Machine Soul
''Machine Soul: An Odyssey Into Electronic Dance Music'' is a compilation album released by Rhino Records on March 14, 2000. The album explores electronic dance music through various genres and received positive reviews from critics including AllMusic, '' Entertainment Weekly'', and ''Uncut''. Production The album was initially conceived as a four-disc set, but was cut down to two discs. Release ''Machine Soul: An Odyssey Into Electronic Dance Music'' was released by Rhino Records on compact disc on March 14, 2000. The album contains liner notes from Johan Kugelberg which include an essay on electronic music and covers music not included on the album. Reception '' The Austin Chronicle'' declared the album to be "the most comprehensive and accessible attempt at tracing the lineage of electronic music (since the Seventies, anyway) yet delivered." ''The Advocate'' commented on how the album could be used as an educational tool for young electronic music fans, and as a strong ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rhino Records
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species of the superfamily Rhinocerotoidea.) Two of the extant species are native to Africa, and three to South and Southeast Asia. Rhinoceroses are some of the largest remaining megafauna: all weigh at least one tonne in adulthood. They have a herbivorous diet, small brains (400–600 g) for mammals of their size, one or two horns, and a thick (1.5–5 cm), protective skin formed from layers of collagen positioned in a lattice structure. They generally eat leafy material, although their ability to ferment food in their hindgut allows them to subsist on more fibrous plant matter when necessary. Unlike other perissodactyls, the two African species of rhinoceros lack teeth at the front of their mouths; they rely instead on their lips to pl ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Normal
The Normal is the recording artist name used by English music producer Daniel Miller, a film editor at the time, who is best known as the founder of the record label Mute Records. Background In 1977, Miller had split up with his girlfriend. A friend suggested that he read a book the friend himself had just finished. The book was ''Crash'' (1973) by J. G. Ballard.Synth Britannia - Documentary (BBC4 2 August 2010) He felt that Ballard's writing took him five minutes into the future; the novel was to be a major influence in the music he would produce as The Normal. Miller was disillusioned by the fact you needed to learn three chords to be in a punk band, so he decided to purchase a synthesiser. His thinking was that you only needed to learn to press one key on a synthesiser. After buying a Korg 700s synthesiser from Macari's music shop in London, Miller recorded and released a single under the name ''The Normal''. This was "T.V.O.D."/"Warm Leatherette". Both tracks were minimali ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Andy McCluskey
George Andrew McCluskey (born 24 June 1959) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. He is best known as the lead singer and bass guitarist of the electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), which he founded alongside keyboard player Paul Humphreys in 1978. The duo have been described as "electro pioneers". McCluskey also founded pop girl group Atomic Kitten, for whom he served as a principal songwriter, and has collaborated with various acts. His work has received nominations at the Ivor Novello, Grammy and Brit Awards, and has topped charts in the UK and internationally. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Andy McCluskey was born on 24 June 1959 in Heswall, Wirral, and grew up in Meols on the northern coast of the Wirral Peninsula in England. McCluskey met Paul Humphreys at Great Meols Primary School, in Elwyn Road, and played with him in several bands, including Hitlerz Underpantz, VCL XI and the Id. McCluskey then attended Calday Grange Gra ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Electricity (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Song)
"Electricity" is the 1979 debut single by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), featured on their eponymous debut album the following year. Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys sing the lead vocals on the track together in unison. As with single " Messages" from the same album, the song features a melodic synthesizer break as opposed to a sung chorus. The track is a holdover from defunct Wirral group the Id, who were led by McCluskey and Humphreys. Following OMD's release of "Electricity" on Factory Records, the band were offered a recording contract with Dindisc, who twice re-issued the single. An October 2019 re-release, through Virgin EMI, topped the UK Vinyl Singles Chart. "Electricity" has been recognised as one of the most influential songs of its era, and has been praised by multiple recording artists. Background "Electricity" was the first song that Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys wrote together at the age of 16. It addresses society's waste ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Wirral Peninsula, Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978. The group consists of co-founders Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals), along with Martin Cooper (musician), Martin Cooper (keyboards, saxophone) and Stuart Kershaw (drums); McCluskey has been the only constant member. Regarded as pioneers of electronic music, OMD combined an Experimental music, experimental, Minimal music, minimalist ethos with pop sensibilities, becoming key figures in the late-1970s/early-1980s emergence of synth-pop. The band were also one of the original acts involved in the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US. McCluskey and Humphreys led precursor group The Id (band), the Id from 1977–1978, and re-recorded their track "Electricity (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song), Electricity" as OMD's debut single in 1979. Weathering an "uncool" image and a degree of host ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Russell Mael
Russell Craig Mael (born October 5, 1948) is an American singer best known as the lead singer for the band Sparks which he formed in 1971 with his elder brother Ron Mael. Mael is known for his wide vocal range, in particular his far-reaching falsetto. He has a flamboyant and hyperactive stage presence which contrasts sharply with Ron Mael's deadpan scowling. The band released an album with British rock band Franz Ferdinand, as the supergroup FFS, titled '' FFS'', released in 2015. The Mael brothers are the founders of Lil' Beethoven Records. Early life Russell Craig Mael was born on October 5, 1948, in Los Angeles, California. The Mael brothers grew up in Pacific Palisades – a relatively affluent suburb of Los Angeles – with their father Meyer, who was a graphic designer and caricaturist for the ''Hollywood Citizen-News'', and their mother, Miriam (''née'' Moskowitz), a librarian. Both Meyer and Miriam were the children of Jewish immigrants, Meyer of Austrian and Russia ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ron Mael
Ronald David Mael (born August 12, 1945) is an American musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. He is the keyboard player and principal songwriter in the band Sparks which he founded with vocalist, occasional songwriter and younger brother Russell Mael in 1971. Mael is known for his quirky and idiosyncratic approach to songwriting, his intricate and rhythmic keyboard playing style and for his deadpan and low key, scowling demeanour onstage often remaining motionless over his keyboard in sharp contrast to Russell's animated and hyperactive frontman antics. Ron Mael is also noted for his conservative clothes and unfashionable moustache. The Mael brothers are the founders of Lil' Beethoven Records. Early life Ronald David Mael was born on August 12, 1945, in Culver City, California. The Mael brothers grew up in Pacific Palisades – an affluent beach neighborhood of Los Angeles – with their father, Meyer Mael, who was a graphic designer and caricaturist for the ''Hol ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Number One Song In Heaven
"The Number One Song in Heaven" is a disco song by the American rock duo Sparks. Released as a single in 1979, the song was produced and co-written by electro-disco producer Giorgio Moroder. It became a top 20 hit in the UK, where it peaked at number 14. In addition to the standard black vinyl, both the 7" and 12" versions of the single were issued in a variety of coloured vinyl releases (red, blue, and green). Sparks rerecorded the song in 1997, one version of which featured vocals by Jimmy Somerville and orchestrations by Tony Visconti. This version peaked at number 70 in the UK, but was slightly more successful on the U.S. Billboard Dance Chart where it became a top 30 hit. Music videos The video for the 1997 version involves an angel singing with Satan trying to stop a ferris wheel, which pays homage to ''The Third Man''. Track listing 1979 release *7 inch Virgin VS 244 # "The Number One Song in Heaven" — 3:48 # "The Number One Song in Heaven" (Long Version) — 6:56 *1 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sparks (band)
Sparks is an American pop and rock duo formed by brothers Ron (keyboards) and Russell Mael (vocals) in Los Angeles. The duo is noted for their quirky approach to songwriting; their music is often accompanied by sophisticated and acerbic lyrics—often about women, and sometimes containing literary or cinematic references-- and an idiosyncratic, theatrical stage presence, typified by the contrast between Russell's animated, hyperactive frontman antics and Ron's deadpan scowling. Russell Mael has a distinctive wide-ranging voice, while Ron Mael plays keyboards in an intricate and rhythmic style. They have been much more successful in Europe than in their native U.S., though they maintain a loyal cult following in the States. Career highlights include "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us", which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in 1974; the disco hit "The Number One Song in Heaven" in 1979, resulting from a collaboration with Giorgio Moroder and marking a stylistic shift ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pete Bellotte
Peter John Bellotte (born 28 August 1943)Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916–2005 atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England: General Register Office. is an English songwriter, record producer and author most noted for his work in the 1970s with Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer. Life and career Bellotte was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire which is now part of North London. He learned guitar in his early teens, and joined a local group the Linda Laine and the Sinners as a guitarist, becoming a professional in 1962. They toured all over the UK for two years and in the early 1960s toured in Germany. In Hamburg they encountered another English band, Bluesology, and Bellotte became friends with their keyboard player, Reg Dwight who changed his name later to Elton John. [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Giorgio Moroder
Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer, songwriter, and record producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance music. His work with synthesizers had a large influence on several music genres such as Hi-NRG, Italo disco, new wave, house and techno music. When in Munich in the 1970s, Moroder started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records. He is the founder of the former Musicland Studios in Munich, a recording studio used by many artists including the Rolling Stones, Electric Light Orchestra, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Queen (band), Queen and Elton John. He produced singles for Donna Summer during the mid-to-late 1970s disco era, including "Love to Love You Baby (song), Love to Love You Baby", "I Feel Love", "Last Dance (Donna Summer song), Last Dance", "MacArthur Park (song)#Donn ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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I Feel Love
"I Feel Love" is a song by American singer and songwriter Donna Summer. Produced and co-written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, it was recorded for Summer's fifth studio album, ''I Remember Yesterday'' (1977). The album concept was to have each track evoke a different musical decade; for "I Feel Love", the team aimed to create a futuristic mood, employing a Moog synthesizer. The song was released just before the album on May 1, 1977, as the B-side to the single " Can't We Just Sit Down (And Talk It Over)", which rose to number 20 on the US ''Billboard'' R&B chart. Two months later, the sides were flipped and the single was reissued. "I Feel Love" reached number one in Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, number three in West Germany, and number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States, and topped the charts in many other countries. "I Feel Love" became popular during the disco era, influencing acts such as David Bowie, Brian Eno ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |