Finally, the new Marina's single came out in the US and thanks to the MRK Records web site you can order it easily. Now let's talk about this new track : well, 124 BPM is a little bit too slow for the European ears that now use to listen to at least 135 BPM tracks ! I would say that "The Silent Night" (MRK 70192-5 tracks-MRK Records/Kamen Entairtenment Group 97) is a nice song especially made for the US market but not really adapted to the European clubs. Yet, I must admit that the "House Mix", with is faster beat (134 BPM), really gives a second breath to this track : a good mix of Marina's vocals, strong rhythm, all the ingredients for a good house track. And what about the bonus track "Rocket To Your Heart" ? This cover of Lisa's 1982 classic U.S. club hit is a good Eurodance mix with a slice of Eurodisco just to remember the good old days ! So if you like Whigfield and Aqua Dance style, this version will make you shake your... legs ;-) on the dancefloor, especially if you play it loud. Globally, this maxi CD have 2 qualities : a good house mix & a cool bonus track; and 1 failure : a too Americanized "original version". Anyway, Marina's third single prooves her success in the American clubs and confirms a growing interest & development of Dance Music in the US whose charm ambassadress is Marina.
N-Trance is the project of two British, Kevin O'Toole and Dale Longworth. Their first single "Turn Up The Power" (ref. 74321 19203 2 - 4 mixes - BMG Ariola Germany 94) came out in 1994, worked well all over Europe and was even covered by Trans-X-Press the same year. Their second hit "Set You Free" (7 mixes - All Around The World 94) also came out in Europe in 1994 and was N°1 in the UK charts, but this success was limited to the UK... This track was featuring Kelly LLorenna and the rapper T-1K. The video was only played on MTV Europe. The worldwide success happened in 1995 with their "Disco/Rap" cover of Bee-Gees classic "Stayin' Alive", which reached N°1 in almost every European countries and was well received in Canada, the US, South America & Asia. This track is featuring Ricardo Da Force (the former KLF rapper) and Gillian Wisdom. The video is a kind of remake of "Saturday Night Fever" where Lee Limer, the dancer, is playing a "Travolta" loser. The fourth single "Electronic Pleasure" announced the launch of their first album of the same name "Electronic Pleasure" (12 tracks - AATW 95). The video of "Electronic Pleasure" is showing a party in a dark warehouse in the future. In March 1997, their fifth single "Disco" came out in England & Germany (Intercord Germany 97)but was skipped by everybody, no video was shot for it. Hopefully in September 1997 came out the single "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" featuring Rod Stewart and Ricardo Da Force. The video was shot during a live tour in Asia this Summer. The new members are Kelly Llorenna and Jerome Stokes. Their latest single "The Mind Of The Machine" (cx globe 159 -4 mixes+CD-Rom part - AATW UK 97) came out in November 1997 and sounds like "Set You Free", probably because it also features Kelly Llorenna. Two maxiCD are available : one with 5 mixes and the second with 4 mixes & a weird CD-Rom part that presents the group as a futurist terrorist group. This CD-Rom part doesn't contain any video, bios or nice pics : it's a sound & visual presentation of their new song. These latest tracks are taken from the new album "The Mind Of The Machine" (AATW UK/DancePool Sony Music Europe 97). Visit their Official Web Site at "http://www.n-trance.co.uk".
After 2 Unlimited, DJ Bobo and Dr Alban, it's time for Scooter to release their first "Best Of" album called "Singles 94-98". It includes their major hit singles and their new track "No Fate" whose video is played since the 9th of November 1997 on VIVA. This album is perfect for you if you don't know Scooter yet... or if you just want to have the "cream" of their unique music style.
What's hot now with the Dance videos in Europe ? Well, let's have a look to Belgium where Dance music is quite prolific these days...
Milk Incorpored finally shot a video in London for their "Free Your Mind" single that features Jade 4 U and a new and additional singer, Sophie Winters (a Belgian model and actress) : you can see this video on MCM and M6. Groove Zone (News Belgium 97 - 4mixes) a new project of Eicher Martin has just released a "cool" video for their Summer hit "Eisbaer" (N°1 in Belgium for several weeks, a hit in France and just came out in Germany) : in 2062 AD, a group of explorers are seeking white bears in the North Pole, the video is fully made with 3D computarized animation : you can see the video on VIVA and MCM. Finally, 2 Fabiola team came back with 2 videos for their singles "Freak Out" and "The Magic Fly" : these 2 videos are broadcasted unfortunatly only on Polsat for the moment.
Any requests about this great site or any questions about Dance from 1989 until now ?... Don't hesitate, just e-mail me !
Fred's Dance Web Site. The number one French site about Eurodance on the Web.March 1997.