25 July 2010 -- The website, which seems to have nine lives, has been restored.
As I was preparing to add (another) link to the website from my own, I discovered that Eurodancehits.com had closed in June. I don't know the details; the most I have read about the subject came from this bulletin board. The poster, who had worked extensively on the Eurodancehits.com site, advances the idea that the site's webmaster, Kris, was exhausted and disheartened after battling a barrage of homophobic comments posted to the discussion forums (a lot of HiNRG compilations were promoted on the site, including the unabashedly gay-marketed Let's Hear it for the Boy comps).
On other forums, some suggested that the site had simply withered away, rendered increasingly irrelevant as sites such as MySpace and YouTube emerged. Kris's message reads "It is time to move forward," perhaps an acknowledgement that the web site had become mired in the past. I can only speculate.
What I do know is that it was a great website. I discovered Eurodancehits.com for myself back in 2001, shortly after I had become addicted to streaming Romanian top 40 radio on the internet (which had been the gateway into my whole Euro music fixation). I was delighted by the massive body of reviews and music samples the site provided for a sound that was, at the time, brand new and extremely exciting to me.
After finding the site, I spent a giddy and extraordinarily happy couple of weeks digging through its archives. It was then that I was introduced to some of my all-time favorite songs, such as Mauro Picotto's "Like This Like That" and Angelic's "It's My Turn." It was where I first heard Scooter, those gleefully unapologetic village-idiots of hardcore dance whose music continues to damage my eardrums today. It also gave me my first taste of Infernal (the song was "Sunrise," a big trance tune quite unlike the more Eurodancy stuff that would follow from them). The site also taught me about pop obscurities of dubious talent such as fem@le, whose cover of J. Geils Band's "Centerfold" is...something else. The music video archives gave one a then-rare opportunity to see how European dance music was being marketed to its overseas audience. I still have several of those Real Media files burned to DVD.
I don't know him, but Kris was clearly a very accommodating person. When in 2003 I wrote in to inform him (just because I thought, hey, he might be interested) that one Scooter song on a recently-reviewed album was a reworking of Liquid's "Liquid is Liquid," he swiftly inserted my comment into the review and thanked me by name.
My favorite aspect of the site was its reviews of singles, but as time went on fewer and fewer of these were posted, until eventually, sometime in the mid-2000s I believe, the singles section ceased to be updated. This struck me as odd because dance music is a singles-driven market. That was the first time I worried about the site's future and wondered what was going on behind the scenes.
Review focus by 2006 had shifted towards compilations, and generally things there were limited to a few series: the aforementioned Let's Hear it for the Boy HiNRG series, which, to be honest, was often a little too, well, gay for my tastes, but clearly served its audience well, as shown by the series' many, many volumes. And then there were reviews of some epic Euro-trance comps. These appealed to me more. It was here, for example, that I was exposed to such awesome tracks as Dynni's "City Of Moving Waters (Robert Gitelman Remix)."
For many, the discussion forums were the site's biggest draw, but for me, after the singles reviews ceased, my favorite reason for visiting became the Euro mini mixes, which I greatly looked forward to each month. Sometimes the mixes featured classics, and other times they featured a ton of new acts I had never heard of before. The obscurity of some acts could be frustrating for a music fan; it was extremely difficult to find some of these tunes. On the other hand, successfully tracking down a Human Athletic Dance CD single after having heard it on Eurodancehits.com was, as they say, priceless.
The mixes were frantic, with songs blazing past after a couple of minutes apiece, often laced with a barrage of original samples (usually of the motivational shouted variety). This was the sort of place where (and I can't remember if it was actually featured, but it may as well have been) one would hear Dancing DJs' fantastic reworking of Roxette's "Like a Flower." That is to say (if you're not already looking for that song on YouTube), each mix was a sugar rush of pure pounding joy.
Admittedly, I found myself visiting less and less. I spent more time listening to streaming internet radio and checking the pop charts against YouTube video postings. The emergence of Web 2.0 took a toll on the site. Consider Eurodancehits.com's once-mesmerizing video archives of pixely Real Media files. These were abruptly marginalized by the rise of YouTube--a whole section of the site rendered obsolete in a single blow! As television and movie production houses are discovering, the world's attention is becoming increasingly divided. But every few months, right up until today when I found the site closed, I continued to check in on what was going on there, because the site was that important.
It's a huge loss.
I am hoping that Mr. Davis, the poster I linked to above, is not correct, that an entire website of such great musicological value (and dumb fun, which is a compliment) would be shuttered because of a single homophobe's comments.
So I would like to say, Kris, your work as both music archivist and promoter seems too important to be derailed by one hater's (or even a few haters') stupidity.
But if you have moved on because it just wasn't fun anymore, I hear you and I support that. Maybe that's our loss, but you have to live your own life for yourself. And hopefully your gain will become ours as well, if music continues to lead your heart to an even bigger and bolder venture.
In any case, huge, huge thanks for what you gave the world. The passing of Eurodancehits.com is something I will mourn like the passing of a friend. Haha, my friends will probably shudder at that! But no kidding. The site is irreplaceable.
Thanks to everyone who worked on Eurodancehits.com for a great ride.
-----
An interesting addendum, worth pondering if the site really is finished: CubeStat.com values Eurodancehits.com at $20,896.98. So, for any doubters out there, the site possesses more than mere sentimental value!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
"Eurotrash or Eurotreasure?" DJ Set 32 Available Next Week
I haven't been posting much to this blog, my kingpigeon.com site has been in a state of suspended animation, and my journalistic endeavors have been temporarily put on hold as I have been investing hundreds of hours into the creation of a three hour and forty minute long Euro-themed DJ set which will be made available to you next week. I "test drove" it last night in order to sort out various glitches and volume issues, and having just taken that epic ride I can promise you this: it will be worth the wait.
There's nothing like a little marketing to whet your appetite. Here is the (probably) finalized flyer.
There's nothing like a little marketing to whet your appetite. Here is the (probably) finalized flyer.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Congrats to Slovakia!
One of the better football songs, from Katka Knechtová (who has sung some other pretty good stuff). Comes with requisite African tribal drums and chorus, which seem to play a role in 78% of World Cup songs (no vuvuzelas, though, I'm not sorry to report). ;-)
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Best Music Video of the Week
Poland is figuring out their election results right now, but they have already won my approval for top video of the last week. :-)
Ostrava State of Mind
Why should New York City get all the attention? Why not Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic?
UPDATE: 29 July 2010 - Well, another (probably stupid) copyright claim has kicked a video off of YouTube--and the timing of that booting is poor considering a newer Welsh parody has emerged that has begun to get press. Fortunately, you can still catch a glimpse of the Czech song here.
UPDATE: 29 July 2010 - Well, another (probably stupid) copyright claim has kicked a video off of YouTube--and the timing of that booting is poor considering a newer Welsh parody has emerged that has begun to get press. Fortunately, you can still catch a glimpse of the Czech song here.
Swedish Royal Wedding
Yesterday, Princess Victoria of Sweden married her fitness instructor (i.e., one of the "small people"), Clark Kent, aka Daniel Westling, in a lavish ceremony.
There is an unfortunate tradition of insipid ballad-singing that accompanies wishing a couple well. As an an amateur ethnomusicologist, I submit these two Swedish examples.
Addendum (25 June 2010)-- Might as well add this, right?
...and this. Can you take any more?
Addendum (5 July 2010)-- The hits keep coming. My god, I'm ready to drive a nail right through my eardrums.
There is an unfortunate tradition of insipid ballad-singing that accompanies wishing a couple well. As an an amateur ethnomusicologist, I submit these two Swedish examples.
Addendum (25 June 2010)-- Might as well add this, right?
...and this. Can you take any more?
Addendum (5 July 2010)-- The hits keep coming. My god, I'm ready to drive a nail right through my eardrums.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Estonia Hears a HU
This article was also picked up by the excellent Baltic Reports.
The music group HU? may be the finest Estonian invention since Skype. Their 2008 debut album Film aspired to be a classy underground effort, but far exceeded those expectations (wrote music critic Erik Morna of Film in Eesti Ekspress, "We've been waiting for this disc for over 20 years”). The album's songs were licensed to TV ads, its music was discussed by Estonia's leading politicians, and its lyrics won them both admirers and enemies (proof that they must be doing something right). The follow-up, HU2, has now arrived, and like its predecessor it is packed with shimmery synth hooks woven through a spectrum of musical styles that ably demonstrate the band's creativity, versatility, and unwavering sense of cool.
I exchanged email with the group's 23 year-old singer Hannaliisa Uusma—sociologist by day and rock goddess by night—to find out more about her life, the band whose name is plucked from her initials, and Estonian pop music in general. This is her first English-language interview.
EorE - Estonia looks set to join the eurozone in 2011. Are you ready to exchange your krooni for euros?
Hannaliisa Uusma - I am absolutely ready!
EorE - How were you "discovered"?
Hannaliisa Uusma - When I was 15 I was a member of an Estonian underground rap band called CSQ. There were four members: me and three boys from my neighbourhood. After that I performed with a rap group called Connected People (Ühendatud Inimesed) once in a while. Chalice—the head of this group—is a really honourable singer, poet, and producer. Chalices's first album came out in 2001. It was revolutionary and fresh, in contrast to the monotonous sounds which had generally characterised our pop scene in those days.
At one point, DJ Critical (producer and DJ in HU?) decided that the girl singing backing vocals to Chalice surely deserved her own chance! A bit later, Leslie da Bass (the author of HU?'s music and bass player) joined us. We worked terrifically together! We were full of inspiration and ideas, and we had the same vision about music.
EorE - So are you Hannaliisa Uusma, or are you HU?
Hannaliisa Uusma - Our band is called HU? True, this letter-combination comes from my initials, but it is the band's name. And jokingly, we can steal some of the spotlight from The Who! ;-)
EorE - Who are those people playing the instruments behind you?
Hannaliisa Uusma - Leslie Da Bass is a songwriter and bass player. DJ Critical (also known as "Bert on Beats") is a producer and DJ. Kristjan Oden plays the drums and Sigrid Mutso—who is actually a classical singer—is rocking on the keyboards. I am responsible for the vocals.
EorE - Who writes most of the material?
Hannaliisa Uusma - The main songwriter is Leslie. Film featured some other songwriters [also]. My good friend and old music mate Chalice was the author of two songs. And Sten Sheripov wrote the song "Linnasuwelaul". This song is definitely bright and full of sweet emotions. I believe it will live for many years in the hearts of the Estonian audience.
EorE - What is the songwriting process for HU?
Hannaliisa Uusma - Just three of us work together in the studio: Leslie, Critical, and me. Leslie writes all the lyrics and music at home. The next day we normally meet in Critical's studio. Leslie hums something. I catch it and let it through my brain, heart, body and soul. If it fits me, I add my own ideas and colours. Then it's Critical's turn. [The rest of us] go home, but he has to stay in the studio and work hard with recordings and beats!
EorE - How would you describe Estonia's music scene, and how do you fit into it?
Hannaliisa Uusma - Our success shows that we are fitting. Our pop scene was very unfashionable for a long time. Really "juicy" music was only in the underground. Critics have said that HU? spiced-up the Estonian mainstream pop scene with a fashionable sound. Many people have said that this was the key to our success. People were thirsty for modern sounds.
The last two years have been a time of change in our pop music and club culture. Suddenly, we are surrounded by more and more world-class local pop music. For example, bands like Vaiko Eplik & Eliit, Malcolm Lincoln, Pop Idiot, and Mimicry. The paradigms and generations have changed. And god damn, I'm really happy about it!
EorE - Who are Heini Vaikmaa and Kare Kauks, who are credited as guests on your new album?
Hannaliisa Uusma - They are the very best part of our old school pop music scene. Their creations have inspired and influenced our music a lot. Now we have had a great opportunity to make music together on our newest record. This is a great pleasure and honour!
EorE - Were the 1980s a major influence on your sound?
Hannaliisa Uusma - The 80s have definitely influenced our music. [80s music] was around me in my most formative years. It is strongly and maybe even unconsciously deep in my brain.
On our second record we have many nuances which also reflect the 90s. I think the next volcano in the world's pop music is the sound of the 90s. There was a lot of awful 90s pop, but also many extremely bright nuances. It is important to try to transform those good sides into modern pop-music.
EorE - Are you full-time HU'ers?
Hannaliisa Uusma - Most of us are working in different fields ["day jobs"]. I am a sociologist. Leslie is the owner of an advertising company. Kristjan is a designer also. After the working day, music is a brilliant opportunity to put the performing suit on and to rock out, to find inspiration, and to be passionate. It's like a creative orgasm. :-)
EorE - What songs do you most look forward to performing live in the coming days?
Hannaliisa Uusma - In performance, my favorites are "Riia Tallinn Vilnius", "Varas", "Tähed", "Sa meeldid mulle" , "Nõiaring" and "Kosmos". The last three are from our first record.
EorE - "Miks ainult mõni asi on nii hea?"—I love this song. What does the title mean?
Hannaliisa Uusma - It means: "Why Are Only Some Things So Good"? I also like it. It features Kare Kauks.
EorE - I presume I am missing out on a lot by not understanding the lyrics. :-/
Hannaliisa Uusma - Lyrics are the really important part of our music. This is the reason why we are at the same time so loved and so hated. People have written protest letters about us. But at the same time our albums are the most wanted and most sold in Estonia. Politicians have quoted us. The President of Estonia has said good words about our music. With Film we won most of the prizes in the Estonian Music Awards. Our concerts are sold out. We have been in the top of the local charts with both of our albums.
Our new record is still quite recent and I don't yet know how the audience is going to react. But the reviews have been very approving.
EorE - "Protest letters?" What sorts of controversies did you stir-up?
Hannaliisa Uusma - We have one song from Film called "Depressiivsed Eesti väikelinnad" ("Depressive Estonian Towns"). It was a very sensational song. Suddenly, we heard that a local association of small towns had written a public protest letter against us. Briefly, their statement was that our lyrics about these little towns were an overreaction and that the towns are not so depressive as we had said. There followed a long public and even political discussion in the media about social life in local small towns. It is still continuing.
EorE - I love that you sing in Estonian. Has this been a subject of discussion within the group, though? Can an Estonian musician do all right marketing oneself to the 1.3 million living in one's own country?
Hannaliisa Uusma - Well, a major part of our songs are in Estonian. But "backstage" we also have some interesting new stuff in English.
EorE - Do you perform outside of Estonia?
Hannaliisa Uusma - We have had some offers. Let's see how things go!
On the Web:
HU?'s Facebook page
Mindnote, HU?'s record label
Mindnote's YouTube Page
HU? tracks on YouTube:
"Miks ainult mõni asi on nii hea?"
"Depressiivsed Eesti väikelinnad"
"Sa meeldid mulle"
"Absoluutselt”
The music group HU? may be the finest Estonian invention since Skype. Their 2008 debut album Film aspired to be a classy underground effort, but far exceeded those expectations (wrote music critic Erik Morna of Film in Eesti Ekspress, "We've been waiting for this disc for over 20 years”). The album's songs were licensed to TV ads, its music was discussed by Estonia's leading politicians, and its lyrics won them both admirers and enemies (proof that they must be doing something right). The follow-up, HU2, has now arrived, and like its predecessor it is packed with shimmery synth hooks woven through a spectrum of musical styles that ably demonstrate the band's creativity, versatility, and unwavering sense of cool.
I exchanged email with the group's 23 year-old singer Hannaliisa Uusma—sociologist by day and rock goddess by night—to find out more about her life, the band whose name is plucked from her initials, and Estonian pop music in general. This is her first English-language interview.
EorE - Estonia looks set to join the eurozone in 2011. Are you ready to exchange your krooni for euros?
Hannaliisa Uusma - I am absolutely ready!
EorE - How were you "discovered"?
Hannaliisa Uusma - When I was 15 I was a member of an Estonian underground rap band called CSQ. There were four members: me and three boys from my neighbourhood. After that I performed with a rap group called Connected People (Ühendatud Inimesed) once in a while. Chalice—the head of this group—is a really honourable singer, poet, and producer. Chalices's first album came out in 2001. It was revolutionary and fresh, in contrast to the monotonous sounds which had generally characterised our pop scene in those days.
At one point, DJ Critical (producer and DJ in HU?) decided that the girl singing backing vocals to Chalice surely deserved her own chance! A bit later, Leslie da Bass (the author of HU?'s music and bass player) joined us. We worked terrifically together! We were full of inspiration and ideas, and we had the same vision about music.
EorE - So are you Hannaliisa Uusma, or are you HU?
Hannaliisa Uusma - Our band is called HU? True, this letter-combination comes from my initials, but it is the band's name. And jokingly, we can steal some of the spotlight from The Who! ;-)
EorE - Who are those people playing the instruments behind you?Hannaliisa Uusma - Leslie Da Bass is a songwriter and bass player. DJ Critical (also known as "Bert on Beats") is a producer and DJ. Kristjan Oden plays the drums and Sigrid Mutso—who is actually a classical singer—is rocking on the keyboards. I am responsible for the vocals.
EorE - Who writes most of the material?
Hannaliisa Uusma - The main songwriter is Leslie. Film featured some other songwriters [also]. My good friend and old music mate Chalice was the author of two songs. And Sten Sheripov wrote the song "Linnasuwelaul". This song is definitely bright and full of sweet emotions. I believe it will live for many years in the hearts of the Estonian audience.
EorE - What is the songwriting process for HU?
Hannaliisa Uusma - Just three of us work together in the studio: Leslie, Critical, and me. Leslie writes all the lyrics and music at home. The next day we normally meet in Critical's studio. Leslie hums something. I catch it and let it through my brain, heart, body and soul. If it fits me, I add my own ideas and colours. Then it's Critical's turn. [The rest of us] go home, but he has to stay in the studio and work hard with recordings and beats!
EorE - How would you describe Estonia's music scene, and how do you fit into it?
Hannaliisa Uusma - Our success shows that we are fitting. Our pop scene was very unfashionable for a long time. Really "juicy" music was only in the underground. Critics have said that HU? spiced-up the Estonian mainstream pop scene with a fashionable sound. Many people have said that this was the key to our success. People were thirsty for modern sounds.
The last two years have been a time of change in our pop music and club culture. Suddenly, we are surrounded by more and more world-class local pop music. For example, bands like Vaiko Eplik & Eliit, Malcolm Lincoln, Pop Idiot, and Mimicry. The paradigms and generations have changed. And god damn, I'm really happy about it!
EorE - Who are Heini Vaikmaa and Kare Kauks, who are credited as guests on your new album?
Hannaliisa Uusma - They are the very best part of our old school pop music scene. Their creations have inspired and influenced our music a lot. Now we have had a great opportunity to make music together on our newest record. This is a great pleasure and honour!
EorE - Were the 1980s a major influence on your sound?
Hannaliisa Uusma - The 80s have definitely influenced our music. [80s music] was around me in my most formative years. It is strongly and maybe even unconsciously deep in my brain.
On our second record we have many nuances which also reflect the 90s. I think the next volcano in the world's pop music is the sound of the 90s. There was a lot of awful 90s pop, but also many extremely bright nuances. It is important to try to transform those good sides into modern pop-music.
EorE - Are you full-time HU'ers?
Hannaliisa Uusma - Most of us are working in different fields ["day jobs"]. I am a sociologist. Leslie is the owner of an advertising company. Kristjan is a designer also. After the working day, music is a brilliant opportunity to put the performing suit on and to rock out, to find inspiration, and to be passionate. It's like a creative orgasm. :-)
EorE - What songs do you most look forward to performing live in the coming days?
Hannaliisa Uusma - In performance, my favorites are "Riia Tallinn Vilnius", "Varas", "Tähed", "Sa meeldid mulle" , "Nõiaring" and "Kosmos". The last three are from our first record.
EorE - "Miks ainult mõni asi on nii hea?"—I love this song. What does the title mean?
Hannaliisa Uusma - It means: "Why Are Only Some Things So Good"? I also like it. It features Kare Kauks.
EorE - I presume I am missing out on a lot by not understanding the lyrics. :-/Hannaliisa Uusma - Lyrics are the really important part of our music. This is the reason why we are at the same time so loved and so hated. People have written protest letters about us. But at the same time our albums are the most wanted and most sold in Estonia. Politicians have quoted us. The President of Estonia has said good words about our music. With Film we won most of the prizes in the Estonian Music Awards. Our concerts are sold out. We have been in the top of the local charts with both of our albums.
Our new record is still quite recent and I don't yet know how the audience is going to react. But the reviews have been very approving.
EorE - "Protest letters?" What sorts of controversies did you stir-up?
Hannaliisa Uusma - We have one song from Film called "Depressiivsed Eesti väikelinnad" ("Depressive Estonian Towns"). It was a very sensational song. Suddenly, we heard that a local association of small towns had written a public protest letter against us. Briefly, their statement was that our lyrics about these little towns were an overreaction and that the towns are not so depressive as we had said. There followed a long public and even political discussion in the media about social life in local small towns. It is still continuing.
EorE - I love that you sing in Estonian. Has this been a subject of discussion within the group, though? Can an Estonian musician do all right marketing oneself to the 1.3 million living in one's own country?
Hannaliisa Uusma - Well, a major part of our songs are in Estonian. But "backstage" we also have some interesting new stuff in English.
EorE - Do you perform outside of Estonia?
Hannaliisa Uusma - We have had some offers. Let's see how things go!
On the Web:
HU?'s Facebook page
Mindnote, HU?'s record label
Mindnote's YouTube Page
HU? tracks on YouTube:
"Miks ainult mõni asi on nii hea?"
"Depressiivsed Eesti väikelinnad"
"Sa meeldid mulle"
"Absoluutselt”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)