Robert Clivillés Robert Manuel Clivillés (; born July 30, 1964
from

David Cole (1962–1995), known collectively as Clivillés and Cole, were American

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

s, songwriters, and remixers active from the late 1980s who achieved success in the 1990s.

Career

Beginnings

David Cole and Robert Clivillés both performed in club Better Days (Clivillés as DJ and Cole as keyboardist) in the late 1980s. They become firm friends. In the late 1980s, Clivillés and Cole were active in the groups

2 Puerto Ricans, a Blackman, and a Dominican 2 Puerto Ricans, a Blackman and a Dominican was a short-lived house music group featuring David Morales and Robert Clivillés (Puerto Ricans), David Cole (Black), and Chep Nuñez ( Dominican). In 1987, they scored a hit in dance clubs with thei ...

and

The 28th Street Crew The 28th Street Crew was a short-lived house-music group featuring David Cole and Robert Clivillés, who previously used the alias The Done Properly Posse! In 1989, the group released a single and album (the latter of which was titled ''I Need a ...

. At the time they were the driving force of the short-lived

Brat Pack The ''Brat Pack'' is a nickname given to a group of young actors who frequently appeared together in teen-oriented coming-of-age films in the 1980s. First mentioned in a 1985 ''New York'' magazine article, it is now usually defined as the cast ...

. The duo were also responsible for the formation of pop group

Seduction Seduction has multiple meanings. Platonically, it can mean "to persuade to disobedience or disloyalty", or "to lead astray, usually by persuasion or false promises". Strategies of seduction include conversation and sexual scripts, paralingual ...

, for whom they wrote and produced a string of Top-10 hits. They contributed to the career of former The Weather Girls vocalist Martha Wash, who at the same time was one of the lead vocalists for the dance act Black Box. In 1990, Clivillés and Cole released a single featuring later C+C Music Factory rapper

Freedom Williams Frederick B. Williams (born February 13, 1966), better known by his stage name Freedom Williams, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter, who gained fame as the lead vocalist on C+C Music Factory's biggest hits. Career Born in Brooklyn in 1 ...

, called "Get Dumb! (Free Your Body)", as The Crew. The duo's biggest success, however, was the group C+C Music Factory, which became a worldwide sensation in 1991.

Production/songwriting/remixing work

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

worked extensively with Clivillés + Cole, hiring the duo to produce songs for her albums and remix her singles. Clivillés + Cole produced and co-wrote the album versions and remixes of her hit singles " Emotions" and " Make It Happen". Additionally, they produced the album tracks "You're So Cold" and "To Be Around You" (all from the album '' Emotions''). They also produced the remixes of her hit "

Anytime You Need a Friend "Anytime You Need a Friend" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. The song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, for her third studio album, ''Music Box'' (1993). It was released on May 24, 1994, through ...

", the originals "Now That I Know" and "I've Been Thinking About You" (from the album '' Music Box'') and the original and remixes to " Joy to the World" (from the album ''

Merry Christmas The Christmas season or the festive season (also known in some countries as the holiday season or the holidays) is an annually recurring period recognized in many Western and other countries that is generally considered to run from late November ...

''). The single "

One Sweet Day "One Sweet Day" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey and vocal group Boyz II Men. The song was released on as the second single from Carey's fifth studio album, ''Daydream'' (1995) by Columbia Records. The artists co- ...

" was written in memory of David Cole after his death in 1995. Among the hits remixed by the duo Clivillés & Cole were Natalie Cole's cover of " Pink Cadillac", Taylor Dayne's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love", Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam's "Let the Beat Hit 'Em",

The Cover Girls The Cover Girls are an all-female, New York city-based freestyle group that achieved most of its chart success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Among the group's best-known songs are " Show Me, " " Because of You," “ Don't Stop Now,” ...

' "My Heart Skips a Beat" and "All That Glitters Isn't Gold", Pajama Party's "Hide and Seek", Sandée's "Notice Me", and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's " Black or White". They left their mark on the progressive synth-pop scene with a complete reworking of

The Communards The Communards were a British synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985. The duo consisted of Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles. They are most famous for their cover versions of "Don't Leave Me This Way", originally by Harold Melvin & the Blue N ...

' "There's More to Love Than Boy Meets Girl." The group

was one of Clivilles + Cole's most successful side projects. In the summer of 1991, Clivillés + Cole produced several tracks for a New Kids on the Block remix album titled '' No More Games: The Remix Album''. In 1992, Clivillés + Cole produced

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

's top 10 single "

I'm Every Woman "I'm Every Woman" is a song by American singer Chaka Khan, released as her debut solo single from her first album, '' Chaka'' (1978). It was Khan's first hit outside her recordings with the funk band Rufus. "I'm Every Woman" was produced by Arif ...

", originally by

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

. In 1994, the duo produced a radio version of

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...

's performance of "Cuban Pete" from the movie '' The Mask''.

"A Deeper Love"

In 1991, as Clivillés + Cole, the duo released an LP-single A-side featuring a cover of U2's " Pride (In the Name of Love)", but it was the B-side, " A Deeper Love", featuring vocals by

Deborah Cooper Deborah Cooper is an American professional dancer, musician, singer,backup singer, award-winning composer and entertainer, with several number one and top charting dance music and house music hits. Biography Early career Cooper started as a f ...

(a longtime Clivillés and Cole vocalist) and Paul Pesco, that proved to be a hit, peaking at No. 15 in the UK. Deborah Cooper performed "Deeper Love" various times, including on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' with Clivillés and Cole's C+C Music Factory. Both sides charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the spring of 1992: "A Deeper Love" peaked at #44, while "Pride (In the Name of Love)" reached #54. The video for these songs was actually one long featurette, beginning with "Deeper Love" and then continuing into "Pride (In the Name of Love)" halfway through the video. The video was labelled "Pride (A Deeper Love)". Some networks preferred to show the videos separately while others played the whole length. In 1992 as Clivillés + Cole, an album was released called '' Greatest Remixes Vol. 1'', featuring remixes by the duo of their own songs along with other artists' songs. In 1994,

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

covered "A Deeper Love" from the film '' Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit''. Franklin actually hired Clivillés + Cole to produce the album version as well as the remixes. Thus, the song was a hit for the duo twice in two different incarnations within a 3-year time span.

Other projects

In 1992, as Clivillés + Cole, an album was released, titled '' Greatest Remixes Vol. 1'', featuring remixes by the duo of their own songs along with other artists' songs. Also in 1992, the duo assembled the R&B/dance group The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M.; only one song by this group was ever released, titled "It's Gonna Be a Lovely Day", which featured on the #1 soundtrack album "The Bodyguard". An uptempo vocal club remix of the song was released as a promo single by

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

. Clivillés and Cole released a new single under the moniker

called ''O'' in 1994. That same year, the duo produced a song for El General titled "Las Chicas", which borrowed heavily from the song "Boriqua Anthem" off the C+C Music Factory album '' Anything Goes!''. Since David Cole's death, Robert Clivillés has continued to produce on his own, including work for the group MVP, an album release in 1996 on Columbia under the moniker Robi Rob's Club World, and various other releases under different names.

Discography

Compilations

Singles

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clivilles and Cole Record production duos Remixers C+C Music Factory members