Beatfreakz (also spelled BeatFreakz) were a Dutch
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
group consisting of members Dennis Christopher, Dimitrie Siliakus and Mark Simmons. For a period of time, Errol Lafleur was also part of the group.
History
The group was founded in 2000 by Dennis Christopher (born Dennis C. de Laat,
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
), Dimitrie Siliakus (born 1978,
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
) and Mark Simmons (born Mark Nieuwenhuijzen, Amsterdam).
The group's first big hit was a song making prominent use of a sample from
Rockwell's hit "
Somebody's Watching Me
"Somebody's Watching Me" is a song recorded by American singer Rockwell, released by the Motown label in 1984, as the lead single from his debut studio album of the same name. It features guest vocals by brothers Michael Jackson (in the chorus ...
". Instead of using the original voice of Rockwell, aka Kenneth Gordy, they used the voice of Dennis Delano, a Dutch singer. The song peaked at #3 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
in May 2006 and peaked at #21 in the Dutch Top 100. It peaked at #28 in the Belgium
UltraTop
Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organization ...
50 and peaked at #38 in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. It also peaked at #41 in the German Chart. The music video was a
parody
A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...
of
Michael Jackson's hit ''
Thriller''.
The band released the follow-up track "
Superfreak
"Super Freak" is a 1981 single produced and performed by American singer Rick James. The song, co-written by James and Alonzo Miller, was first released on James' fifth album, '' Street Songs'' (1981) and became one of James' signature songs. "F ...
", a
Rick James
James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in ...
remix, on 16 October 2006.
They revealed exclusively on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
's Chart Show on 15 October 2006, that their next project was likely to be a remix of the ''
Ghostbusters
''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American Supernatural fiction, supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and ...
''
theme tune
Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...
, original from
Ray Parker Jr
Ray Erskine Parker Jr. (born May 1, 1954) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. As a solo performer, he wrote and performed the theme song to the 1984 film ''Ghostbusters''. Previously, Parker achieved a US top-10 hi ...
. This track was previewed at the Matinee closing party in
Ibiza
Ibiza (natively and officially in ca, Eivissa, ) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its l ...
on 30 September 2006.
Dimitrie Siliakus had left the group by November 2006.
Another song of theirs is released on the ''Put Your Hands Up! 2'' compilation, a remake of
Aerosmith's "
Walk This Way
"Walk This Way" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album '' Toys in the Attic'' (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboa ...
".
In 2007, the group were credited in a remix of
Marvin Gaye's "
Sexual Healing
"Sexual Healing" is a song recorded by American singer Marvin Gaye from his seventeenth and final studio album, ''Midnight Love'' (1982). It was his first single since his exit from his long-term record label Motown earlier in the year, followin ...
" under their alias Rockefeller, as
Alibi
An alibi (from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person, who is a possible perpetrator of a crime, of where they were at the time a particular offence was committed, which is somewhere other than where the crim ...
vs. Rockefeller, with a
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
featuring three female dancers dressed as nurses (Lauren Ridealgh, Bayley Darling and Stephanie Fitzpatrick). It charted at #16 on the Finnish Singles Chart and at #34 on the UK Singles Chart.
The group has not had any activity under the Beatfreakz name since 2008, however the former members worked together in the years after.
Discography
Singles
Remixes
* 2006: Rockefeller – "Do It 2 Nite"
* 2006: The B.O.M.B feat. Sean Finn – "Skynight"
* 2006: Starkillers – "
Discoteka
Romanian singer Inna has released eight studio albums, three compilations, 62 singles (including 15 as featured artist) and 46 promotional singles. Her YouTube channel surpassed three billion total views as of May 2019. 24 of her singles have rea ...
"
* 2007: Royal Melody – "
Blinded By The Light
"Blinded by the Light" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, a which first appeared on his 1973 debut album '' Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.'' A cover by British rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band reached number one on the ...
"
* 2007:
Infernal – "
I Won't Be Crying"
* 2007: Alibi vs. Rockefeller – "
Sexual Healing
"Sexual Healing" is a song recorded by American singer Marvin Gaye from his seventeenth and final studio album, ''Midnight Love'' (1982). It was his first single since his exit from his long-term record label Motown earlier in the year, followin ...
"
References
External links
Official site(not updated since October 2006)
Official MySpace Profile
Dutch dance music groups
Dutch house music groups
{{Netherlands-band-stub