Ultrabeat are a British
electronic dance music group from
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, England formed in 2002. Originally consisting of vocalist and producer Mike Di Scala and producers Ian Redman and Chris Henry, Ultrabeat first emerged with their cover of the
Force & Styles
Darren James Mew (born 23 May 1975), better known as Darren Styles, is an English record producer, DJ, singer and songwriter from Colchester, England. Originally a member of the breakbeat hardcore group DJ Force & the Evolution, Styles found s ...
song "
Pretty Green Eyes
"Pretty Green Eyes" is a song originally written and recorded by Force & Styles featuring Junior. A remixed version appeared on their debut album ''All Over the UK'' (1996) and the song was released as a 12-inch single in 1997. The song achieve ...
", which peaked at number two on 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 ...
2003. They released further singles including top forty hits such as "
Feelin' Fine
"Feelin' Fine" is a song written by Darren Mew and originally released as a happy hardcore song in 1998 under the alias Unique. In 2003, Ultrabeat released a cover of the song with newly added lyrics as their second single; it reached number 12 ...
", "
Better than Life" and "
Elysium (I Go Crazy)
"Elysium (I Go Crazy)" is the 5th single by Liverpool dance trio Ultrabeat. It was released in 2006 and played throughout the summer of that year. Ultrabeat used the vocals of Rebecca Rudd to Scott Brown's hardcore cult hit "Elysium" and gave it ...
", followed by their début album ''
Ultrabeat: The Album'' in 2007, which peaked at number eight on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
In 2008, Ultrabeat released "
Discolights
"Discolights" is a song written and produced by Ultrabeat and Darren Styles, taken from Styles' debut solo album, ''Skydivin and Ultrabeat's second album '' The Weekend Has Landed''. The song combines the hardcore and commercial styles of the t ...
", a collaboration with
Darren Styles
Darren James Mew (born 23 May 1975), better known as Darren Styles, is an English record producer, DJ, singer and songwriter from Colchester, England. Originally a member of the breakbeat hardcore group DJ Force & the Evolution, Styles found s ...
and Danny P, which peaked at number twenty three on the UK Singles Chart. Their second album, ''
The Weekend Has Landed
''The Weekend Has Landed'' is the second studio album by Ultrabeat.
Release
A limited number of copies of the album were released on December 1, 2008 under the title of ''Discolights: The Album'' however due to distribution problems and the al ...
'', released in 2009 and peaked at number twenty nine on the UK Albums Chart.
History
2002–2003: Formation and early recordings
Prior to forming Ultrabeat, Mike Di Scala, Chris Henry and Ian Redman were DJ’s (Disc Jokey’s) in Liverpool and mixed in the same circle of friends. With a common interest in late-1990s
happy hardcore
Happy hardcore, also known as 4-beat or happycore, is a subgenre of hardcore dance music or "hard dance". It emerged both from the UK breakbeat hardcore rave scene, and Belgian, German and Dutch hardcore techno scenes in the early 1990s.
H ...
music, the group decided to enter
studio
A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...
for
recording
A record, recording or records may refer to:
An item or collection of data Computing
* Record (computer science), a data structure
** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity
** Boot sector or boot record, ...
sessions. Initially, their productions were bootleg versions of old happy hardcore tracks recorded in order to improve their DJ sets. In 2002 Ultrabeat produced their first remixes and the first record by the group was a double A-side 12-inch single "Sonic Burnin'"/"Boomcore" released on label BCD Records in January 2003. Di Scala was previously a member of
Rezonance Q
Rezonance Q (also known as BCD Project) is an English electronic group from Liverpool formed by producers Mike Di Scala, Lee Butler and Les Calvert. Di Scala also produces and remixes songs solo using the name Rezonance Q.
History
Formed by Di ...
, who had chart success with their cover of "Someday" by Mariah Carey. Di Scala played his record label Ultrabeat's
demo
Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to:
Music and film
*Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release
* ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes
* ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
of "
Pretty Green Eyes
"Pretty Green Eyes" is a song originally written and recorded by Force & Styles featuring Junior. A remixed version appeared on their debut album ''All Over the UK'' (1996) and the song was released as a 12-inch single in 1997. The song achieve ...
", a cover of
Force & Styles
Darren James Mew (born 23 May 1975), better known as Darren Styles, is an English record producer, DJ, singer and songwriter from Colchester, England. Originally a member of the breakbeat hardcore group DJ Force & the Evolution, Styles found s ...
, and following this they were also signed by the label.
2003–2007: ''Ultrabeat: The Album'' era
"Pretty Green Eyes" went on to peak at Number #2 on 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 August 2003, behind "
Breathe" by
Blu Cantrell
Blu Cantrell (born Tiffany Cobb; March 16, 1976) is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter.
Cantrell rose to fame in 2001, with the release of her debut single, "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)", which peaked at number two on the US ''Billboa ...
featuring
Sean Paul
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican rapper and singer who is regarded as one of dancehall's most prolific artists.
Paul's singles "Get Busy" and "Temperature" topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the ...
. It was playlisted on most
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
s including
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, ...
, and was performed live on ''
Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
''. The following
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
was "
Feelin' Fine
"Feelin' Fine" is a song written by Darren Mew and originally released as a happy hardcore song in 1998 under the alias Unique. In 2003, Ultrabeat released a cover of the song with newly added lyrics as their second single; it reached number 12 ...
" which peaked at number twelve on the UK Singles Chart in December 2003. Their next release was "
Better Than Life", which was issued the following year and peaked at number twenty three on the UK Singles Chart.
Their next single, "
Feel It with Me", was released ten months after "Better than Life", and peaked at number fifty five on the UK Singles Chart in 2005. An album (originally titled ''Better than Life: The Album'') was expected to be released around this time, although this never materialised.
In April 2006 "
Elysium (I Go Crazy)
"Elysium (I Go Crazy)" is the 5th single by Liverpool dance trio Ultrabeat. It was released in 2006 and played throughout the summer of that year. Ultrabeat used the vocals of Rebecca Rudd to Scott Brown's hardcore cult hit "Elysium" and gave it ...
" was released and peaked at number thirty eight on the UK Singles Chart. This song, which sampled
Scott Brown Scott Brown may refer to:
Sportsmen
*Scott Brown (American football), American college football coach of Kentucky State
* Scott Brown (baseball) (born 1956), former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds
*Scott Brown (footballer, bor ...
's "Elysium", featured Rebecca Rudd on
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
for the first time with Ultrabeat. "Elysium (I Go Crazy)" was played on TV music channels more frequently than "Feel It with Me" and was voted number one on MTV's 'Galaxy Chart'.
Their sixth single was a
collaboration
Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Most ...
with Darren Styles, "
Sure Feels Good
"Sure Feels Good" is a song written and recorded by Ultrabeat and Darren Styles, released as a single in 2007. It was the first Styles/Ultrabeat collaboration since Ultrabeat covered "Pretty Green Eyes" and "Feelin' Fine" in 2003. The vocals are b ...
", and was released in August 2007. It peaked at number fifty one on the UK Singles Chart. It was the second single featuring Rudd and along with "Elysium (I Go Crazy)" was the second collaboration with another hardcore artist. In September 2007 the band released their album, ''
Ultrabeat: The Album'', which peaked at number eight on the UK Albums Chart. At that time band undertook a national
tour
Tour or Tours may refer to:
Travel
* Tourism, travel for pleasure
* Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service
* Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus
* Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...
in support of
Cascada
Cascada (, Spanish for "Waterfall", stylized as CASCADA, CASC''A''DA and cascada) is a German dance music act founded in 2004 by singer Natalie Horler and DJs/producers DJ Manian and DJ Yanou. They are best known for their hit singles " Everyti ...
(who are also on the AATW label). Their seventh single, "I Wanna Touch You", was released on 4 February 2008.
2008–present: ''The Weekend Has Landed'' era
A new single "
Discolights
"Discolights" is a song written and produced by Ultrabeat and Darren Styles, taken from Styles' debut solo album, ''Skydivin and Ultrabeat's second album '' The Weekend Has Landed''. The song combines the hardcore and commercial styles of the t ...
" was released in June 2008. An original release date of 12 January 2009 was set for the album, but despite this, it has been leaked onto the internet on various file sharing platforms.
The first single from the album was
Discolights
"Discolights" is a song written and produced by Ultrabeat and Darren Styles, taken from Styles' debut solo album, ''Skydivin and Ultrabeat's second album '' The Weekend Has Landed''. The song combines the hardcore and commercial styles of the t ...
. It peaked at number twenty three on the UK Singles Chart. The second single from the album was
Never Ever, which did not achieve a peak on the UK Singles Charts.
The third single was Starry Eyed Girl, which, like the majority of the album, did not achieve a peak on the UK Singles Chart, and the fourth is
Use Somebody
"Use Somebody" is a song recorded by the American rock group Kings of Leon. It was the second single from the band's fourth studio album '' Only by the Night'' (2008), released on December 8, 2008.
The single received heavy airplay in Scandinavi ...
, a cover of
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill.
The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and gar ...
's track from their multi-platinum album
Only by the Night
''Only by the Night'' (stylized as ''>ONLY_BY_THE_NIGHT>'') is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band Kings of Leon, released worldwide in September 2008. Writing for the band's fourth album commenced just days after the rele ...
. The album was released on 26 October 2009 and includes 18 tracks plus a chronology DVD of all of their music videos, including
Pretty Green Eyes
"Pretty Green Eyes" is a song originally written and recorded by Force & Styles featuring Junior. A remixed version appeared on their debut album ''All Over the UK'' (1996) and the song was released as a 12-inch single in 1997. The song achieve ...
,
Feelin' Fine
"Feelin' Fine" is a song written by Darren Mew and originally released as a happy hardcore song in 1998 under the alias Unique. In 2003, Ultrabeat released a cover of the song with newly added lyrics as their second single; it reached number 12 ...
, The Stalker,
Discolights
"Discolights" is a song written and produced by Ultrabeat and Darren Styles, taken from Styles' debut solo album, ''Skydivin and Ultrabeat's second album '' The Weekend Has Landed''. The song combines the hardcore and commercial styles of the t ...
and more.
Following ''The Weekend Has Landed'' album, Ultrabeat released three singles, "Bring It Back", "You Will See" and "Rising". A new song "Rain Stops" appeared on ''Clubland X-Treme Hardcore 9'' in 2013.
Other projects
The group produced a track called "Pumpanola" using the alias Hi-Flyerz which appeared on ''
Clubland X-Treme'' in 2003. In 2012, they had a hit single with "Da Bop" using the alias WTF!, which samples the 1967 song "Our Neighbour" (
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
: "Наш сосед" ''nash sosed'') by Russian singer
Edita Piekha
Edita Piekha (russian: Эди́та Станисла́вовна Пье́ха, ''Edita Stanislavovna Pyekha'', pl, Edyta Piecha, french: Édith-Marie Piecha) is a Soviet and Russian singer and actress of Polish descent. She was the third popular ...
. Two songs recorded by the group using the name Steampunk, "Loki's Theme" and "Forever Loved", appeared on ''Clubland X-Treme Hardcore 9'' in 2013.
Di Scala, Henry and Lee Butler recorded using several aliases such as 3 Amigos, King of Clubs and The Tranceriffs on BCD Records. Di Scala has also released music as
CamelPhat
CamelPhat are an English DJ and production duo, consisting of Dave Whelan and Mike Di Scala, formed in Liverpool in 2004. They are best known for the 2017 single "Cola", which peaked at number 3 in the UK Dance Chart, and at number 18 in the UK ...
with Dave Whelan. Chris Henry and Mike Di Scala have also recorded using the name M&C Project, releasing songs "Coming Back" (2005), a cover of
Siedah Garrett
Deborah Christine "Siedah" Garrett (born June 24, 1960) is an American singer and songwriter who has written songs and performed backing vocals for many recording artists in the music industry, such as Michael Jackson, the Pointer Sisters, Brand N ...
's "Do You Want It Right Now" (2006) and "Magic Touch" (2007). Chris Henry is also a member of
N-Force
N-Force is an English dance music act that formed in 2008.
Career
The act comprises Lois McConnell as lead singer, plus Jorg Schmid and Chris Henry. N-Force is currently signed to UK Dance label All Around the World, and have so far released s ...
, with Jorg Schmid.
Members
* Chris Henry – disc jockey, producer (2002–present)
* Ian Redman – disc jockey, producer (2002–present)
* Mike Di Scala – vocals, producer (2002–2013)
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
Remixes
Music videos
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
2002 establishments in England
English dance music groups
English house music groups
Musical groups established in 2002
Musical groups from Liverpool
Record production teams
All Around the World Productions artists