Andain was a
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
-based
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
duo, originally formed in 2000. They broke through in 2002 after being discovered by
DJ Tiësto
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...
, reaching clubbers worldwide with their singles "Summer Calling" in 2002 and "Beautiful Things" in 2003. The band members initially included producer
Josh Gabriel
Josh Gabriel is an American electronic dance music DJ and producer, most known for his collaborative partnership Gabriel & Dresden with Dave Dresden.
History Early years (1988–2000)
In 1988-89, a 20-year-old exchange student from Californi ...
, singer and songwriter
Mavie Marcos
Mavie Marcos (born April 29, 1978) is an American singer and songwriter. , and guitarist David Penner, before the group disbanded in 2006. Andain returned again in 2011 as Josh and Mavie, making their comeback with the single "Promises". The successive year saw the release of the band's first and only full-length album, on September 12, 2012, following a year of touring and performing. Andain was eventually concluded in 2014.
Biography
2000–06: Initial works
Andain began as an experimental electronica group in 2000,
making their breakthrough in 2002 with the song "Summer Calling", after getting attention from Tiësto and signing with
Black Hole.
This eventually lead to the production of a club remix by Josh Gabriel, which was then promoted on Tiësto's compilation album ''
In Search of Sunrise 3: Panama'', to later be released as a
12" single with the B-side "Gabriel & Dresden Remix".
The following year saw the release of Andain's second single, "
Beautiful Things", which since became the band's biggest hit and signature song. Being released and promoted as a remix by Gabriel & Dresden, the song made its first appearance on Tiësto's compilation album ''
Nyana'', eventually spawning a single. With enthusiastic reception from the club music scene, it has since become recognised as the band's signature track, spawning several remixes from Black Hole over the years.
While the sound of Andain would appear to be promoted as club oriented, a batch of leaked demos, namely "Time", "Get Up", "Make Me", "Ave Maria", and "You Once Told Me", would reveal a more experimental style of electronica with fusions of acoustic elements.
As the leak would denote, the band was planning to record a full-length album,
that was initially scheduled for a release in 2003.
Meanwhile, "Beautiful Things" earned a nomination for Best Progressive / Trance under the
Winter Music Conference 2004, with also Andain being nominated for Best New Dance Group.
The year was also marked by a less prominent release from the band, with the track "Here is the House", a cover of
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting).
Depeche ...
, presented on the compilation album ''
Bloom
Bloom or blooming may refer to:
Science and technology Biology
* Bloom, one or more flowers on a flowering plant
* Algal bloom, a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in an aquatic system
* Jellyfish bloom, a collective n ...
'' by
Gabriel & Dresden
Gabriel & Dresden is an American electronic music duo comprising Josh Gabriel and Dave Dresden, formed in San Francisco, California. They collaborated from 2001 to 2008, then again from 2011 to the present. During that time, they have created nu ...
.
While no further news were published about the status of the anticipated album, an announcement from July 2005 stated that Andain was working on new material.
However, due to high demands from other projects, the group suspended in 2006.
2007–14: The official album
Andain would eventually reform in 2007 as Mavie and Josh, and the intent was set to create a new album.
Two years later, an interview with Josh by Trance.nu would reveal the word of their next single, "
Promises" – although, no word of an estimated release date was mentioned at the time.
Nevertheless, the word of Andain began to stir into motion again, further supported by the leak of a new demo, "
Turn Up the Sound
"Turn Up the Sound" is the fifth release from Andain, marking the third and last promotional single prior to the duo's debut album, '' You Once Told Me''.
Overview
The single was released as two packages, each running as a Beatport ...
".
After four years in the making, Andain's new album was handed in to the label in early April, 2011.
Subsequently, with "Promises" getting closer to an official release, the single was given support by some of the most recognized DJs of the
EDM
EDM or E-DM may refer to:
Music
* Electronic dance music
* Early Day Miners, American band
Science and technology
* Electric dipole moment
* Electrical discharge machining
* Electronic distance measurement
*Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
scene, being promoted with remixes by the likes of Gabriel & Dresden and Mÿon & Shane 54. Eventually, the album version debuted with the official music video on June 1, 2011, while the single followed on June 6, 2011.
As the second single from the upcoming album, "
Much Too Much" was released on January 30, 2012, while the official music video followed on February 2, 2012.
The single was later succeeded by a three track remix
EP on February 27, 2012,
and a standalone remix by Mike Shiver on April 23, 2012.
While the album was still being prepared for release, "
Turn Up the Sound
"Turn Up the Sound" is the fifth release from Andain, marking the third and last promotional single prior to the duo's debut album, '' You Once Told Me''.
Overview
The single was released as two packages, each running as a Beatport ...
" was selected to make an official appearance. As the third single taken from the album, the song made its debut as a three track remix EP on June 18, 2012,
while the album version followed two weeks later, on July 2, 2012, along with additional remixes.
Incidentally, the production of the song had been rewritten since the leak in 2009, with exception of the last part of the song, which preserved its original club oriented composition.
On August 10, 2012, the anticipated album was officially announced on Andain's Facebook page. Titled ''
You Once Told Me
''You Once Told Me'' is the first officially released studio album from Andain, succeeding ten years of various works and performances.
Overview
Released on September 24, 2012 through Black Hole, ''You Once Told Me'' had been writ ...
'', the record was finally released on September 24, 2012, featuring 11 tracks. Among the tracks, the album also featured new versions of the previously leaked "Ave Maria" and "You Once Told Me", while the exclusive
iTunes LP
iTunes LP (referred to in pre-launch press by the code name Cocktail) is a format for interactive album artwork introduced by Apple Inc. on September 9, 2009. It is similar to the CMX format being developed by the three major record labels, a ...
Deluxe Version of the album housed another 8 additional bonus tracks, including the original version of "Summer Calling", and "Beautiful Things" in its classic club interpretation by Gabriel & Dresden.
Succeeding the release of ''You Once Told Me'', the album also spawned two additional singles. First out, "What It's Like" was released on December 31, 2012, as an 8 track remix EP. In spite of the song's soft-rock nature, the remix EP sported a set of club mixes, lastly complemented by the album version. As the album's title track, "You Once Told Me" followed along one year later, released on December 16, 2013. The remix EP sported 6 tracks, featuring five trance remixes along with the album version, concluding the fifth single taken from the album.
According to the band's website, the members have moved on to new projects, including a solo career for Mavie.
Discography
Albums
*2012 ''
You Once Told Me
''You Once Told Me'' is the first officially released studio album from Andain, succeeding ten years of various works and performances.
Overview
Released on September 24, 2012 through Black Hole, ''You Once Told Me'' had been writ ...
''
Singles
*2002 "Summer Calling"
*2003 "
Beautiful Things"
*2011 "
Promises"
*2012 "
Much Too Much"
*2012 "
Turn Up the Sound
"Turn Up the Sound" is the fifth release from Andain, marking the third and last promotional single prior to the duo's debut album, '' You Once Told Me''.
Overview
The single was released as two packages, each running as a Beatport ...
"
*2012 "What It's Like"
*2013 "You Once Told Me"
Covers
*2004 "
Here is the House"
Awards and nominations
Following the success of their single "Beautiful Things", Andain earned a nomination for
International Dance Music Awards
The International Dance Music Awards or IDMAs is an annual awards ceremony held in Miami Beach, Florida, United States as a major part of the Winter Music Conference. The awards have been held every year since the conference's creation in 1985 ...
in 2004, with the song being selected for the category Best Progressive / Trance. Simultaneously, the band itself was also nominated for Best New Dance Group. "Beautiful Things" would eventually also reward a trophy, as Andain was chosen to receive the Sunset Music Awards in 2010, during the Polish Sunrise Festival.
With "Promises" creating a stir as the comeback song for Andain in 2011, the band received another nomination for the International Dance Music Awards 2012. The song received two nominations under the categories Best Trance Track and Best Chillout / Lounge Track. However, as a song in the
downtempo
Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...
genre, no specific remix had been reported for the first category.
Andain also earned a nomination for the International Dance Music Awards 2013, this time with another entry in the category Best Chillout / Lounge Track, honoring Zetandel's remix of "Much Too Much", taken from the initial release of the 2012 single.
References
External links
Andain biographyAndain on FacebookAndain on TwitterAndain on SoundCloudAndain on YouTube
{{Authority control
Electronic music groups from California
DJs from San Francisco
American trance music groups
Musical groups established in 2001
Musical groups disestablished in 2014
Musical groups from San Francisco
2001 establishments in California