euphoria
Articles about euphoria:
Ministry of Sound, best known for its nightclub business, live events & music label, has changed its name to MSHK Group.
According to the company, “Ministry of Sound is renaming itself MSHK Group to reflect its many brands and its proven diversified business model.”
I don’t know about this switch: “Ministry of Sound” sounds awesomely cool. MSHK Group sounds sort of like an accounting firm, doesn’t it?
Ministry of Sound is known for HedKandi, Ministry of Sound, Global Underground and Euphoria music brands.
The company’s expanded into so many brands, though, that it’s becoming less about electronic and dance music and more about marketing. They’ve got a successful line of branded camping gear, of all things.
“Being the world leaders in dance music has established a great platform for us, but given changing times we have needed to grow our business into complimentary areas,” says Lohan Presencer, CEO. “I have always wanted to make a reality of the much talked about 360_ model, rather than the usual rhetoric based on unworkable and expensive deals, and at MSHK we are in the unique position of having achieved this. We have a whole raft of developing ideas, including launches of our new range of Hedkandi haircare products and fragrances, which will be coming to fruition over the next year, and it is a tremendously exciting time to be taking control of the group.”
Various – Best of Euphoria
Matt Darey delivers a greatest hits mix of euphoric trance tracks with The Very Best of Euphoria. The CD promises to be the very best – does it live up to its name?
Matt Darey is well known for his trance compilations, and with The Very Best of Euphoria he’s put together a set of two CDs that present many of the greatest hits of euphoric trance.
We’ve seen bigger best of trance collections, but many are packed with filler. This mix pulls in tunes from many top names, including Willam Orbit, Faithless, Robert Miles. There are plenty of great tracks, too, including Robert Miles’ Children, Delirium/Sarah McLachlan’s Silence, Binary Finary’s 1998, the William Orbit/Ferry Corsten take on Barber’s Adagio for Strings, ATB’s 9pm (til I come), and more.
DJ Lisa Lashes
DJ Lisa Lashes, sometimes known as the Queen of Hard House, is one of the top DJs in the world. With her mix albums and busy schedule of performances, she has attracted a global following.
Lisa is the first and only female to be considered among the top ten DJs in the world by DJ Magazine, ranking ninth in 2000 and continuing as the top-ranking female DJ in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Her mix albums, Hard House Euphoria (2002) and Extreme Euphoria Vol. 2 (2003), have been the highest selling hard house compilations in the world. Lisa conquered Ibiza with her own Lashed in Ibiza nights at Eden, packing in the crowds with her superb technical skills and explosive musical style.
According to Lashes, “Whatever style of house it is, I play it hard and dirty; it’s my favorite way!”
Lisa Lashes’s first gig was at a boat party on the River Severn in 1996, where she was discovered and quickly given her first residency. From there, Lisa added further residencies and regular club nights at the most prestigious clubs in the UK. Since 2000, Lisa has headlined at top festivals, including Godskitchen Global Gathering, Homelands, Tidyweekender, Tidy Magna, Creamfields UK and Ireland, Homelands, Knebworth, Escape Into the Park, and Gatecrasher Summer Sound Systems.
Recently, Lisa has taken her DJ skills around the globe. On the Slinky in Heineken Tour in China she played to a crowd of over 5,000. In South Africa, Lisa performed at sold-out shows of 12,000 in Cape Town and 20,000 in Johannesburg as part of the Camel Cigarettes Tour. Lisa has also toured the United States, Canada, and Australia, while making appearances in Brazil with Guess Clothing, Tenerife, and Corfu.
In 2003, DJ Lisa Lashes launched Lashed in Ibiza. For several years, Lisa has held residencies in Ibiza, playing Godskitchen, Judgement Sunday’s, Slinky, and Tonic, to name a few. Lisa, however, wanted to create something completely unique, “to put the fun back into the party.” For 15 weeks in summer 2003, Lisa did just that, bringing her furious brand of music to legions of grateful clubbers. For Lisa, “It has to be the most amazing project I have ever been involved with.”
Now Lashes is working to bring Lashed to an even greater global audience. She has teamed with Nettwerk Management to promote Lashed as a premiere dance event. Lashed will travel to China, Korea, Canada, New York City, Miami, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.
To all UK fans, however, Lisa says, “I’m not leaving anyone, because hard house and the stuff I play in the UK is still massive here, so there’s no reason for me to go away. I just want to go abroad to show them our style.” In fact, Lisa has already brought Lashed back home to the UK. In December of 2003, Lashed in Coalville was a sold-out event, and she followed it with London and Liverpool shows in early 2004.
In addition to her DJ work, Lisa Lashes has produced Tidy’s two biggest-ever selling hard house tracks, “Unbelievable” and “What Can You Do 4 Me”, along with “Lookin’ Good” and “Dance 2 The House (Don’t Go)” for Tidy, “We Came We Saw” for Sundissential, and “Give It All You’ve Got” for The Originator. In addition, Lisa’s mixed albums for Tidy, Slinky, Mixmag, and Euphoria, which include a gold disc for Hard House Euphoria and a silver disc for Extreme Euphoria Vol. 2, have been well received by critics and fans.
DJ Lisa Lashes plans to keep bringing house music to the world, and she promises to keep it hard and dirty!
DJ Lisa Lashes Links (Say that three times, fast!)
DJ Lisa Lashes Debuts Site
DJ Lisa Lashes, known to dance fans as the Queen of Hard House, has a new web site.
Lashes is among the world’s most popular DJs, ranked in the top ten by DJ Magazine, and considered by many to be the top-ranking female DJ. HereEuphoria mix albums are top selling hard house compilations.
The site features play charts, her bio, a discography, tour info and a DJ diary.
Her official site is at http://www.djlisalashes.com
Robert Miles – Dreamland
Robert Miles’ 1996 album is a set of upbeat, melodic trance cuts. These are targeted to a mainstream dance audience, and are filled with catchy melodies. These tunes sound great at the club, but are equally at home at the dance floor as the are in the chill-out room.
Miles uses piano prominently in many of the cuts, along with synth strings and pads, drums and synth bass. Vocals are featured on a few cuts, but the focus is on the music, rather than vocals or lyrics.
Miles is an expert at taking simple material and shaping and extending it into extended cuts. He uses basic materials and uses them tastefully and effectively. Most of the cuts are over 5 minutes, but he builds and releases tension through crescendos and decrescendos, and by dropping instruments in and out.
Children, the first cut on the album, opens the album on a high note. Children starts with storm sounds, and then a piano melody emerges as if out of the clouds. This cut combines influences as varied as new age and trance. If you’ve heard this cut, you’ll find that it’s very representative of Miles’ style. This cut is a great tune for driving, because it takes you on a musical journey.
The second cut, Fable, is marred somewhat by its slightly annoying lyrics. If you look beyond that, though, it is similar in style to Children.
Landscape is a hypnotic cut. It mixes in strange ambient sounds, along with a resonant sequenced ostinato. A one-finger piano melody joins in. Then, about ninety seconds into the track, a synth bass comes in, along with a trance drums. The piano melody returns, interlacing with the bass, and accompanied by string textures.
Another great cut is in my dreams. It meanders along with synth pads and a simple piano melody for the first minute. Then it turns into a dance tune with the addition of some techno drums and a synth bass.
One and One is a straight ahead song, but it fits perfectly in the context of the album because it uses sounds and similar arrangements. The song has decent lyrics, reflecting on the idea that two people can go through anything and still be like one, whether they are together or apart. Unrelently upbeat, this songe makes me want to gget up and clean my house, instead of sitting on my ass!
Two remixes are included on the album. The first is a reworking of Fable. It cuts out the cloying vocals, and focuses on the melodies. The result is a mix closer to Children. It is mellow and upbeat, and turns this tune into a great cut. The second remix is of children. This remix is actually shorter than the original, but changes things around enough to sound like a reprise rather than a rehash.
Dreamland doesn’t surprise you or place demands on you. Instead, its upbeat melodies will lift you up and take you along if you let them.
