VANESSA DAOU ONCE IN A WHILE: THE REMIXES EP DAOU RECORDS / KID RECORDINGS KIDDEP 10012 DIGITAL RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 14, 2012
VANESSA DAOU kicks off 2012 with a brand new release, ONCE IN A WHILE: THE REMIXES EP, Her third remix single culled from her 6th studio album JOE SENT ME, the romantic love letter has been cleverly reconstructed into a monumental package of mixes that sound right at home in cozy underground spots, mega-parties or in your living room including: the feverish original, big room bangers from soulful minimal-tech craftsmanROBERTO RODRIGUEZ(whose euphoric 10-minute plus workout rivals Vanessa’s definitive club anthem “Surrender Yourself”) and rising, LA-based, gritty progressive electro-house newcomer DJ BANDER, a chugging, dubbed-out afterhours expansion courtesy of PHURRY FREAKS/MISO RECORDS main man CHARLES WEBSTER, and a silky nocturnal groove from TERRY LEEBROWN JR’Sdownbeat alter ego, NOR ELLE, that pulses at just the right sensual pace for Daou’s passionate poetry.
TRACKLISTING: 1. Original Mix 2. Charles Webster’s Midnight Mix 3. Charles Webster’s Deep Dub 4. DJ Bander Down In The Garden Mix 5. Roberto Rodriguez aka Manolo Every Now And Then Mix 6. Roberto Rodriguez aka Manolo Every Now And Then Dub 7. Nor Elle Mix
BETTY BLACK BAD WEATHER – SINGLE FRAU PINK PRODUCTIONS / KID RECORDINGS KIDDEP 10013 DIGITAL RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 14, 2012
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the southern gothic chanteuse BETTY BLACK (aka singer/songwriter SYLVIA GORDON) returns with “BAD WEATHER”, a joyously twisted tale of love, carnal desire and obsession that captures the intense yearning of star-crossed lovers destined to crash and burn. Gordon creates an immersive paean to the Sixties pop and underground cult classics like RUSS MEYERS’ psychosexual super vixens, ENNIO MORRICONE’S spaghetti westerns and NANCY SINATRA’S provocative steam heat, as well as, DAVID LYNCH’SBlue Velvet and Lost Highway while infusing the retro-modern sounds of contemporaries like LYKKE LI and THE RAVEONETTES. This is the sound of chain gang heartbreak pop at its most obsessive, lustful and thrilling.
For the B-side, Black slows things down on “NEW MEXICAN SUNSET” and the bonus cut “BAD WEATHER (BLACK & CULLERS ALT VERSION)” – an eerie, stripped down drone owing much to BAUHAUS, SUICIDE and SISTERS OF MERCY.
TRACKLISTING: 1. Bad Weather 2. New Mexican Sunset 3. Bad Weather (Black & Cullers Alt Version)* Bonus Track
The video was conceived, directed and filmed by Sylvia Gordon (aka Betty Black).
Taken from the remix collection “Too Much To Resist: The Slow Dance EP Remixes” (Frau Pink / KID Recordings)
BETTY BLACK TOO MUCH TO RESIST: THE SLOW DANCE EP REMIXES FRAU PINK PRODUCTIONS / KID RECORDINGS KIDDEP 10009 DIGITAL RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 29, 2011 GENRE: ELECTRONIC, INDIE DANCE, ALTERNATIVE, POP
FOR FANS OF: LYKKE LI,, RONNIE SPECTOR, DUSTY SPRINGFIELD, PJ HARVEY, FEIST, ADELE
“Torch songs over swirling electronic melodies… there isn’t a bad song in the bunch. More Betty Black, please. And soon.” (Jeffrey Sisk, The Daily News)
“Spine-tingling…an exotic blend of Julie London, Lena Horne and Dusty Springfield, with a Dinah Washington snarl lurking just beneath the velveteen surface for good measure”(My Old Kentucky Blog)
Multi-talented singer/songwriter/musician SYLVIA GORDON returns with the latest installment of her BETTY BLACK project, the searing 12-track remix collection TOO MUCH TOO RESIST: THE SLOW DANCE EP REMIXES.
Critics described the SLOW DANCE EP as “melancholic, trippy songs [with] free creativity that doesn’t seem to follow any rules/politics” (Afro-Punk) and “Goth Ronnie Spector doing ’60s pop with a dark ’80s edge” (Music & Musicians Magazine) Another called it “spine-tingling…an exotic blend of Julie London, Lena Horne and Dusty Springfield, with a Dinah Washington snarl lurking just beneath the velveteen surface for good measure” (My Old Kentucky Blog).
Five months following the release of SLOW DANCE, Gordon’s insatiable appetite to defy genre surfaces with this narcotic collection of sparkling remixes with an ear towards the dancefloor spanning everything from dubstep, house, electronic and indie-dance. The likes of STARKEY, NATE MARS, RICHARD MOREL, DEANTONI PARKS (KUDU/MARS VOLTA/ME’SHELL N’DEGEOCELLO), HESS IS MORE, DON SUMMER, MATT MAX, along with others, take on the southern gothic chanteuse haunting melodies and romantic lyricism bringing new life to the fragrant, enigmatic tracks.
But even with such a stellar lineup of remixers, Gordon couldn’t sit on the sidelines, she explains: “I composed and arranged the Romeo mix with the mixing help of Rudyard Lee Cullers [Basement Jaxx / Yeah Yeah Yeahs / Motion City Soundtrack / Brandon Flowers]. I like how it turns into its own ‘new wave’ style composition. I was very interested in obtaining darker and more abstract mixes to counter the more light-hearted style of the EP.”
TOO MUCH TOO RESIST is just a hint of things to come from Gordon and her Betty Black project. The in-demand songwriter and collaborator with artists like BLACK EYED PEAS, MOBY, KELIS, BENNY BENASSI, TELEPOPMUSIK, WILLIAM ORBIT and SPANK ROCK is currently gearing up for the release of her next Betty Black EP, BAD WEATHER. The title foreshadows a 2nd installment in a trilogy about the blossoming of young girls into womanhood, from blissful naiveté and longing to the harrowing pangs of innocence lost, self-discovery and maturity. It is slated for release in early 2012.
TRACKLISTING: 1. Low Tide Lullaby (Nate Mars Mix) 2. Low Tide Lullaby (Here Comes D’Wave Mix) 3. Low Tide Lullaby (Starkey Mix) 4. Low Tide Lullaby (Killahurtz Mix) 5. Came Home Cryin’ (Tembo Salty and Black Mix) 6. Came Home Cryin’ (Matt Max Mix) 7. Spring Blossoms (Romeo Mix) 8. Spring Blossoms (Ganga Mix) 9. Spring Blossoms (Don Summer Mix) 10. Spring Blossoms (Hess is More Mix) 11. Spring Blossoms (Richard Morel Single Edit) 12. Spring Blossoms (Richard Morel Extended Mix) * Bonus Track
GANGA FORGET GRAVITY EP FLINC MUSIC / KID RECORDINGS KIDDEP 10007 DIGITAL RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 29, 2011
GENRE: ELECTRONIC, DOWNTEMPO, CHILL-OUT/LOUNGE FOR FANS OF: MUSIC FOR DREAMS, BUDDHA BAR, TRENTEMOLLER, THIEVERY CORPORATION, BLISS, DZIHAN & KAMIEN, NITIN SAWHNEY
“Ganga has been making incredible music for years and their finest moments have been truly outstanding…pure quality.” Pete Gooding
KID Recordings welcomes accomplished Danish composer, producer and downtempo/chill-out lounge doyen GANGA (aka CHRISTIAN RØNN) to its roster with the release of his debut US EP, FORGET GRAVITY (released NOVEMBER 29).
RØNN first made his debut as GANGA in 2005, releasing I Dream About Trees on influential Danish label MUSIC FOR DREAMS, known for an eclectic roster of artists (including Kenneth Bager, Bliss, Aura, Banzai Republic, Hess Is More and Lulu Rouge) and compilation series including Folk Not Folk and Luftkastellet. In 2007, he launched his own Flinc Music label and released three beautiful albums: Don’t Wake Me Up (2007), More Light Please (2009) and Gaia (2010). To date, his tracks have appeared on over 100 compilationsworldwide including ‘BUDDHA BAR’, ‘REAL IBIZA’, ‘CAFÉ MAMBO’, ‘HED KANDI : SERVE CHILLED’ and ‘THE SUNSET LOUNGE’.
Increasingly in-demand as a DJ, composer, producer and live performer, Christian’s genre-defying downtempo DJ sets have brought him as far as Buddha Bar in Dubai, as well as several Ibizan hotspots including the legendary Café Del Mar. And obviously he plays out regularly at home in Copenhagen, where he’s frequently to be found seducing discerning club-goers.
As a composer and live performer, GANGA has collaborated with some of the most influential Danish performers (Hanne Boel, Peter Peter) and appeared several times at Roskilde Festival in Denmark providing live, original soundtracks for – amongst others – Fritz Lang’s silent sci-fi classic Metropolis and Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin.
With FORGET GRAVITY, RØNN creates an intoxicating, narcotic soundscape with a sharp intellect whose DNA is truly global. Recorded in Copenhagen and Goa, India,the 6-track EP layers sensuous Balearic rhythms with dub–deep basslines, blissed-out vocals and string-drenched lushness (reflecting Asian, Latin and Nordic influences) conjuring widescreen vistas that are glacially cool and skin-prickingly sensual; deep and weightless as its title suggests.
Heavy on melody and atmospherics that are crisp and luscious, bright and beautifully blurry; the set features fetching vocal and musical performances from all corners of the world: Anwar Ahmed Khan and his brother Naushad Hussain Khan, both from India, perform on “Clouds,” together with regular Ganga collaborator Helle Chirholm; Annemarie Zimakoff’s delicate vocals adorn two cinematic slow-burners “Secrets” and “Are You Hiding”; Steen Kyed (The Great Danes) lends languid guitar to the hypnotic groove of “Yellow Leaves”; “This Time” – the one previously released track, a standout on 2010’s Gaia album – features the smoky tones of acclaimed Bay Area vocalist Scheherazade Stone.
TRACKLISTING: 1. Golden 2. Secrets (feat. Annemarie Z.) 3. Clouds 4. Are You Hiding (feat. Annemarie Z.) 5. This Time (feat. Scheherazade Stone) 6. Yellow Leaves
Outsider Music has two tracks on the upcoming Fierce Angel Compilation coming out in the UK next month. A new song by Madeline Zero called “Love the Love” (co-written and produced by Morel) and a mix of Morel’s last single “Shoegazer Disco”. In addition two of Kid Recording’s artists are included : Tommy Bones & Lydia Rhodes “What I Feel” and Vanessa Daou “Heart Of Wax” (Emjae Club Mix).
BETTY BLACK SLOW DANCE EP
FRAU PINK PRODUCTIONS / KID RECORDINGS KIDDEP 10008
DIGITAL RELEASE DATE: JUNE 28, 2011
GENRE: ALTERNATIVE, RETRO 60s POP
FOR FANS OF: LYKKE LI, PHIL SPECTOR, DUSTY SPRINGFIELD, PJ HARVEY, ROME, ADELE, KIMBRA
New Betty Black single on PopMatters.com !
“Sylvia’s voice–a supple coil of smooth velvet” Time Out New York
“Tropicalized goth…a weird meld of torrid and frigid, alluring and domineering” Simon Reynolds
Musical chameleons like SYLVIA GORDON do not come along every day. The multi-talented singer, songwriter, musician and artist (who has worked with BLACK EYED PEAS, MOBY and SPANKROCK) boldly dons multiple personas as an outlet for her restless, adventurous spirit. She embraces and explores several muses by way of her various musical projects including ART WORLD KILLER (formerly known as KUDU), BETTY BLACK, SYLVIA BLACK and VIVIAN ALIVE!.
June 28th, she unveils Slow Dance, the long-awaited debut EP from her mesmerizing BETTY BLACK project (a second EP is scheduled for release later this summer). The first in a trilogy of thematic releases about the blossoming of young girls into womanhood (from blissful naiveté and longing to the harrowing pangs of innocence lost, self discovery and maturity)
On the 6 track set, Sylvia summons a rapturous collection of unflinchingly heartfelt torch songs and over a hazy pastel backdrop sunbathed in black. Enchanting, languid melodies and soothing strings prove to be the perfect partner-in-crime for this southern-steeped storytelling anchored with smoldering, lilting vocals and slow-burning musical landscapes heavily inspired by early 60′s girl groups (The Shirelles, The Ronettes and The Shangri-Las), Nashville country, Memphis blues and Phil Spector’s cacophonous “wall of sound”.
Songs like the euphoric and atmospheric “Spring Blossoms”, “Ever Fallen in Love” (Buzzcocks cover) and the title track recall Siouxsie and the Banshees’ enigmatic post-punk mystique, PJ Harvey and Nick Cave’s visceral poeticism and the fragrant heartbreak pop of Dusty Springfield and Patsy Cline. While the mascara-tainted ballads – “Came Home Cryin’” and “Will You Still Love Me” (a sublime cover of the Carole King-penned classic) – showcase the set’s oceanic beauty, soaring lyrical depth and intricate musical sophistication.
The heat-you-up-melt-you-down sensibility and sultry sensuality that permeates throughout the EP reflects Gordon’s intuitive ability to craft vivid, melodic tales of love, loss and longing (with equal parts smoke and bite) has made her an in-demand songwriter and collaborator, having worked with WILLIAM ORBIT, KELIS, BENNY BENASSI, TELEPOPMUSIK and N-DUBZ.
And then there are her co-writing credits on the BLACK EYED PEAS’ “Meet Me Halfway” and “The Best One Yet (The Boy).” The four-million-selling “Meet Me Halfway” was the third Top 10 single from the Peas’ multi-platinum, Grammy-winning fifth album, The E.N.D, while “The Best One Yet” is featured on the hip-pop act’s sixth studio album, the multi-million-selling The Beginning.
Gordon recently won an ASCAP POP MUSIC AWARD for the melancholic and rhythmic “Meet Me Halfway” – one of the most performed pop music song of 2010.
TRACKLISTING: 1. Spring Blossoms
2. Slow Dance
3. Will You Still Love Me
4. Ever Fallen In Love
5. Came Home Cryin’
6. Low Tide Lullaby
VANESSA DAOU HEART OF WAX (THE REMIXES) PT. II
DAOU RECORDS / KID RECORDINGS KIDD 10006
DIGITAL RELEASE DATE: JUNE 21, 2011 GENRE: PROGRESSIVE, DEEP HOUSE, MINIMAL/TECH, CHILL OUT/DOWNTEMPO FOR FANS OF: HED KANDI, BUDDHA BAR, MUSIC FOR DREAMS, BUZZIN’ FLY, TOOLROOM KNIGHTS
“Beauty never beats in a heart of wax, it comes down to that”
Following the success of her Top 40 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play single “CONSEQUENCES (THE REMIXES)” and tender late night grinder “HEART OF WAX (THE REMIXES)” PT. I, VANESSA DAOUreturns with the long-awaited companion set “HEART OF WAX (THE REMIXES)” PT. II. Much like her previous dance releases, the single is sure to gain support from the international DJ cognoscenti who have continually championed the sensual and provocative dance/electronic icon including QUENTIN HARRIS, ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ (aka MANOLO), TEDD PATTERSON, HEC ROMERO, ERIC KUPPER, BENJI CANDELARIO, KING BRITT, DIXON, SHAHROKH SOUND OF K. and TERRY LEE BROWN JR., DAOU dives deeper into the sultry slow-burner to unearth a dynamic set of mixes largely aimed at the dancefloor. Where PT. I was a decidedly more subtle club excursion, PT.II amps up the energy delivering a more pumped selection of sweaty big room workouts courtesy of RICHARD MOREL, CRAIG C., and EMJAE, while the closing salvo from BLANK & JONES slows things down to put the final exclamation point on the simmering, emotive ballad,
MOREL cleverly recasts the original into a gritty and sexy, primetime floor-filler laced with his signature progressive/alternative grooves that propelled his mixes for artists like YOKO ONO, CYNDI LAUPER, LILY ALLEN, LA ROUX, DEPECHE MODE, NEW ORDER and THE KILLERS to the top of the club charts. The mix has become a staple in his DJ sets at his BLOWOFF bi-monthly residences (with partner,BOB MOULD) in DC, New York and San Francisco.
Denver-based producer/remixer CRAIG C. takes a more above-ground approach to his mixes, reshaping the song into a sun splashed summer anthem heaving with swirling filtered synths, pulsating rhythms and melodic guitar riffs. EMJAE (aka MATT JOHNSON of Boston-based nu-disco outfit NIGHTRIDERS) serves up two distinct interpretations – the more commercial, 90s house inspired “Club Mix” (think Robin S. and Nightcrawlers meet Kylie Minogue)and the hypnotic, minimal glitch-house flavored “Subterranean Disco Dub”. BLANK & JONES round out the package with their trademark brand of pastoral moodscapes and hazy Balearic downbeats.
TRACKLISTING: 1. Heart Of Wax (Richard Morel Mix)
2. Heart Of Wax (Richard Morel Dub)
3. Heart Of Wax (Craig C’s Master Blaster Mix)
4. Heart Of Wax (Craig C’s InstraBlaster Dub)
5. Heart Of Wax (Emjae Club Mix)
6. Heart Of Wax (Emjae’s Subterranean Disco Dub)
7. Heart Of Wax (Blank & Jones Late Night Mix)
VANESSA DAOU HEART OF WAX (THE REMIXES) PT. I DAOU RECORDS / KID RECORDINGS KIDD 10005 Distributed by OUTSIDER MUSIC DIGITAL RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 15, 2011 GENRE: CHILL OUT, DOWNTEMPO, DEEP HOUSE, NU JAZZ, PROGRESSIVE, DUB FOR FANS OF: HOTEL COSTES, BUDDHA BAR, MUSIC FOR DREAMS, KRUDER AND DORFMEISTER, THIEVERY CORPORATION, TRENTEMOLLER
“I have never loved anyone like you…it’s time I do”
The high priestess of all things smoky, jazzy and provocative continues her love affair with the dancefloor and those more intimate spaces with the release of “HEART OF WAX (THE REMIXES)” PT. I. Issued just in time for Valentine’s Day and hot on the heels of her fiery single “CONSEQUENCES (THE REMIXES)”, the single is destined to become an essential home listening companion for those long winter nights (or the theme song for your next great love affair).
The hauntingly tender and romantic elegy has been cleverly reinvented into a radiant, soul-stirring late night anthem featuring mixes from ALPHAMOTIVE (aka multi-talented producer/composer/remixer WILL THOMAS of DIVE INDEX and PLUMBLINE) and classically trained, Danish producer/musicianCHRISTIAN RØNN (aka GANGA). It is the second offering from VANESSA DAOU’s series of inspired reworks lifted from her acclaimed 2008 album JOE SENT ME and leads up to the release of her forthcoming MOONSHINE MIXES remix album project (scheduled for Fall 2011).
ALPHAMOTIVE transforms the plaintive and soothing ballad into a soaring heartfelt mantra where Vanessa’s breathy delicate vocals and bewitching melodies become bathed in swirling electronic flourishes, warm synth washes and thumping drum pulses creating a scintillating and narcotic, deep progressive-fuelled groove perfectly suited for sweaty late night workouts – when the “peak hour” crowd begins to clear and the after-hours crowd arrives.
GANGA counters with a lush dreamscape punctuated with his signature blend of chilled-out, spacious grooves, muted acoustic instrumentation, aquatic dub-drenched beats, supple atmospherics and sensual vocals. Harnessing the dusky romance of the original, Ganga’s mix masterfully tugs at your soul drawing listeners into its enveloping embrace. Combining Balearic eclecticism, Dub and Scandinavian melancholy, he creates the perfect backdrop for Daou’s passionately poetic tale of love and longing that pulsates and teases with a seductive pace and transcendent intensity.
TRACKLISTING:
1. Heart Of Wax (AlphaMotive Mix)
2. Heart Of Wax (AlphaMotive Dub)
3. Heart Of Wax (Ganga Mix)
VANESSA DAOU CONSEQUENCES (THE REMIXES)
KID RECORDINGS / DAOU RECORDS KIDD10004
RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 25, 2011
Full support! I’ve fallen in love with this record!Tedd Patterson (Vibal/Cielo)
WOW! Just finished dancing to Kupper’s amazing remix – what a great job he did. I really wanted to like the other mixes but it’s all about Kupper Daou! Hec Romero (SAW/Def Mix)
HOTNESS !!!!! Will play this heavy!!! Fabio Genito(Nightaffair Productions/Vega Records)
Big fan of Vanessa Daou’s voice, here. This release doesn’t disappoint … all remixes are top notch. Eric Kupper knocks it out of the park, the Harlum Main Mix is a rhythmic wonder, and the Terry Lee Brown Jr. mix just hypnotizes. Thanks so much for this.Q-Burns Abstract Message
Nice stuff. Diggin’ the variety of mixes as well. Will play and support.Henri Kohn (Clubstar)
Thanks for this!!! The Timewriter Remix is the one for me.Mark (Further in Fusion)
Light and airy and feels good. Eric Kupper still shows he can deliver again and again.Chris Fortier
Ethereal pop, nu jazz, electronic and dance music chanteuse, VANESSA DAOU, returns with her highly anticipated new single, “CONSEQUENCES (THE REMIXES)”. Culled from the acclaimed artist’s 2008 self-produced and self-released long-player JOE SENT ME, the track is the first in a series of sparkling re-rubs from the album to be issued over the coming months in conjunction with KID Recordings. It also marks the sultry house music veteran’s first official remix single since 2004’s “A Little Bit Of Pain (World And Earth Remixes)” on TWISTED Records.
“CONSEQUENCES” finds Daou at her most radiant and expressive. An affirming tale of reluctance, yearning and desire, the song has been adeptly reinvented into a shimmering late-night seduction pulsating with sophisticated (and tough) house beats and blissed-out donwtempo grooves. Featuring dynamic mixes from an international cast of dance/electronic music heavyweights including legendary producer/remixer/keyboardist and house music pioneer ERIC KUPPER, tech-house wunderkindsTIMEWRITER and TERRY LEE BROWN JR., HARLUM (aka San Francisco deep and soulful, progressive tribal house innovators DAVID HARNESS and CHRIS LUM) and platinum-selling, German techno and chill-out masters BLANK + JONES, the set offers a variety of “soundtracks” to suit a variety of tastes, moods and environments reflecting Vanessa’s well-documented love affair with both the dancefloor and those more intimate, private spaces.
The single is just the first glimpse of inspired works to be issued by the artist this year. It fits neatly alongside her treasure-trove of sensual enigmatic visions such as “Near The Black Forest”, “Two To Tango”, “Sunday Afternoons”, “Lovechild”, “How Do You Feel”, “Pain”, “Make Believe” and the timelessDANNY TENAGLIA-retrofitted club staples “Surrender Yourself” and “Give Myself To You” (as THE DAOU).
TRACKLISTING:
1. Consequences (Eric Kupper Distilled Mix)
2. Consequences (HarLum Peaktime Tribal Mix)
3. Consequences (HarLum Main Mix)
4. Consequences (Timewriter’s New Ways Mix)
5. Consequences (Terry Lee Brown Jr. Mix)
6. Consequences (Blank & Jones Late Night Mix)
