artist's breakthrough. ~ Drago Bonacich, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
Brooklyn native Victor Calderone has been cranking out house tracks and remixes since the mid-'90s, when his 1996 production "Give It Up" became a club favorite around the globe. Since then he has been in demand, remixing tracks for the biggest names in pop music, including Madonna, Garbage, Bette Midler, Gloria Estefan, and the rarely remixed Sting. Calderone is equally busy as a DJ, with residencies at the Roxy in New York and Liquid in Miami. He's issued a number of mix CD's, including E=VC2 (1999) and Resonate (2003). ~ Wade Kergan, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
When Orlando native AK 1200 started his career in electronic music in the late '80s, almost no one in the country had ever heard of it. Nevertheless, the artist managed to carve out an extremely successful career in the realm of underground electronic music while simultaneously introducing countless people to the up-and-coming genre. At this point, he boasts one of the most illustrious careers of anyone in the business. He is not only a DJ, but also a producer, promoter, remixer, magazine publisher, and record store owner, not to mention a pioneer of breakbeat, jungle, and drum'n'bass.
The artist, whose real name is Dave Minner, first started playing generic early techno music in Orlando clubs in 1989. He has always had fairly progressive, edgy, and specific musical tastes, however, and club techno was not a very good match for him. The emerging U.K. breakbeat sound, on the other hand, suited him very well. AK quickly found his niche in hardcore breaks and left the mainstream techno scene behind forever. He was instrumental in helping keep breakbeat alive in the U.S. underground scene after it had lost popularity in the U.K. As the early '90s saw the birth of jungle and, later on, drum'n'bass in the U.S. underground, AK found his place as a tireless pioneer of the new sound. He toured extensively, scored a residency at San Francisco's legendary club Spundae, and published the magazine Junglized with musical colleague DJ Jeffee. His pattern was fairly predictable: He would champion a new subgenre only until everyone else had heard about it and jumped onto the bandwagon. When that happened, he'd veer off into another new niche of electronica that no one had yet heard of. Finally, in the mid-'90s, he decided to focus on producing and remixing, jumping into a prolific career that included collaborations with the likes of Keoki and Rabbit in the Moon. In 1999, he came full-circle, headlining the national Planet of the Drums tour. For this tour, he was the organizer and founder, as well as the star.
AK's discography and resum� read like a laundry list of who's who in underground electronica. He has remixed tracks for A Tribe Called Quest and the Crystal Method and collaborated with Dieselboy and Danny Breaks. His lengthy discography includes releases on Moving Shadow and Moonshine. Full-length releases include Prepare for Assault and Lock & Roll: A Drum & Bass DJ Mix. He also followed in Carl Cox's footsteps, releasing the second Mixed Live album on Moonshine Records in 2000. ~ L. Katz, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
DJ Icey has established himself as "The King of The Funky Breaks". For years now kids from all over the world have been coming out to see and hear this Orlando native. It's easy for kids to see him live due to the fact that he's on the road most of the year. Quite simply, This is where it all started for the hardest working DJ in America. His spinning career got into full gear with his residency at the now defunct clubThe Edge. Not only did DJ Icey use that time to pioneer funky breaks and launch his remix-producer career, he also made history by convincing the then unknown Chemical Brothers to play their first U.S. Show on July 4th, 1993 at The Edge. Building this solid foundation led to DJ Icey getting requests from other clubs wanting to book him. He hit the road and hasn't looked back. Now regarded as the "King of Funky Breaks" (Mixmag April 1998) by creating a sound that is uniquely his own, he's won a legion of followers all across the U.S. Furthermore, due to the eclectic nature of his set, it's no wonder that on any given moment his dance floor might be packed with breakdancers, B-boys, Ravers, Club Kids, Suburban Kids, and even Inner City Kids all brought together by DJ Icey. So what does the future hold for DJ Icey? He has his own label "Zone Records" through which he has released 12" mix's such as "As If". He will be following in the footsteps of other Essential DJ's such as Pete Tong, Fatboy Slim, and Paul Oakenfold, with the release of this summer's "Essential Mix - mixed by DJ Icey". In addition, DJ Icey will continue playing his heart out, spinning in his own inimitable style, and definitely appearing at a venue near you soon.
DJ Icey's breakbeat funk helped jump-start the increasingly fertile dance scene in and around Orlando, FL, during the '90s. Born and raised in the Sunshine State, Icey first got into music via early-'80s synth pop, industrial, and hip-hop. The boom in club music during the late '80s hooked him as well, and when he began DJing early in the '90s, he usually played out acid house and funky breaks. He gained a residency at The Edge, one of Orlando's seminal clubs, and soon began playing farther afield thanks to the burgeoning U.S. dance underground. (The club later went under, though not before hosting the Chemical Brothers' first American appearance, an invite extended by Icey himself.) When British DJ and longtime A&R kingpin Pete Tong heard an early single produced for Icey's own Zone Records in 1996, he signed the big-beat precursor Galaxy Breaks to his ffrr label. Even while spinning in several cities per week, DJ Icey managed to produce a good dozen singles per year for Zone, usually out of his studio in Orlando. His first major mix set, 1997's The Funky Breaks, was followed one year later by his full-length production debut Generate. Following in the footsteps of notable DJs from Tong to Fatboy Slim, DJ Icey released a volume in the Essential Mix series in 2000. Three years later, DJ Icey returned with his slickest breakbeat effort to date. Different Day appeared on System in March 2003. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
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Jamaican singer, who rode to success on the first wave of digital ragga working with King Jammy. He's probably best known for the dancehall version of the traditional Jamaican tune "Hog In A Minty" but "Sweet Reggae Music" and "Good Morning Teacher" were also significant successes
He moved to New York in the late 80s, but was shot dead in June 1991 in a murky incident outside a Brooklyn Record Shop
Originally from New Zealand, Natasha Bedingfield grew up in Southeast London, where she and her siblings were raised around music. By their teens, Natasha, brother Daniel, and sister Nikola had formed an R&B-based singing group. It didn't last, but the experience encouraged the Bedingfields to keep pursuing music. In 2001 and 2002 Daniel Bedingfield scored a hit with the single "Gotta Get Through This," and the following year it was Natasha's turn. Leaving university to sign with BMG, Natasha immediately started working on her first record. Buoyed by advance singles like "These Words" and "Single," Unwritten debuted at number one on the British charts. The golden reception for Bedingfield's rhythmic pop sound netted her platinum record sales and numerous BRIT awards. It also set up her assault on the American pop charts, which began in July 2005 with Unwritten's domestic release. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
The trip-hop act Sofa Surfers was founded by a quartet of sound-obsessed Viennese instrumentalists: Wolfgang Schl�gl, Markus Kienzl, Wolfgang Frisch, and Michael Holzgruber. The group's debut single, "Sofa Rockers," earned a remix from fellow Austrian head Richard Dorfmeister, and their debut album, Transit, earned wide release through MCA. Cargo and Constructions: Remixed and Dubbed followed three years later. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
Hållbus Totte Mattson, Anders Norrudde, Magnus Stinnerbom, Christian Svensson
Profile:
Sweeden band Hedningarna, "The Heathens" in English, drive ancient Nordic music into the modern era. Their world is a place where primitive, brutal folk music collides with sampling and programming.
There are three founding members of the band: Anders Norudde, Hållbus Totte Mattsson, and Björn Tollin, who started the band in 1987.
BAND MEMBERS (past and present):
PLAYERS:
Hållbus Totte Mattsson - mandora, lute, moraoud, hurdy-gurdy, accordion, hummel. (Totte was an early member of the seminal Swedish folk group 'Groupa', and is a member of the trio 'Boot' with Björn Tollin).
Anders Norudde - fiddles, keyed fiddles, bowed harp, Swedish bagpipe, flutes, jews harp, hardanger fiddle. (He is credited on early records as Anders Stake).
Björn Tollin - tambourine, percussion, hummel, sampling, bass mandora. (Björn is a member of the trio 'Boot' with Totte Mattsson. He left Hedningarna in fall 2000).
Ulf "Rockis" Ivarsson - bass (Ulf was a member of the group from 1997 to 1998)
Magnus Stinnerbom - Octave violin. (Magnus has his own band 'Harv' with Daniel Sandén-Warg, and accompanies Sanna Kurki-Suonio in her solo performances. Member of Hedningarna since 1999).
Christian Svensson - percussion and sampler. (Member of Hedningarna since 2000).
SINGERS
Anita Lehtola (Anita is a member of the Finnish band 'Loituma'. She left Hedningarna in 2000).
Liisa Matveinen (She left the band in 2003).
Sanna Kurki-Suonio (ex-member of 'Loituma'. She left Hedningarna in 2000).
Tellu Paulasto (Tellu now uses her married name "Virkkala", and currently performs with 'Luna Nova'. She left the band in 1996, rejoined in 2001 and again left in 2003).
The Nordic group Hedningarna was formed in Sweden by multi-instrumentalists Anders Stake, Bj�rn Tollin and H�llbus Totte Mattsson; although the group's self-titled 1989 debut LP was an instrumental effort, by the release of 1992's Kaksi!, Finnish vocalists Sanna Kurki-Suonio and Anita Lehtola had joined the lineup. Tr� followed in 1994, and two years later Hedningarna returned with Fire. Subsequent releases include 1997's Hippjokk and 1999's Karelia Visa. In 2001, the NorthSide label reissued their debut album and in 2003 a much needed career spanning retrospective, 1989-2003 was issued. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
A rootsy reggae singer with messages of unity, love, and justice deeply embedded in his music, Lutan Fyah was born in the parish of St. Catherine, Jamaica, with music in his blood. With his grandfather running a sound system, artists such as Lieutenant Stitchie, Papa San, Lady G., and the legendary Dennis Brown would often visit the family home. Fyah aspired to become a famous singer himself, but he also took his soccer playing seriously and joined a professional team after finishing high school. He gave up sports in 1999 and began an internship at Buju Banton's Gargamel label. He went on to record some tracks for Banton's label along with some freelance work for other producers, before singer Jah Mason came along in 2001 and offered Fyah the support slot on his worldwide tour. Three years later he made his full-length debut with Dem No Know Demself on the Minor7Flat5 label. Time and Place on the Lustre Kings label followed in 2005. A year later he released two albums, Phantom War on Greensleeves and Healthy Lifestyle on VP. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
Infernal is a Danish dance group. They had their debut in 1997 with the release of the "Sorti De L'enfer" and released their first album "Infernal Affairs" in 1998.
Infernal started consisting of Søren Haahr, Paw Lagermann and Lina Rafn but under the preparation for their second album, Søren Haahr decided to leave Infernal. He has since worked with Infernal a couple of times under the name RedStar.
They had great success with their single "From Paris To Berlin" in 2006. The single was the second most sold in England and it ended up as #2 on the Top 40 UK chart.
Dennis Young is best known as the marimba player and percussionist for Liquid Liquid, a trend-setting early 1980's NYC band whose song "Cavern" was used by Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel in "White Lines".
Dennis Young is a self-taught musician who started playing drums at an early age. His curiousity led him to other instruments that include marimba, percussion, keyboards, guitar and vocals.
Young composes his own music, which combines influences from rock, jazz, dance, electronic and world music while incorporating unique rhythms and colorful musical textures.
He has released 9 solo albums to date and helped a number of local musicians with production and studio work.
Japanese turntablist and producer DJ Krush is one of the few island-nation throw-ups to be embraced by the global hip-hop world. Releasing material through Sony in Japan, Mo'Wax and Virgin in the U.K., and Axiom, Shadow, and A&M in America, Krush's heady brand of experimental, (largely) instrumental hip-hop has been praised by everyone from hardcore underground hip-hop 'zines like The Bomb to the speckless offices of Rolling Stone and Spin. Beginning as a bedroom DJ in the mid-'80s following the Japanese leg of the Wildstyle tour, Krush moved into mobile DJing, backing up rappers, and eventually solo production. Although his Japan-only debut freely mixed elements of R&B and acid jazz with the beefy breakbeat backbone of mid-tempo hip-hop, Krush's work has since tended more toward the abstract, applying heavy effects and sample manipulation to thick, smart breaks, layered, almost ambient textures, and subtle, inventive scratching. Krush came to larger acclaim in the mid-'90s through his association with the London-based Mo'Wax label, which released his Strictly Turntablized in 1994 and Meiso in 1996, both reissued stateside by A&M. While Turntablized is closer to a collection of DJ tools, Meiso is a return of sorts to his earlier work, including rappers such as Guru and CL Smooth on a few tracks and incorporating a wider variety of instrumental sounds and atmospheres. In addition to 1997's Milight, Krush also featured on a number of various-artists collections, including Mo'Wax's celebrated Headz, as well as Altered Beats and Axiom Dub (both out on Bill Laswell's Axiom label). Kakusei appeared on Mo'Wax/Columbia in 1999, followed by the mix albums Code 4109 and Tragicomic the next year. Zen from 2001 was filled with guest MCs while The Message at the Depth from 2003 featured far fewer and focused on instrumentals. Jaku landed in 2004, and two years later the Stepping Stones collection featured Krush remixing highlight from his back catalog. ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
Despite having a successful solo career as a cult artist, vocalist Peter Murphy remains best known as the lead vocalist for Bauhaus, the pioneering post-punk goth rock band of the early '80s.
After disbanding Bauhaus in 1983, Murphy formed Dali's Car with former Japan member Mick Karn. Dali's Car only released one album, The Waking Hour, in 1984. Following its release, the duo broke up and Murphy hesitatingly began a solo career with a cover of Magazine's "The Light Pours Out of Me," which was featured on a 1985 Beggars Banquet compilation called The State of Things. In 1986, he released his first full-fledged solo album, Should the World Fail to Fall Apart, which featured a number of guest artists, including former Bauhaus member Daniel Ash. Two years later, Murphy released his second solo album, Love Hysteria. Like its predecessor, Love Hysteria received lukewarm reviews but sold well to his dedicated fan base.
With 1990's Deep, Murphy had a surprise hit -- the first single from the record, the Bowie-esque "Cuts You Up," became the American modern rock hit of the year, spending seven weeks at the top of the U.S. charts and crossing over to AOR radio and the pop charts, where it peaked at number 55. Following its success, Deep reached number 44 on the album charts. Murphy wasn't able to sustain that success with his next album, 1992's Holy Smoke, which only reached 108 on the charts, despite the number two modern rock hit "The Sweetest Drop."
In 1995, Murphy released Cascade, which was greeted with weak reviews. The album failed to chart in either America or Britain. While touring with a reunited Bauhaus in 1998, he recorded the solo EP Recall. The new millennium, however, saw a newly charged Murphy. Without a deal, he took to the road in support of the greatest-hits retrospective Wild Birds 1985-1995: The Best of the Beggars Banquet Years for two tours of the U.S. during spring and fall 2000. The latter tour, which was more acoustically based, showcased some new material and rare favorites. Still a cult mainstay with American fans, Murphy issued the live double-disc Alive Just for Love in summer 2001. This delightful set was released by Metropolis and featured Bauhaus tracks and solo hits. A year later, he hooked up with renowned world artist Mercan Dade for this sixth studio album, Dust. Unshattered followed in 2004. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
Kowalski was born in 1978 in Greifswald, Germany. He moved to Berlin with his family in 1986. In the beginning of the 90's the first techno releases from Detroit came to Berlin, and Kowalski was a big fan of those.
Later on, he started making music on his Amiga, and in 1997 he bought equipment with a friend and arranged a studio.
His first production "The Wide Theatre" was then released on the Tresor Headquarters Compilation (Tresor 094) under the name DisX3. That kick-started his career.
Techno has many faces - and in recent years, with the emergence of Alexander Kowalski, the German Techno scene has gained a new shooting star. At the end of the nineties he became known through his first live acts in Berlins' most known techno club, Tresor.
In 2002 he made his musical break-through with the release of his second full length, "Progress", an album which was highly acclaimed by both fans and critics alike. Today Alexander Kowalski is a new star in the Techno sky, and a greatly demanded live act, producer and remixer.
Kowalski elegantly fuses elements from classic Detroit and historical Berlin techno sound. His affection for sophisticated bass lines, deep beats and challenging arrangements breathes new life into Techno. He knows perfectly how to program his tracks to sound straight, deep, housy, dubby or funky - and this versatility is one of the reasons for his reputation under both ravers and underground-oriented techno nerds.
In August 2003 his new album "Response" appears on the German label Kanzleramt - and the critics are already enthusiastic: Kowalski is on the front cover of Raveline and Groove (08/2003), the two most important German dance music magazines.
After moving to Berlin in the early '90s and discovering techno, producer Alexander Kowalski became affiliated with the Tresor collective before going on to release solo work for Heiko Laux's Kanzleramt label. His early productions for Tresor in 1999 as DisX3 and Double X garnered substantial praise for the young producer, as did subsequent productions for Sender Berlin's unGleich label. That same year, he began producing tracks for Kanzleramt under his own name, beginning with the Live EP, which showcased his proficiency as a live performer. A year later in 2001, Kowalski performed live at the famed Sonar festival and Kanzleramt released his first full-length release, Echoes. Another full-length followed in 2002 for Kanzleramt, Progress, which had been preceded by an EP of the same name. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
Micronaut is the instrumental side project of Sister Machine Gun's Chris Randall. As Micronaut, Randall released a self-titled debut and then Io, both on his own Position Records imprint. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
Prolific London, UK based DJ/producer who debuted on Blueprint in 1996.
Founded his own label, Meta in 1997 and continued to develop his style towards a more dancefloor friendly brand of funky tribal techno, while retaining experimental elements and continuing to produce for other labels. Later set up a number of sublabels under Meta to cater for a widening repertoire of electronic styles, incorporating influences from jazz, funk, fusion, rock and avant garde styles of all kinds.
Along with other DJ/producers like James Ruskin and Surgeon, Oliver Ho is one of the most talented artists to have emerged during the mid-'90s in England's hard techno scene. In addition to international DJ appearances, Ho released a wealth of 12"s throughout the late '90s and into the next decade on labels like Blueprint, Surface, and his own label, Meta. His style of techno is similar to that of his other U.K. hard techno peers like Ruskin, Surgeon, Regis, and Ben Sims -- fast, minimal, percussive, tribal, and somewhere between Drumcode-style Swedish techno, Tresor-style Berlin techno, and Axis-style Detroit techno. Even though Ho never garnered much acclaim or fame in his native country, he became a superstar in techno-friendly countries like Germany and Japan, where he often DJed. Occasionally, Ho would release full-length albums like Listening to the Voice Inside, but for the most part, he focused on the 12" medium -- dancefloor-orientated tracks rather than listener-friendly songs.
Growing up in the West London area, Ho found himself surrounded with music at an early age. Some of his early interests included early industrial and electronic music by artists such as Brian Eno, Coil, and Psychic TV. During his adolescent years, he learned to play the guitar, simultaneously developing an appreciation for jazz. After being exposed to early-'90s Warp recordings by artists such as Aphex Twin, Ho began creating electronic music. With a Roland sampler and a sequencer, he produced his first tracks in 1995 and these tracks subsequently came to the attention of James Ruskin, a fellow hard techno producer/DJ also from the London area. Ruskin happened to be starting his own label, Blueprint, and asked Ho to contribute some of his tracks, the resulting 12," The Gathering, was the second release in the Blueprint catalog, with many more Ho 12"s to follow, including some full-length releases like Sentience.
By 1997, Ho had already established himself as one of the global techno scene's more accomplished producers as other big-name labels like Drumcode (Sweden) and Surface (France) also began releasing his records. It was then that Ho decided to start his own label, Meta. One release followed another through the late '90s as Ho churned out a prolific output, capitalizing on his rising popularity. In fact, his voluminous Meta catalog had proven so successful in such a brief period of time that Ho decided to start another label in 1999, Light and Dark. Then, in 2000, Ho released his first full-length CD on Meta, Listening to the Voice Inside, which helped him cross over to the non-DJ crowd. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
While most bands undergo a number of changes over the course of their careers, few groups experienced such radical stylistic changes as Fleetwood Mac. Initially conceived as a hard-edged British blues combo in the late '60s, the band gradually evolved into a polished pop/rock act over the course of a decade. Throughout all of their incarnations, the only consistent members of Fleetwood Mac were drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie -- the rhythm section that provided the band with its name. Ironically, they had the least influence over the musical direction of the band. Originally, guitarists Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer provided the band with its gutsy, neo-psychedelic blues-rock sound, but as both guitarists descended into mental illness, the group began moving toward pop/rock with the songwriting of pianist Christine McVie. By the mid-'70s, Fleetwood Mac had relocated to California, where they added the soft rock duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks to their lineup. Obsessed with the meticulously arranged pop of the Beach Boys and the Beatles, Buckingham helped the band become one of the most popular groups of the late '70s. Combining soft rock with the confessional introspection of singer/songwriters, Fleetwood Mac created a slick but emotional sound that helped 1977's Rumours become one of the biggest-selling albums of all time. The band retained its popularity through the early '80s, when Buckingham, Nicks, and Christine McVie all began pursuing solo careers. The band reunited for one album, 1987's Tango in the Night, before splintering in the late '80s. Buckingham left the group initially, but the band decided to soldier on, releasing one other album before Nicks and McVie left the band in the early '90s, hastening the group's commercial decline.
The roots of Fleetwood Mac lie in John Mayall's legendary British blues outfit, the Bluesbreakers. Bassist John McVie was one of the charter members of the Bluesbreakers, joining the group in 1963. In 1966 Peter Green replaced Eric Clapton, and a year later drummer Mick Fleetwood joined. Inspired by the success of Cream, the Yardbirds, and Jimi Hendrix, the trio decided to break away from Mayall in 1967. At their debut at the British Jazz and Blues Festival in August, Bob Brunning was playing bass in the group, since McVie was still under contract to Mayall. He joined the band a few weeks after their debut; by that time, slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer had joined the band. Fleetwood Mac soon signed with Blue Horizon, releasing their eponymous debut the following year. Fleetwood Mac was an enormous hit in the U.K., spending over a year in the Top Ten. Despite its British success, the album was virtually ignored in America. During 1968, the band added guitarist Danny Kirwan. The following year, they recorded Fleetwood Mac in Chicago with a variety of bluesmen, including Willie Dixon and Otis Spann. The set was released later that year, after the band had left Blue Horizon for a one-album deal with Immediate Records; in the U.S., they signed with Reprise/Warner Bros., and by 1970, Warner began releasing the band's British records as well.
Fleetwood Mac released English Rose and Then Play On during 1969, which both indicated that the band was expanding its music, moving away from its blues purist roots. That year, Green's "Man of the World" and "Oh Well" were number two hits. Though his music was providing the backbone of the group, Peter Green was growing increasingly disturbed due to his large ingestion of hallucinogenic drugs. After announcing that he was planning to give all of his earnings away, Green suddenly left the band in the spring of 1970; he released two solo albums over the course of the '70s, but he rarely performed after leaving Fleetwood Mac. The band replaced him with Christine Perfect, a vocalist/pianist who had earned a small but loyal following in the U.K. by singing with Spencer Davis and the Chicken Shack. She had already performed uncredited on Then Play On. Contractual difficulties prevented her from becoming a full-fledged member of Fleetwood Mac until 1971; by that time she had married John McVie.
Christine McVie didn't appear on 1970's Kiln House, the first album the band recorded without Peter Green. For that album, Jeremy Spencer dominated the band's musical direction, but he had also been undergoing mental problems due to heavy drug use. During the band's American tour in early 1971, Spencer disappeared; it was later discovered that he left the band to join the religious cult the Children of God. Fleetwood Mac had already been trying to determine the direction of their music, but Spencer's departure sent the band into disarray. Christine McVie and Danny Kirwan began to move the band towards mainstream rock on 1971's Future Games, but new guitarist Bob Welch exerted a heavy influence on 1972's Bare Trees. Kirwan was fired after Bare Trees and was replaced by guitarists Bob Weston and Dave Walker, who appeared on 1973's Penguin. Walker left after that album, and Weston departed after making its follow-up, Mystery to Me (1973). In 1974, the group's manager, Clifford Davis, formed a bogus Fleetwood Mac and had the band tour the U.S. The real Fleetwood Mac filed and won a lawsuit against the imposters -- after losing, they began performing under the name Stretch -- but the lawsuit kept the band off the road for most of the year. In the interim, they released Heroes Are Hard to Find. Late in 1974, Fleetwood Mac moved to California, with hopes of restarting their career. Welch left the band shortly after the move to form Paris.
Early in 1975, Fleetwood and McVie were auditioning engineers for the band's new album when they heard Buckingham-Nicks, an album recorded by the soft rock duo Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The pair were asked to join the group and their addition revived the band's musical and commercial fortunes. Not only did Buckingham and Nicks write songs, but they brought distinctive talents the band had been lacking. Buckingham was a skilled pop craftsman, capable of arranging a commercial song while keeping it musically adventurous. Nicks had a husky voice and a sexy, hippie gypsy stage persona that gave the band a charismatic frontwoman. The new lineup of Fleetwood Mac released their eponymous debut in 1975 and it slowly became a huge hit, reaching number one in 1976 on the strength of the singles "Over My Head," "Rhiannon," and "Say You Love Me." The album would eventually sell over five million copies in the U.S. alone.
While Fleetwood Mac had finally attained their long-desired commercial success, the band was fraying apart behind the scenes. The McVies divorced in 1976, and Buckingham and Nicks' romance ended shortly afterward. The internal tensions formed the basis for the songs on their next album, Rumours. Released in the spring of 1977, Rumours became a blockbuster success, topping the American and British charts and generating the Top Ten singles "Go Your Own Way," "Dreams," "Don't Stop," and "You Make Loving Fun." It would eventually sell over 17 million copies in the U.S. alone, making it the second biggest-selling album of all time. Fleetwood Mac supported the album with an exhaustive, lucrative tour and then retired to the studio to record their follow-up to Rumours. A wildly experimental double album conceived largely by Buckingham, 1979's Tusk didn't duplicate the enormous success of Rumours, yet it did go multi-platinum and featured the Top Ten singles "Sara" and "Tusk." In 1980, they released the double-album Live.
Following the Tusk tour, Fleetwood, Buckingham, and Nicks all recorded solo albums. Of the solo projects, Stevie Nicks' Bella Donna (1981) was the most successful, peaking at number one and featuring the hit singles "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," "Leather and Lace," and "Edge of Seventeen." Buckingham's Law and Order (1981) was a moderate success, spawning the Top Ten "Trouble." Fleetwood, for his part, made a world music album called The Visitor. Fleetwood Mac reconvened in 1982 for Mirage. More conventional and accessible than Tusk, Mirage reached number one and featured the hit singles "Hold Me" and "Gypsy."
After Mirage, Buckingham, Nicks, and Christine McVie all worked on solo albums. The hiatus was due to a variety of reasons. Each member had his or her own manager, Nicks was becoming the group's breakaway star, Buckingham was obsessive in the studio, and each member was suffering from various substance addictions. Nicks was able to maintain her popularity, with The Wild Heart (1983) and Rock a Little (1985) both reaching the Top 15. Christine McVie also had a Top Ten hit with "Got a Hold on Me" in 1984. Buckingham received the strongest reviews of all, but his 1984 album Go Insane failed to generate a hit. Fleetwood Mac reunited to record a new album in 1985. Buckingham, who had grown increasingly frustrated with the musical limitations of the band, decided to make it his last Fleetwood Mac project. When the resulting album, Tango in the Night, was finally released in 1987, it was greeted with mixed reviews but strong sales, reaching the Top Ten and generating the Top 20 hits "Little Lies," "Seven Wonders," and "Everywhere."
Buckingham decided to leave Fleetwood Mac after completing Tango in the Night, and the group replaced him with guitarists Billy Burnette and Rick Vito. The new lineup of the band recorded their first album, Behind the Mask, in 1990. It became the band's first album since 1975 to not go gold. Following its supporting tour, Nicks and Christine McVie announced they would continue to record with the group, but not tour. Vito left the band in 1991, and the group released the box set 25 Years -- The Chain the following year. The classic Fleetwood Mac lineup of Fleetwood, the McVies, Buckingham, and Nicks reunited to play President Bill Clinton's inauguration in early 1993, but the concert did not lead to a full-fledged reunion. Later that year, Nicks left the band and was replaced by Bekka Bramlett and Dave Mason; Christine McVie left the group shortly afterward. The new lineup of Fleetwood Mac began touring in 1994, releasing Time the following year to little attention. While the new version of Fleetwood Mac wasn't commercially successful, neither were the solo careers of Buckingham, Nicks, and McVie, prompting speculation of a full-fledged reunion in 1997. The live album Shrine 69 was released in 1999. Say You Will, the first Fleetwood Mac studio album in 15 years, appeared in April 2003. It also marked the group's first set without Christine McVie since 1997's live effort, The Dance. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
Manuel Río was born on December 13th of 1974. He started his DJ/Producing career in 1992, strongly influenced by the electronic music of that time. He started spinning in Madrid, in clubs that were very popular in 1992 such as "Epsilon" and "Now." Four years later, he bought his first piece of studio equipment, which changed his musical direction; he started to study electronic music and how to produce it. Bando was taught by one of the best sound engineer in Spain (Pedro Vidal). Since then, he has Djed all over Spain in cities like Barcelona, Madrid and many others. Outside Spain he has visited countries like Slovenia, Croatia, France, Greece, Germany, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Japan... He also had a residency for two years at the "Cool" club in Valladolid. Currently he has a residency in "Emotion Club" (Madrid).
His three decks sets are full of dynamism and strength, and his style, very percussive and groovy, makes of this artist a very personal one, with a very the refined technique.
As producer, he's working for the worldwide well-known labels like Primate, Superbra, Pornographic, Primevil, Isoghi, Donkey head, Session, Monoid...
He has also remixed people like Ben Sims or Cristian Varela and founded his own label: Patchwork.
He also manages the audio-midi academy "Phrenetic Studio".
DJ since 1991, working in the german club Dubmission (Berlin). In 1999, the readers of the english magazine "DJ" voted Paul as the "Best Music Maker". Then at the 1999 Music Awards in London he received the "Best international DJ award". The "Ministry of Sound” Magazine elected him as the "Best international DJ", and his regular 6 hour set at “Gatecrasher” was voted as the "second best club night ever" by the readers of the English magazine "Muzic".
His hit singles "Another Way and Tell me why" and "We are alive" spent serveral weeks at number 1 in the German Dance - charts, and also reached number 15, 13 & 7 in the UK Sales - charts. He continuously moved-up in “DJ Magazine’s” annual list of the "Top 100 DJ´s worldwide" where he was voted as number 1 DJ of the world in 2005; then in September 1999, "Mixmag” Magazine elected him as "Man of the year" and "Muzik Magazine" named him as "Leader of the Trance Nation".
He is married to Natascha Van Dyk, who also appears on some of his releases.
From early Berlin techno and house through to progressive trance, producer/DJ Paul Van Dyk has soundtracked the German electronic dance scene ever since he moved to the city and began mixing in 1988. A native of a German town near Frankfurt, Van Dyk first heard house music on the radio during the mid-'80s. Soon he was experimenting with a rudimentary turntable setup, and after hitting Berlin, he gigged around the city. By 1991, he had appeared at the legendary Tresor club; he later set up his own E-Werk club, and debuted on record as Visions of Shiva, with fellow trance wizard Cosmic Baby. He remixed for New Order, Humate, Sven V�th, and others, then signed to the German MFS Records for his first album, 1994's 45 RPM. By the midpoint of the 1990s, Paul Van Dyk had become a globe-trotting DJ and remixer. His second album, Seven Ways, resulted in British and German dance-chart entries for the singles "Beautiful Place," "Forbidden Fruit," and "Words." While both of his albums were issued in America during 1998, Van Dyk added a remix collection (Perspective) and mix album (Vorsprung Dyk Technik) to his discography. 2000 saw the release of the single "Tell Me Why (The Riddle)," the album Out There and Back, and the EP We Are Alive. As a follow-up to global club dates in support of those releases, Van Dyk released another EP, Columbia, in mid-2001. After a relatively quiet 2002 (on the recording front), Van Dyk returned with a mix-album/greatest-hits/DVD (Global), the soundtrack to a film (Zurdo), and a new production album (Reflections). The Politics of Dancing, Vol. 2 arrived in 2005. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
Ray Charles was the musician most responsible for developing soul music. Singers like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson also did a great deal to pioneer the form, but Charles did even more to devise a new form of black pop by merging '50s R&B with gospel-powered vocals, adding plenty of flavor from contemporary jazz, blues, and (in the '60s) country. Then there was his singing; his style was among the most emotional and easily identifiable of any 20th-century performer, up there with the likes of Elvis and Billie Holiday. He was also a superb keyboard player, arranger, and bandleader. The brilliance of his 1950s and '60s work, however, can't obscure the fact that he made few classic tracks after the mid-'60s, though he recorded often and performed until the year before his death.
Blind since the age of six (from glaucoma), Charles studied composition and learned many instruments at the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and the Blind. His parents had died by his early teens, and he worked as a musician in Florida for a while before using his savings to move to Seattle in 1947. By the late '40s, he was recording in a smooth pop/R&B style derivative of Nat "King" Cole and Charles Brown. He got his first Top Ten R&B hit with "Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" in 1951. Charles' first recordings came in for their fair share of criticism, as they were much milder and less original than the classics that would follow, although they're actually fairly enjoyable, showing strong hints of the skills that were to flower in a few years.
In the early '50s, Charles' sound started to toughen as he toured with Lowell Fulson, went to New Orleans to work with Guitar Slim (playing piano on and arranging Slim's huge R&B hit, "The Things That I Used to Do"), and got a band together for R&B star Ruth Brown. It was at Atlantic Records that Ray Charles truly found his voice, consolidating the gains of recent years and then some with "I Got a Woman," a number-two R&B hit in 1955. This is the song most frequently singled out as his pivotal performance, on which Charles first truly let go with his unmistakable gospel-ish moan, backed by a tight, bouncy horn-driven arrangement.
Throughout the '50s, Charles ran off a series of R&B hits that, although they weren't called "soul" at the time, did a lot to pave the way for soul by presenting a form of R&B that was sophisticated without sacrificing any emotional grit. "This Little Girl of Mine," "Drown in My Own Tears," "Hallelujah I Love Her So," "Lonely Avenue," and "The Right Time" were all big hits. But Charles didn't really capture the pop audience until "What'd I Say," which caught the fervor of the church with its pleading vocals, as well as the spirit of rock & roll with its classic electric piano line. It was his first Top Ten pop hit, and one of his final Atlantic singles, as he left the label at the end of the '50s for ABC.
One of the chief attractions of the ABC deal for Charles was a much greater degree of artistic control of his recordings. He put it to good use on early-'60s hits like "Unchain My Heart" and "Hit the Road Jack," which solidified his pop stardom with only a modicum of polish attached to the R&B he had perfected at Atlantic. In 1962, he surprised the pop world by turning his attention to country & western music, topping the charts with the "I Can't Stop Loving You" single, and making a hugely popular album (in an era in which R&B/soul LPs rarely scored high on the charts) with Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. Perhaps it shouldn't have been so surprising; Charles had always been eclectic, recording quite a bit of straight jazz at Atlantic, with noted jazz musicians like David "Fathead" Newman and Milt Jackson.
Charles remained extremely popular through the mid-'60s, scoring big hits like "Busted," "You Are My Sunshine," "Take These Chains From My Heart," and "Crying Time," although his momentum was slowed by a 1965 bust for heroin. This led to a year-long absence from performing, but he picked up where he left off with "Let's Go Get Stoned" in 1966. Yet by this time Charles was focusing increasingly less on rock and soul, in favor of pop tunes, often with string arrangements, that seemed aimed more at the easy listening audience than anyone else. Charles' influence on the rock mainstream was as apparent as ever; Joe Cocker and Steve Winwood in particular owe a great deal of their style to him, and echoes of his phrasing can be heard more subtly in the work of greats like Van Morrison.
One approaches sweeping criticism of Charles with hesitation; he was an American institution, after all, and his vocal powers barely diminished over his half-century career. The fact remains, though, that his work after the late '60s on record was very disappointing. Millions of listeners yearned for a return to the all-out soul of his 1955-1965 classics, but Charles had actually never been committed to soul above all else. Like Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley, his focus was more upon all-around pop than many realize; his love of jazz, country, and pop standards was evident, even if his more earthy offerings were the ones that truly broke ground and will stand the test of time. He dented the charts (sometimes the country ones) occasionally, and commanded devoted international concert audiences whenever he felt like it. For good or ill, he ensured his imprint upon the American mass consciousness in the 1990s by singing several ads for Diet Pepsi. He also recorded three albums during the '90s for Warner Bros., but remained most popular as a concert draw. In 2002, he released Thanks for Bringing Love Around Again on his own Crossover imprint, and the following year began recording an album of duets featuring B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Michael McDonald, and James Taylor. After hip replacement surgery in 2003, he scheduled a tour for the following summer, but was forced to cancel an appearance in March 2004. Three months later, on June 10, 2004, Ray Charles succumbed to liver disease at his home in Beverly Hills, CA. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)