After the release of the fantastic original mixes, we're happy to welcome our buddy Stev Dive on remix duties for Roger-Ms "Running Up That Hill".
He reworks this iconic 80s song into a proper nu-disco affair.
Dimitri Kechagias review: [review top="1"] [item value="10"]Beat and Rhythm[/item] [item value="10"]Basslines and Groove[/item] [item value="10"] Melody [/item] [item value="10"] Synths [/item] [item value="10"]Breakdown[/item] [item value="10"]Climax / Drop / Crescendo / Pay off moment[/item] [item value="10"]Intensity, Drive and Energy[/item] [item value="10"]Sound-design and Arrangement[/item] [item value="10"]Overall Atmosphere[/item] [item value="10"]Goosebumps / Shivers moments[/item] [item value="10"]Emotional affinity and heartfelt moments[/item] [item value="10"]Originality and Inventiveness[/item] [item value="10"]Radio Friendly[/item] [item value="10"]You can’t get this memorable track out of your head[/item] [item value="10"]It has potential to become an anthem or a classic[/item] [item value="10"]Roger-M feat. Christine Moll - Running Up That Hill (Stev Dive Remix)[/item]
[content title="Summary" label="Overall Score"] One of the most iconic tracks of the 80's is back in 2022 thanks to its inclusion on a popular Netflix series. Running Up That Hill by the beloved Kate Bush received many covers during 2022 and one of the finest is by Roger-M who co-operates with Christine Moll who has the same voice tone like Kate Bush and her performance has the same mystical spiritual feel to it. Stev Dive comes in the project to add his nu disco style version and we must say that he did great job to add his disco grooves but without loosing the deep essence of the original plus he used the main melody in the finest way. Very cool for sure. Love iT [/content]
BLVCKPRINT, is currently one of the fastest-rising names in the business. No matter where he is performing or what tracks he is playing, He's always focused on the synergy between music and audience. Along with his undeniable mixing skills, going for the ultimate floorfiller experience. BLVCKPRINT has the talent to gauge a crowd by dropping the perfect beat at just the right moment. BLVCKPRINT signed tracks on Armin Van Buuren his label Armada Music. He Made an an official remix for Bizzey on Universal Music that got more then 100K streams. Kontor Records,Southbeat, Ensis Records,... are just a few of the labels that released BLVCKPRINT music. His releases received support from some of the biggest artists in the scene like David Guetta, Tiesto, Afrojack, Steve Aoki, Wolfpack, Blasterjaxx, Bassjackers and many more. Headlining shows at national & international festivals & clubs like Tomorrowland 2019, Dreambeats, Dance D-Vision, Hype-O Dream, Beachland, Versuz, Jimmy Woo (Amsterdam), Tantra (Ibiza), Karma (Turkey)... Entering the Belgian Dj Top 100 at spot #36 is a sure recognition for his talent.
Dimitris: Your biggest music career achievements in 2019:
BLVCKPRINT: 2019 was a huge year for BLVCKPRINT !
I played at Tomorrowland & went up 43 spots in the Belgian DJ top 100
Going from place 79 to spot #36
and had more then 150 shows
Dimitris: Please rate your online presence/visibility in 2019 from 0-10?Please elaborate with short comment.
BLVCKPRINT: 10
1) Best track(s) and short comment for each track from other fellow artists in 2019
BLVCKPRINT: Dimitri Vegas Like Mike Vs Carnage x tATu - All The Thing She Said
a huge old skool vocal with a killer drop.
2) Best of 2019 personal productions with short comment about them:
BLVCKPRINT: Cobalt ft Lambi was a deep bass track i released on German label Tiger Records
3) Best Artist in 2019(DJ & producer) with short comment:
BLVCKPRINT: Carnage, his return was a great push for musical boundaries
4) Best Remix(es) from other fellow artists in 2019 with short comment :
BLVCKPRINT: RUGGED - CROWD CONTROL
5) Best Remixer(s) for 2019 with short comment:
BLVCKPRINT: About you (Daniel chord remix)
6) Best New Talent in 2019 (DJ or producer) with short comment :
BLVCKPRINT: TV Noise made a fresh vibe in the scene
7) Best electronic dance music compilation in 2019 with short comment? :
BLVCKPRINT: Tomorrowland compilation CD
8) Best artwork about single / album/compilation or promotional campaign in 2019 with short comment:
BLVCKPRINT: BLVCKPRINT- ABOUT YOU
9) Best lyrics in electronic dance music track(s) in 2019 with short comment :
BLVCKPRINT: Fisher - Losing it !
10) Best vocalist/singer on electronic dance music track in 2019 with short comment:
BLVCKPRINT: KHALID
11) Best electronic dance music label for 2019 with short comment:
BLVCKPRINT: Smash the house
12) Best electronic dance music video for 2019 with short comment:
BLVCKPRINT: Salvatore Ganacci - Horse
13) Best online social media for 2019 with short comment:
BLVCKPRINT: Salvatore Ganacci
14) Best music composition software in 2019 with short comment:
BLVCKPRINT: Fruity loops
15)Best Club event /Festival/music conference in 2019 with short comment:
BLVCKPRINT: Tomorrowland ! The vibe is amazing there
16) Your Best personal DJ Gig & DJ performance in 2019 with short comment:
BLVCKPRINT: Tomorrowland
17) Best DJ set from other fellow DJ in 2019 with short comment:
BLVCKPRINT: DJ Snake Tomorrowland Winter
18) Best radio show/podcast or Vlog(video blog) in 2019 with short comment. It can be yours or from other artists you respect:
BLVCKPRINT: Dark Light Sessions
19) Best review that you have read in 2019 about your tracks or for other artists tracks(please provide the link if this review is online):
BLVCKPRINT: David Guetta featuring my track in his radioshow
20) Best production or DJ equipment (a)software & (b) hardware) in 2019 with short comment:
BLVCKPRINT: Fruity loops
21) Best technical tips that you learnt in 2019 in relation to your DJing or music productions:
BLVCKPRINT: Keep pushing musical boundaries
22) Best piece of personal or music business advice you got in relation to your career in 2019 and has helped you to progress even further:
BLVCKPRINT: Work close with a lawyer to have a good feedback on contracts you sign !
23) Best travel tips in 2019 to survive the long travelling hours and jetlag:
BLVCKPRINT: A nintendo switch !
Dimitris: Do you have any concrete plans for 2020 regarding future releases, tracks, albums, collaborations, DJ gigs? Please provide us the juicy details.
BLVCKPRINT: Releasing a track on Gregor Salto his label Salto Sounds
Hosting some BLVCKPRINT & Friends Stages
and pushing my BLVCK-Agency Concept
Dimitris: Your message & wishes for 2020.
BLVCKPRINT: I wish my fellow DJ & producers a great 2020 and hope they keep working on their dreams !
For my Party people i wish them a great 2020 Festival season !
Growing up in a musical family, from an early age onwards Damae was fascinated by any kind of music, starting with musical films of the 50’s, Elvis and the Beatles, up to Rock and Punk music. Her first musical steps were solo parts in the school choir. Besides she learned classical ballet and began modeling for the German youth magazine BRAVO. She received a lot of attention and offers from film and music producers, but her priorities were her classical singing education, while at the same time she was singing and songwriting in a punk band. This proves that musical flexibility is not contradictory but foremost an advantage. So it’s no big surprise that through her passion skateboarding, she met musicians who inspired her interest in Hip Hop, Reggae and Dancehall.
Damae
Shortly after that, Damae developed a deep love for electronic music and was very present in that scene, where hit producer Gottfried Engels (Tiger Records) offered her the part as the main solo singer in the project “Fragma”. Their first common single was an international smash, reaching #4 in the UK charts, which is quite notable for a German singer. In the aftermath, two albums, several video clips, and worldwide tours with gigs at renowned venues and huge festivals followed until 2012. Concurrently, she was the presenter of her own TV show “Dance District” at the Europe-wide TV station ONYX, and she even was a guest host at VIVA’s “Club Rotation”. Frequently, she surfaced with songs of her own or as a featured artist with other acts. At the moment she’s working on Germany´s NO 1 EDM Label Tiger Records with different producers, like Dave Kurtis, Mauro Mondello, Mekki Martin or Lissat & Voltaxx.
Her positive outlook to life has made her a symbol of success for many women in the music industry as well. Despite being extremely busy with her future project Damae has found the time to reply in our questions and we are deeply pleased to have an interview with her right here and learn more about her past, present and take short glimpse of her future plans as well. Welcome to the world of Damae.
Interview was written and conducted by Dimitri Kechagias, Music Journalist and Radio host at 1mix radio
Dimitri: You are coming from a musical family that loved music. Can you tell us a bit more about this and in what ways you believe this has influenced you to get into the music business?
Damae: My dad plays the guitar and I used to sing with him all the time. My mother used to write lyrics. Music was always very present in our family; I started singing in the school choir, did ballet lessons everyday and I was impressed about the film stars from the 50's like Fred Astaire, Marilyn Monroe and wanted to become an artist, who can act, sing and dance. I was also a huge Michael Jackson Fan. Nearly danced with him on his History Tour.
Damae
Dimitri: It would be so great to go back in time and remind us how was to be for instance model for BRAVO magazine, singing in punk bands. What you remember the most from those early years of your career?
Damae: Well I was quite kind of a rebel with funky clothes I made myself and so a famous photographer Frank Lothar Lange from BRAVO Magazine saw me and started shootings with me. I was 14 then and suddenly I got a lot of attention from Film & Music producers. Even PlayBoy Wanted me and I was only 14! It was insane. Film producers from France for the film Undine or big directors from Germany wanted me to act. They saw something like a Nastassja Kinski in me. For example I´ve been asked to sing for Enigma even I would like it now ;-), but back then I declined it. I thought on that time, why do they only want me because I´m pretty, they didn't even hear my voice? I found this strange and I also wasn't like into commercial stuff. I used to listen to the Sex Pistols, Bob Marley and the Doors, a lot of the RAP also ;-) like NWA, Public Enemy and Run DMC, later to Nirvana, Pearl Jam and all the Grunge stuff. I hang around with Skateboarders and Sprayers. Finally I ended up in the first Techno Club in Cologne called Warehouse in the early Nineties…..
Dimitri: You mention in all your socials and in your interviews that the recently passed away Gottfried Engels was a mentor for you. Is it possible to tell us how you met up with him and how and why you decided to start the worldwide known project Fragma and where the name came from?
Damae
Damae: Well I met Gottfried also first in the early Nineties. He organised the first Techno Parties, later on my favourite House parties called Vanity, where he used to get as one of the first DJs from abroad like Carl Cox or Armand van Helden. Gottfried also had with his wife Andrea a record-shop in Cologne called Music Man where I started to buy vinyls and started DJing, a lot on after-hours at my friends DJ´s houses. I met him here and there all the time. When I was very young my boyfriend was Dieter Dierks ( producer of the Skorpions ) and we met in his studios. Years later he remembered every single time when he met me, like when I went into Music Man and asked him for a vinyl of 'Rene et Gaston - Vallee De Larmes' and he gave me the bootleg. He saw me getting into a meeting with Dieter and I throw the Dieter´s Ferrari key on the table. He told me all this years later and I was gobsmacked that he remembered, a brain like an Elephant !….When I met him together with Ramon in the studio and they were looking for a singer for Fragma we all liked each other immediately. The feeling was right and we started working on the follow up for 'Fragma - Everytime you need me' and 'Reach Out' from the first album Toca. The name Fragma means in Latin something like Border. It means to be different than other acts. Gottfried was always the one who gave advise and he could be very strict and loud but he wanted to protect his artists and he was right most of the time. Gottfried had the biggest heart. We were like a family, together with Blank & Jones, Bellini & Paffendorf and he worked his ass off day & night. When he believed in something he fought for it and he always stayed true to his words. This is very unusual in this crazy superficial music business. Gottfried was different. There is, to be honest none like him anymore. His musical skills were enormous. He knew so much. Sometimes he called me up in the middle of the night and played a track to me on the phone and said, listen to this, this is a hit, don't u think? He lived for the music.
Dimitri:As Fragma you had worldwide success and it would great to choose for us your absolute Top 3 favourite Fragma records and tell us if there is a story or funny or sad incident behind the scenes of these tracks?
Damae:
1. You Are Alive: because it was my first release with Fragma, it was a huge success and changed my life. I also think the video which was shot in Sri Lanka, the vibe and the message of the song is still magic.I just amazing memories.The Video Producer Phil Griffin and his team, everybody at Positiva Records like Kevin Robinson, Sid Lee or the tons of people working for the promotion in London, London itself, all the crazy popstar stuff that suddenly came up, like Top of The Pops, Pepsi Charts Show, Party In The Park, Interviews, Shootings, it was insane !!! I loved it and the UK I just met in Ibiza town a guy from Ireland who was selling beautiful self-made Jewellery and he recognised me and said „You are alive" was always the most sophisticated song and video of Fragma. That made me smile;-)
2. Memory: because it was my Mothers favourite song, she used to listen very loud in her little Cabriolet when it was played on the Radio, in the Klaas Remix mostly on BFBS which was a British Force Radio Station in Germany. When she was dying 4 years ago of cancer, I put all my strength together and I was with her at her bed and sang Memory to her, along with You Are Alive and Lonely ( Schiller ). It was insane but its amazing how people get the power to survive this pain. I thought I had to be strong and don't cry so she could let go and fly to heaven. I also sang these three songs on her funeral in an acoustic version with guitar. I had to do it. She was my biggest idol, my supporter and she always got my back. A wonderful strong woman with the biggest heart. I miss her like crazy every day.
3. I actually quite like Deeper a lot which was the B- Side of Toca's Miracle 2008, I love the vibe and I recorded it after a hard party with Sven Väth at 'Blauer See' or 'Risk my Soul' when I wrote the lyrics heartbroken, but to be honest I like them all. Every song has his story and meaning.
Damae
Dimitri: In UK you have many fans and you even have chart success. Does this chart success and recognition has changed your character and personality? What do you think of artists that change when they become successful and suddenly are isolated in themselves and are not so approachable?
Damae: For me I think I never really changed, I always knew where I came from and I never had the feeling I am better than anyone. For me everyone is special. I just think I work very hard and I have to make many compromises even I have amazing experiences and I could travel the world.The reason why some artists get carefully or even isolated is because sometimes you don't know if the people love you for being you or because of your fame. I was quite disappointed sometimes, that´s why I have friends still before my career started. I´m a very open mind person and I have to be careful sometimes not letting too much in and out, but this is how I am.
Dimitri: Why you decide to stop Fragma and how the Damae name came from? I’m sure that not many fans know that.
Damae: After 12 years with Fragma I guess it was about time to do something new independent. As an artist you develop and grow and sometimes and change means you can start something new and fresh. I really enjoy being independent and work and do what I want. I don´t even have a manager. As far as the name concerned my surnames are Daniela Marina Elisabeth and I put the first letters of these names together and in that way Damae turned out;)
Dimitri: As Damae you have collaborated with beloved talents like Kyau & Albert and Schiller to name just a few. How these collaborations came about and did you met with these producers in the studio or you worked by distance?
Damae:Kyau and Albert were fans of Fragma and shy young talented boys from Eastern Germany who came all the way to a party from Alphabet City in Mönchengladbach to meet me and ask me if I like to sing on Velvet Morning I loved the song and the guys came again all the way to my house with their laptop and a mic, I cooked for them, we opened a bottle of wine and my vocals were recorded in my living room. Done ! Actually, Kyau & Albert had their first hit with Velvet Morning.
I met Christopher von Deylen( Schiller ) when I interviewed him for my TV Show Dance District on Onyx TV in Berlin. We had a great time and he told me that he loves my voice and the Fragma productions. A couple of years later he called me and ask me to sing on his album 'Sehnsucht (Desire). I wrote with my friend Dee Jacobee the lyrics for 'Lonely' and recorded the song in 1 or 2 Takes in Christopher´s studio in his beautiful apartment in Berlin. Same Story we opened a bottle of wine and chat all night about god and the world. Christopher is a highly intelligent and sensitive person. It was great.
Dimitri: Your Damae project has been developed mainly at Tiger records, the label fronted by Gottfried who suddenly passed away. Can you explain to us what exactly meant for you this great person and why he was so loved from all his artists? Do you have any incident maybe to recall that involved Gottfried that will stay in your mind forever and shows the greatness of this mentor for you?
Damae: Yes, Gottfried was about to push my solo career as Damae and of course I feel sometimes a bit lost, even I enjoy my Independency, Tiger Records as a home base and Gottfried's protection. I learned so much from him, I admire his loyalty and big heart, the way he lived for his passion, the music. Also his big sense of humour. There will be none like him anymore. A lot of people keep saying this. With Gottfried a part of Dance Music has died.
Dimitri: Of course life goes on and you move forward. Your latest release is a collaboration with Luca Debonaire & Mike Ferullo called We're Not Alone on Tazmania records. Would you like to tell us the backstage story of this top record?
Damae: Luca Debonaire is one of the producers Gottfried worked a lot with and after his death we decided to keep working on some different projects.
The idea was that Gottfried asked me to write on Robert Miles Children, which was released already on Tiger as 'Damae Children ( That Same Old Line )'.
I wrote the Lyrics to We´re Not Alone but after Gottfried death we decided to release in a new housy production with Mike Ferullo.
Same Story with Human Nature. It was Gottfried´s originally idea which we followed and it came out as Saint Tropez Caps feat Damae 'Human Nature'. It was a big honour, on one side to full-fill Gotffried´s idea on the other cause I used to be a big Michael Jackson fan.
Dimitri: Are we going to see more collaborations coming up with Luca Debonaire or other producers? Do you work on any new material at the moment?
Damae: Yes we covered early this year 'Better Off Alone', we covered 80s Club Hit 'Fascinated' and Urban Collectives 'The Key The Secret'.
Dimitri: Many singers in electronic music develop their DJing skills and they usually DJ and sing as well in the gigs. What is your opinion about them and are you interested to develop your DJ side as well? Have you ever played in front of a big crowd in a club?
Damae: Well I used to DJ with vinyls and I keep getting my skills now. This was the plan I had with Tiger Records to release remixes and productions not just only with my voice. 'That same old line' or 'Nothing Left Between Us' was the beginning. As an creative person its just a normal process that you involved in the productions, the writing and the Djing. I keep working on it ;-)
Dimitri:It would be so great to let us know from where you got the inspiration to write these beautiful lyrics. Are there specific situations or events in your life that inspired you or something else maybe?
Damae: I guess it has to be right feeling, even a very sad feeling, like when u just split up with someone could help to write the best love song ever, but I have to be in the right mood.
Dimitri: On which song the lyrics were very easily to write them down and on sing song it took a long time to finish them?
Damae: We´re Not Alone came easily. Children was very inspiring, it was this mystic, longing feeling. When I get an instrumental which doesn't inspire me I cannot write on it…
Dimitri: Nowadays in the age of the internet do you usually meet the producers in the studio or you record the vocals and send them via internet? Can you explain your approach and process in this? Do you get the instrumental and record vocals for it or even you record first the vocals and then the producer adds the appropriate background.
Damae: Yes most of the time I get the Instrumental and then I decide if I like it or not. Sometimes I work with different songwriters, when I like the song but somehow it doesn't inspire me too much too write on it. Most of the time I record here in Cologne with which is the best vocal producers Alex Strasser. When I record with Lissat and Voltaxx I record in their studio, cause they are in Cologne. Same with Florian Süselbeck who has his studio in Bottrop or Patric La Funk in Bochum. They are not too far away and I can visit and work with them. Also I work with the legendary CJ Stone from Berlin. Fans should follow me on socials to keep updated. More great music coming soon.
Dimitri: You have been very successful TV presenter as well for the show Dance District with great interview skills and Club Rotation. Which episode of these TV shows you remember the most and who was the best artist to interview as well?
Damae: They were all great because we used to get funny locations and not in a studio. I played Gulf with Paul van Dyk. Went in a Jacuzzi with Jean Jaques Smoothie, danced with Westbam in his desk at Low Spirit office in Berlin, went with ATB to his flight hours and Tiesto was exclusively and first time he played in Germany. I loved it and I guess the DJ´s kind of trusted me cause they might thought I´m one of them, a musician..
Dimitri: Are there any plans to start a new TV show maybe now that electronic music is so popular all over Europe and Germany of course?
Damae: Well the idea came up, but to be honest I´m so busy with my music and family..we´ll see ;-)
Dimitri: You have performed countless live PA’s in clubs and festivals all over the world. Can you pick your Top 3 live performances of all time and maybe tell us an incident or what you recall the most from these live performances?
Damae
Damae: Oh yeah this question;-) So difficult to say. I loved Space in Ibiza, same with David Guetta at Pacha. I also loved my Australia touring, the UK, Party in The Park in front of 1000 Thousand, Scotland always fun, my Dance Nation Tours in the UK. Pacha in Argentina sames as original Pacha in Barcelona, Spirit in London Festival in Brasil, the Millionaire Parties in Russia, Portugal, Finland, Sweden,Estonia, Lithuania Thailand, Malaysia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, France, Bulgaria, USA, the awesome performance in a talent show in Lebanon and so many more. Same with the songs, different stories and experience but all great.
Dimitri: In a recent interview you said that you feel that you are successful in Europe and not in Germany. What is the current situation for your music in Germany and do you see that club scene is developing and is healthy and flourishing?
Damae: I think its typical that you are not 'Exotic' in your own country, but its OK I can live with no Paparazi here ;-) and I'm quite proud and happy that the British people accepted me so nicely as a German singer in their country and home of music.
Dimitri: This year in the Eurovision song contest Germany with a magical song didn’t manage to win many votes. What is the reason behind Germany’s bad performance in Eurovision and are you interested to take part like Cascada did before some years?
Damae: I think sometimes the Eastern Countries like to give the points more to each other, but I guess the ESC is changing, getting more younger and modern, also with Justin Timberlake performance, I'm invited to the Eurovision Song Writing Contest Camp of my lovely songwriter friends Greig Watts and Bruce Robert Francis Smith. We will meet up in the Netherlands and write, record with incredible songwriters and, producers and artists. I´m curious what I come out with, I might sing for Germany or another Eastern Country , my mum was originally from Romania, so the roots are there and the votes are better ;-) Or I just have 2 or 3 great new songs ;-)
Dimitri: Final question should be about your advice to any young singers who want to get involved in the music industry. Which steps you think should follow according to your extensive experience?
Damae: BELIEVE IN YOUR YOURSELF ! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF ! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! Don´t care what others say or think negatively ! Don't give up ! Work hard !
Thanks so much to Damae for her precious time to answer in a such long interview and I hope the readers will enjoy it as much as I did.
This interview is dedicated to the memory of the beloved friend Gottfried Engels that we lost last August. He is always Alive in our memory!
Please note that in my interviews at Flux BPM Online, I always try to include music videos uploaded on the official channels but for many tracks mentioned in this interview there are no official uploads so I used the uploads from YouTube users.
Christian Schmitz, aka Dj Paffendorf has created a very special video to honour the legacy of Gottfried Engels in the electronic dance music. Gottfried Engels was the owner of top labels like Gang Go with hit artists Blank & Jones, Fragma, Paffendorf and lately Tiger records with countless beatport hits and massive worldwide beloved club artists under his belt. Gottfried died in August 2015 and he has left an uncovered gap in the German electronic music that will be irreplaceable. Gottfried was a very talented gifted individual with the incredible ability to spot the future hits and work hard for endless hours behind the scenes to bring them to the public attention and become monster hits in German market. What is very important about him is that he was a very dedicated friend with kind heart and great sense of humour.
Christian Schmitz notes: This Video is dedicated to honour Gottfried Engels
(*7. Februar 1949 - ✝ 22. August 2015) Owner of Tiger Records.
"Und meine Seele spannte weit ihre Flügel aus, flog durch die stillen Lande, als flöge sie nach Haus.“
...und wir glaubten, wir hätten noch so viel Zeit"
translation: "and my soul stretched far from their wings, flew through the quiet countryside, as they fly home."
... And we thought we'd still have so much time".
With the opportunity of this video is great chance to remember together some of the best Tiger Records that had the Gottfried Engels special touch! Now that's what I call Tiger Weapons, and those are just some of all the massive tunes released on the top label.
1-Bellini - Samba De Janeiro 2015
2-Fragma – Toca Me (twoloud Edit)
3-Kiki Doll - Don't Leave (Block & Engels Video Mix)
4-Damae - That Same Old Line (Children) (Block & Engels Ibiza Sunrise Dub Mix)
5-Rashid Ajami - Rule The World (Block & Engels Official Video Edit)
6-DJ Falk - Boogie Man (Patrick Ferryn & Engels – We Came To Boogie Mix)
7-Le Zoo - Everything You Wanted (Gottfried Engels Life Is Life Mix) (Tiger Records)
8-The Rich & Famous - Such a Good Feeling (Engels & Patrick Ferryn Feels So Good Mix)
9-Mirbeys & Karim – Garden Party (Gottfried Engels Dubbin @ My Garden Mix)
Thank you DJ Falk for 202 great episodes of the Sunshine Live Tiger Weapons. We had 4 years great fun and we hoped that all of you enjoyed the show as much as we did. Yesterday we had the last episode so if you missed the show, you can now listen here again.
Humorless drums, Latin punches, funky rap samples, a garage house baseline and on top a powerful synth are mixed in order to come up with this track which can become an instant favourite to any dj that wishes to bring some Latin flavours to his set. Listen to one of the most outstanding and particular singles of the year...
Pure Latin House Banger!
Dimitri Kechagias review: Tiger records is one of the most influential record label bringing to the masses some of the biggest club anthems ever. The brand new release from the hand of the German dj & producer Simon Fava rocks big time and is called Brazilism. We deal here with an exceptional case of a mixture of latin tribal grooves, elastic deep basslines, fantastic uplifting percussion and superb classic synthy hook that catch your attention straight away. If you add on this package the brilliant classic Brazilian vocals then you got the big party anthem that will warm our cold nights and fire up the dancefloors. The remixes included will blow your sound system instantly. Dave Rose goes for a fantastic USA house infused version with hypnotic addictive basslines and warm airy pads along with cool vocals and latin flavours spreading all over the place along with the classic siren sound effect that always has an impact on the dancefloor. Steve Cypress delivers the energetic prime time future house version with aggressive old school basslines, funky tribal grooves, clap effects and great vocals along with crazy synths and siren effects. Playful, twisted and truly impressive will keep the dancefloors extremely happy! Antonio Alterino remix is moving on a deeper moodier spacey atmosphere with warm piano melodies, xylophone themes and hypnotic dreamy arrangement that uplift your body and make you wanna dance the Tiger way. Tiger records Winter HIT Weapon! #PureGold
'Child In Time' by Mauro Mondello, which was originally released on Tiger Records, has touched our hearts Originally released on Tiger Records, 'Child In Time' by Mauro Mondello and the touching voice of Ian Gillan, has touched our hearts. Mauro Mondello, who is having roots in Sicily, has become an integral part of the Tiger Records family over the past years. Now, BluFin artists Rummy Sharma and DJ Hildegard have delivered the remixes for the track of the Germany-based producer. BluFin and Tiger Records walk hand-in-hand for this special release.
Thanks for the music GOTT...
Dimitri Kechagias review: One of the biggest deep house essential anthems released on Tiger records, the label of the legendary and deeply missed Gottfried Engels is the brilliant Child in Time produced from an artist and dj that Gott believed so much, the fantastic Mauro Mondello. Now the track is back on BluFin with a great set of two superstrong remixes from Dj Hildegard and Rummy Sharma. Firstly is the brilliant female dj, producer and radio host at Sunshine Live radio Dj Hildegard. Her remix is truly beautiful with deep haunting basslines, pulsating drums, cinematic strings and beautiful guitar riff that runs throughout the whole track. The dark rock male vocal simply stands out and easily become the focus of our attention. Mesmerising, dreamy, sunkissed, very delicate and sensitive remix that manage to carry your senses away and introduce you to another world that is of course of the human soul and affection. You will feel captivated and infected from Dj Hildegard high production values. Rummy Sharma moves towards the deep tech house direction with tough dark tribal drums, pulsating bouncy basslines, synthy hooks and cool percussion melodies along with warm electronic elements and fantastic three dimensional sound design that make you feel surprised as you discover different melodic layers every time that you get hooked to this magical beauty. Superb groove, infectious sounds and great atmosphere that will bring the clubbers closer to the speakers to absorb more of this sparkling dreamy vibes. Child in Time is a future club anthem that will take the underground clubs by storm. #PureGold Love it
Tiger Weapons is Tiger records weekly radio show on Germany's best radio station Sunshine Live. Every week Dj Falk selects the best Tiger records releases and delivers exceptional guest mixes from Tiger records artists. This week's show is a very special one and is dedicated to the memory of the very influential figure in electronic music in Germany the one and only legend Gottfried Engels. His legacy will stay alive in our hearts when we dance with tracks that he was involved as producer, label owner or dj. Tracks like Samba de Janeiro by Belinni and the unforgettable hits by Fragma, Paffendorf and Blank & Jones for instance have the stamp of the man that was loved by many because of his hard work day and night to keep alive his dream for high-class electronic music that stands out and make the clubbers jump all over the world. The radio show includes interviews with his closest collaborators so definitely is a piece of the German electronic music history. Thanks dj Falk for organising such a nice show! #PureGold Love IT
Tiger records is officially the number 1 Electronic Music label in Germany according to the annual Deutsche Dance Charts that were released last week. The label had an incredible year with many smash hits including the UK Top 40 anthem Doctor Who by Tujamo & Plastik Funk feat Sneakbo. Tiger Artists are Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Twoloud, Martin Garrix , Plastik Funk, Spencer & Hill, Yello, R.I.O., Manuel De La Mare, Sander van Doorn, Bingo Players, Federico Scavo, DJ Falk, Tujamo, Ostblockschlampen, David Jones ,Alex Kenji, Kurd Maverick , 2Elements, Mauro Mondello, Nervo, Phunk Investigation, Robbie Rivera, Tradelove, Groove Phenomenon, Dave Kurtis , Dave Rose, Viktor Mora ,Jay Frog and many more.With wide variety of styles from deep house and techno to progressive house and festival house Tiger records releases reflect what is going on at the moment right at the heart of the global dancefloors and biggest festival arenas. For instance on the latest Tomorrowland festival compilation there were many Tiger records tracks including the beloved all time classic Fragma - Toca Me. The label has its own radio show on the biggest electronic music station in Germany Sunshine Live presented by the one and only dj Falk. For those who can not catch it on Monday evening they can listen it on soundcloud and mixcloud Tiger records official pages.
It's big pleasure and honour that Gottfried Engels, Tiger records CEO accepted my request to do an interview about Tiger records achievement to reach the number 1 position at the very influential DDC charts that are compiled by the most important djs in Germany. Gottfried is the mastermind behind various Electronic Music projects including Fragma , Paffendorf and Bellini - Samba de Janeiro that was re-released in 2014 as Sambo Do Brazil from Polydor / Universal Germany. Enjoy his great answers on this very informative interview.
UPDATE 26/8/2015: Unfortunately Gottfried Engels has died unexpectedly at the age of 66 years. His life was dedicated to electronic music as club- and record store owner, producer and label owner. This interview that I have conducted with him at the beginning of this year is dedicated to his memory and his beloved wife Andrea Engels. He will never be forgotten. His music legacy will stay alive for ever. Electronic music family will love him forever!
Gottfried Engels has in his hands another Tiger records anthem ready to cook for djs
Dimitri: First question is of course how do you feel that Tiger records reached the number 1 position at the DDC charts and why you believe that this happened? It was matter of the quality of the releases, better marketing, bigger support from djs or any other reason?
Gottfried Engels: It feels good! It is a nice reward of the hard work we did. It is not the first time, in 2010 we made it already, so this is our 2nd time that we made it on the #1 spot. I think the reason is the mixture of our releases, we are not settled to one genre or style, we release the music like and love. Of course without the big support from the DJs this would not have happened.
Dimitri: Tiger records had an incredible year covering all the colors and shades of house music. Would you like to pick up your Top 5 Tiger records releases of 2014 and give us a short comment about each of them or any background info on how easy or hard was to sign them?
Gottfried Engels: Puh that's hard, we have so many great releases. We just finished a "Tiger Records Year Mix 2014" with over 75 tracks and 4 hours of music. And that was not even all, we could have made it even longer and it was hard to kick tracks off the selection. Catching now 5 tracks is nearly unfair, but if I have to choose e.g. you for sure check this ones:
Mike Mash feat. Isaiah King - Somewhere Over The Rainbow
-> When we heard it the first time we were directly hooked from the arrangement and voice.
Shaan - Mumbai
-> Shaan is an upcoming artist from India with a really cool sound. Some friends from the Netherlands send us the demo.
Plastik Funk feat. Grandmaster Melle Mel - Don't Push Me
-> The funny thing is that we counted on the club mix but in the end everybody loved the House Versions.
Mass Digital - Breathe
-> Really talented guy from Serbia. We heard him first on BluFin Records and now he is a fix part of the Tiger family.
Lunde Bros - Boomba
-> 2 brothers from Sweden with a cool sound.
Dimitri: Tiger records has a wide pool of talented artists from all over the world. Would you like to tell us about the A&R selection process? When you listen to a demo what elements makes you to want instantly to sign the record?
Gottfried Engels: Actually A&R is not so easy. We get so many demos every day that we don't have the man power to listen to them all. So they are no key elements what a demo should have. Mostly a recommendation from other producers would help a lot. Then the track should stand for it's own, the 20th track that sounds e.g. like "Martin Garrix - Animals" we don't need. It's hard as now days a lot of stuff sounds the same as a lot producers using the same sample packs and "everybody" wants to sound like the big names. But in between we also find some talented producers.
Dimitri: Are there any records that you decide not to sign them and someone else signed them and became hits and you regret that you didn’t got them in the first place?
Gottfried Engels: "Fade Out Lines" by "The Avener" we licked much but we were not sure, now it goes big everywhere.
Dimitri: Which platform is most important for your promotion? Soundcloud? Mixcloud? And why you decided to be less active on YouTube? In the past you uploaded teasers on YouTube but at the moment you seem to stay away from Youtube or other similar video services.
Gottfried Engels: We are using Soundcloud mostly and Mixcloud for our weekly radio show and podcast "Tiger Weapons". We used Youtube in the past, but we are also licensing a lot of tracks from other labels and countries and this always gives problems with the rights situation at Youtube, what in the end is more paperwork then anything else.
Dimitri:2014 for many was the year of melodic deep house. Why you believe that deep house had such an enormous success this year and do you think will continue in 2015?
Gottfried Engels: I think DeepHouse was so successful because a lot of people were sick of the EDM tracks which sounded a lot like each other and got harder and harder. The deep stuff was groovy and a good opposite to the hard festival stuff. At Tiger we decided to deliver both, EDM and Deep music.
Dimitri:Tiger records has its own radio show on Radio Sunshine Live with Dj Falk. Why you decided to start this radio show and are you satisfied from its growth and success?
Gottfried Engels: DJ Falk is already a Tiger Artists since years and he also worked already on Sunshine Live for years. We got the chance to catch a spot on Sunshine Live so there was no questions for us to start the show. We just had episode 150 done and the reactions are really good with the listeners. The show gives a good overview on the current and upcoming Tiger Releases as well as some nice guest DJ Mixes.
Dimitri: Tiger records sister techno underground label Blu Fin had a great year as well. Would you like to choose some of the most successful tracks for Blu Fin that our readers should check out?
Gottfried Engels: BluFin HOT 4 !!!
DJ Hildegard - Take A Breath EP BluFin Records
Koen Groeneveld 741 (Original Mix) BluFin Records
Toni Rios -WHIZZER (Original Mix) BluFin Records
Phunk Investigation - Raining Noises (Original Mix) BluFin Records
Dimitri:One of the strongest element of Tiger records releases is the amazing artwork you use and simply blows you away with the strong visuals. Can you tell us who is responsible about the artwork and if you design the artwork after listening the track or if you have certain library of photos and from there you choose the one that represents the content of the record? Which artwork of Tiger records was your favorite?
Gottfried Engels: Since the digital marked grew more and more, every day are coming more and more music into the shops. So for getting attention for your music you need a good artwork as well, that's why Tiger is also investing in good artworks and not like other labels just copying their logo in different colours. The artworks are made from our graphic department. They listen to the tracks and also talk with the producers if need and then start working.
Dimitri:2015 is around the corner, would you like to give us a taste of some of your releases and artists that you have signed for 2015?
Gottfried Engels: One slogan from Tiger Records is "Directly from the studio to the club". We are no fans of planing a release a half year in advance like it was some years ago. From the demo to the first release are mostly not more then a few weeks. We are planing now the releases for the Winter Music Conference. Of course you can expect again tracks form long time Tiger and for sure some new talents as well. We uploaded already some early 2015 stuff on our Soundcloud. So stay tuned.
Thanks so much to Gottfried Engels for taking some time out of his hard work for the label to reply on this interview.
