On November 11th 2008 - after nearly 2 years of scrobbling the music I listen to - I hit 100k plays. Thanks to last.fm the ways of expanding my musical knowledge, taste, and love has expanded in such a great way over the past 2 years. And my journey of discovering more and more interesting music and exploring different genres continues.. What a wonderful trip it has been so far!
11 November 2008: 100,000 Plays since 15 Dec 2006 4,177 Artists in My Library 205Tags
You all can't get enough of this soul-food... That's why you can't be spoiled with number 10 of the superultra famous Chill-Series. As always, it's the best ever made... And as always, listen twice: and you will be addicted forever!
Born in May 1968, that truly remarkable month that was the apotheosis of the '60's when French students almost succeeded in toppling over an atrophied and authoritarian government, Van Hees cannot help but being an revolutionary and an innovator. But hey, this rebel comes in the guise of an emotive latin lover, flashing a seductive smile and sporting a thin moustache.
Starting out at the tender age of 15 when he hosted a jazz funk radio show for a local Antwerp station, Van Hees followed up with the popular Liaisons Dangereuses radio show, which ran for ten years. On the strength of this outlet, he was invited to record for local labels like USA Import, Wonka and Atom/Elektron. When the track 'Oempa Loempa' by Aquastep (on Wonka Records) turned into one of Western-Europe's most popular club anthems of 1992, Belgian top-label R&S invited Van Hees to record for them. 'Piano Power' by Remy & Sven (a collaboration with Dutch DJ Remy Unger) kickstarted R&S subsidiary Global Custs and has achieved classic status.
Signing to Arcade/Trust Foundation in Holland in 1996, Van Hees released his debut album, "Svengali", that same year. It proved to be a multifarious affair of club grooves and lounge moods, highly original and quietly advanced. Two singles, 'Freakysthan' and 'Neighbours', both highly sought-after (but hard-to-find due to Trust folding upon the release of the latter track), attested to Van Hees' unique perception of dance culture.
Summer. Sunshine. Balmy weather. Mellow moments. Quiet beauty. Lazy afternoons. Breezy sunsets. Sultry nights. The good life - Welcome to the lounge experience as soundtracked by Sven Van Hees. Antwerp-based producer and DJ Sven Van Hees is a true original.
When he released his "Gemini" album in the late Summer of 1999, the burgeoning lounge scene could very well use a central focal point to help the nascent style crossover to its potential audience. And "Gemini" did exactly that. It thrilled its many buyers worldwide and woke the media up to the simple fact that there's life after clubbing. "Gemini" put lounge music on the map, and its various tracks were licensed to an unprecedented 100+ compilations, thus helping to spread its unassuming message to an audience that was stunned to find its dreams and desires reflected in the unlikeliest of releases.
"Calypso" his third album is the work of a subdued master. It's totally true to his nature and, although the album acknowledges '70s fusion icons like Quincy Jones and Lonnie Liston Smith, it creates a world completely its own - a singular dreamscape for all of us to wallow around in. Centered around the groove, "Calypso"'s eleven tracks take up the Sven Van Hees story were "Gemini" left it, creating a much-needed private space of leisure and introspection, of inner peace and enticing pleasure. It's like God's very own calypso band has sneaked out of heaven - for five minutes at least - and turned up in Antwerp, in Sven's sampler.
On May 30 2005 Sven released Synesthesia: Synesthesia, the new cd by Van Hees, gives us the most intimate view inside this producer's head so far. All eleven tracks have their own "colour", painting a complete picture of a near 64 minutes in audio. This has to be his broadest album so far. It's also his first cd that includes guest performances and vocal tracks. Two tracks, the great summery housegrooves and singles "The sun goes down" and "Eneas", were written and sung by Dutch vocalist/mc Lex Empress.
Having met 10 years before in Antwerp they lost sight of eachother untill early 2003 they got booked together again, and enjoyed two hours of "musical-bliss", Sven dj'ing whilst Lex was singing on top of his records. Also "Amish gansta rappin" features rhymes from a US rapper that prefers to stay anonymous, and could easily have featured on a Massive Attack album. Belgians finest musicians, Bart Van Huyck(guitar), Johan Vandendriessche (sax, flute), Paul Flush (Hammond,Fender Rhodes) and Peter Schneider (percussion) members of his former "Svengali squad", add the cherry on this
delicious cake.
This is Sven Van Hees most diverse and mature album yet.
THE SUN GOES DOWN - SVEN VAN HEES feat. LEX EMPRESS
Sven Van Hees Dj Mix @ Nok Out
Discography on Discogs:
Releases:
Apokalypz (12") Atom Communications 1991
Untitled (12") Atom Communications 1991
Emotional Rehabilitation (Remixes) (12") R & S Records 1992
Endorphine EP (12") Elektron 1992
Planet Jupiter 6 (12") Global Cuts 1993
Casino (12") Global Cuts 1994
The Bellydance EP (12", EP) Global Cuts 1994
Recycled Rainforest EP (12") Global Cuts 1995
Freakysthan (12") Royal Records 1996
Freakysthan (CD, Maxi) Royal Records 1996
Svengali (CD) Royal Records 1996
Neighbours (12") Trust Foundation 1997
Return To Oslo (CD, Maxi) CNR Music (Norway) 1997
Gemini (CD, Album, Dig) Life Enhancing Audio 1999
Gemini (LP) Life Enhancing Audio 1999
Tsunami (Inside My Soul) (12") Life Enhancing Audio 2000
Calypso (CD, Album, Dig) Life Enhancing Audio 2002
Calypso (2xLP) Life Enhancing Audio 2002
What Do You See? (10") Life Enhancing Audio 2002
What Do You See? (CD, Maxi) Life Enhancing Audio 2002
Eneas (12") Your Lips 2005
Synesthesia (CD, Album, Dig) Your Lips 2005
The Sun Goes Down (12") Your Lips 2005
Exotica - Cosmic Love Continues (CD, Album) Your Lips 2007
Another exciting crop of New Adds with more artists to add.
Jazzy Lounge is proud to bring you a new and improved broadcast. The station playback has been upgraded to give you a much cleaner sound and tracks presented are jazzier and funkier than ever before!
Step into the new Jazzy Lounge and envelope yourself in the jazzy, funky sounds presented this week.
Take your top 20 artists. For each of these artists, collect the top 5 similar artists. The resulting number of unique artists is your eclectic score. If the score is small (extreme = 5) your musical preferences are very limited, and if it is large (larger than 80, extreme = 100), then you have an eclectic musical preference. You can compute your own score at http://anthony.liekens.net/pub/scripts/last.fm/eclectic.php
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question even if it doesn't make sense. NO CHEATING!
WHAT'S YOUR OUTLOOK ON LIFE?
The winter hit hard - Hood- it still is hitting hard!
WHAT DOES YOUR FAMILY THINK OF YOU?
sure to fall in love (with you) - The Beatles - how do they know?
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
thinking world war III blues - Bob Dylan - yep, it's coming man.
WHAT DO STRANGERS THINK OF YOU?
bang bang (my baby shot me down) - Nancy Sinatra - yeh i'm unrelenting!
WHAT DO YOUR EXES THINK OF YOU?
good friday - CocoRosie - was it that mournful?
HOW IS YOUR LOVE LIFE?
Wake up, little sparrow - Devendra Banhart - yeh that sounds about right, ive been single for about all my life.
HOW WILL YOUR LOVE LIFE BE IN THE FUTURE?
malted milk - Robert Johnson - im confused, what does that taste like?
WILL YOU GET MARRIED?
don't you see how this world made a change - Blind Willie McTell - yes sir, im destined for greater things than prenuptial agreements
WILL YOU HAVE KIDS?
Beautiful boyz - CocoRosie- haha, yeh good, ugly boyz are rubbish
ARE YOU GOOD AT SCHOOL?
slaves, we're together like - Nicolai Dunger - yeh felt like a slave
WILL YOU BE SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE?
didnt you know? - Tha Rayne - ah, that's reassuring
WHAT SONG SHOULD THEY PLAY ON YOUR BIRTHDAY?
heliopolis by night - Aberfeldy - place of pillars?
WHAT SONG SHOULD THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
winning the battle losing the war - Kings of Convenience - jeez that's depressing
THE SOUNDTRACK OF YOUR LIFE:
enough - Cat Power - hahaha, im sooooooooooooo intolerant of people!
YOU AND YOUR BEST FRIEND ARE:
you are far (do you exist?) - Jim Guthrie - yeh that sounds a bout right.
HAPPY TIMES:
aint no sunshine - Roy Ayers- hm, definitely a curious feeling in the winter
WHAT DOES NEXT YEAR HAVE IN STORE FOR ME?
dead man's will - Calexico/Iron And Wine - right, no snow boarding for me
WHAT DO I SAY WHEN LIFE GETS TOO HARD?
rock me again and again and again and again and again - Lyn Collins - yeh im a sucker for misery
WHAT DO I THINK WHEN I GET UP IN THE MORNING?
dr baker - The Beta Band
WHAT SONG WILL I DANCE TO AT MY WEDDING?
un ka andaz-e-karam - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - so im marrying pakistani? cool!
WHAT DO YOU WANT AS A CAREER?
too late for tonight -Laura Cantrell
YOUR FAVOURITE SAYING?
fotheringay - Fairport Convention - yeah mary queen of scots is a big influence on me
FAVORITE PLACE?
the pitfall/the excursion - Richard Thompson - er, my secret is out
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
hot sex - A Tribe Called Quest- oh no, please no.
WHERE WOULD YOU GO ON YOUR FIRST DATE?
dirty dancehall - The Zutons- hm, yeh i love a bit of dirt, women go mad for that
DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
you - Marvin Gaye- er, who????????
WHAT DO I LIKE DOING MOST?
if not for you - Bob Dylan, getting way too existential here now
WHAT IS MY STATE OF MIND AT THE MOMENT?
meu guarda chuva - DJ Patife- im gonna have to translate as "my rain guard"? yeh, you're right, i just reproofed my waterproof trousers for cycling in to work...weird.
HOW WILL YOU DIE?
high friends in places - Giant Drag, nice, look forward to that
THE SONG THAT YOU'LL PUT AS YOUR SUBJECT
and don't you say no - Roy Ayers - yes hard to resist im always a bit demanding.
Sven van Hees
