Ann Lee - Dreams (1999)
Video for 2 Times
Video for Voices
Video for Ring My Bell
Download Dreams
| 1 | 2 Times | |||
| 2 | Smooth & Sweet | |||
| 3 | Voices | |||
| 4 | Ring My Bell | |||
| 5 | In You | |||
| 6 | I Love You So | |||
| 7 | Come To Me | |||
| 8 | So Deep | |||
| 9 | Helpless | |||
| 10 | Looking For | |||
| 11 | Top Of The World | |||
| 12 | 2 Times (Snapshot Mix) | |||
| 13 | 2 Times (Master Boy Club Version) |
Circ - Love Electric (2002) & Madelin Zero - Dirty Purple (2005) DOUBLE POST!!
Though I can't remember exactly how, I recently discovered American singer Madelin Zero. Born Madelin Lane, she grew up wanting to break into the music biz, having been classically trained as an opera singer, but was supporting herself as a talent scout. In 2001 she moved to New York and met producer Alexander Perls at a Sonic Youth concert. The two clicked and he asked her to do vocals on a track he had written called "Destroy She Said". Taking the name Circ, the following year they released that track as their first single in Germany, where it became a club hit. The song was picked up by Radikal Records in 2003 and became a club hit in North America as well. That same year they released their second single, "Close Your Eyes", though it wasn't as big of a success. The album Love Electric was released in Germany the following year, and they released the title track as their last single. They split and Madelin was immediately enlisted by German trance producer ATB to write and provide vocals for three tracks on his album No Silence. He returned the favour by producing the track "Perfect Day To Lose" for her solo album, which she soon set to work on. She worked with several other German producers including Bill Hamel, who Madelin had provided backing vocals for in 1999 on the song "Waters Of The World" by his group Insight. The album wasn't too far a departure from her work with Circ, though it was more electropop than trance based. It was released on a small independent label in the US and two singles were released - "Goldstar" and "Gotta Know". I prefer her solo album to the Circ album, in huge part due to the production talent behind her, but it took awhile to grow on me. Though she was apparently classically trained in opera, her voice on the albums is very sweet and whispery. The best I can compare it to would be Stacey Q (in fact "Goldstar" sounds like a lost Stacey track) or Annie. I wasn't too fond of the album on first listen, but repeated listens have made it a favourite, a lot of fun. Anyway, Madelin wouldn't be heard from again until 2008, when she collaborated with trance producer Roger Shah on the song "Alone With You" by Coastline. She has since appeared on other trance tracks with acts like Kostya Veter, DNS Project, Adiva, and Pakka. In 2011 she released a new solo track, "Love The Love", and chances are good that we'll be seeing some more new solo material from her again soon, so keep checking her website. Video for Destroy She Said
Video for Close Your Eyes
Download Love Electric
| 1 | Love Electric | |||
| 2 | All Night | |||
| 3 | Destroy She Said | |||
| 4 | Danger | |||
| 5 | Close Your Eyes | |||
| 6 | A Soldier Now | |||
| 7 | Interlude | |||
| 8 | Somewhere | |||
| 9 | Don't Think About It | |||
| 10 | Revolution Song (Tonight, Tonight) | |||
| 11 | A Reason | |||
| 12 | Coming Down |
Video for Goldstar
Download Dirty Purple
| 1 | Gold Star | |||
| 2 | In The Morning | |||
| 3 | Don't Talk To Strangers | |||
| 4 | Perfect Day To Lose | |||
| 5 | On Top Of My Building | |||
| 6 | I Saw Your Video | |||
| 7 | Cold Professional | |||
| 8 | Gotta Know | |||
| 9 | One Exception | |||
| 10 | When The Future Comes | |||
| 11 | Anything Perfect | |||
| 12 | Your Mouth Is An Arcade | |||
| 13 | Cat And Mouse | |||
| 14 | Dirty Purple |
Costanza - Vanishing (1998)
Video for Ritmo Latino
Download Vanishing
| 1 | Don't Want Another Man | |||
| 2 | Sweet Lover | |||
| 3 | Don't Lead On Me | |||
| 4 | Here Comes The Rain | |||
| 5 | The Best Of Me | |||
| 6 | Vanishing | |||
| 7 | Changes | |||
| 8 | Falling | |||
| 9 | Just Another Day | |||
| 10 | I Feel Love | |||
| 11 | Ritmo Latino | |||
| 12 | The Power Of Love |
Melleny Melody + The Pop Machine - Super Happy Darkness (2001)
Melleny Melody first became known in her native Toronto as an eclectic fashionista who traveled around the city in heroddly decorated car. She was also a huge dance music fan, and in the mid-1990s, thanks to her local celebrity, she helped form indie electronic label Play Records, which would put her unique musical persona on record. They also started Gay Records to launch their more pop-oriented music, and Melleny Melody + The Pop Machine was born. The "Pop Machine" were a couple of her friends who handled some production and instrumental duties. They released a couple singles in 1999, "Fashion Victim" and "Honey Pill / E-Me", but their album didn't appear until 2001, along with two more singles, "Doin' Dishes" and "Loveshower". Their music incorporates everything from lounge to drum 'n' bass to techno to electro to house, all pulled together by her girlish voice and lyrics. They remained a very underground act, and I'm sure they never imagined being anything more. Their last release was "Bad Girl / 8 Inch Pumps", and then The Pop Machine was no more. Melleny did collaborate with composer and arranger John Henry Nyenhuis to produce the strange Cartoon Songs To Drive You Crazy, but otherwise stayed out of the music spotlight. Then, in 2006, Melleny reemerged as Mellee Fresh and appeared with popular Canadian electronic house wizard Deadmau5 on "Cocktail Queen" and "After Hours", both underground club hits that also helped make Play Records a bigger success. Over the next couple of years they collaborated on more singles, with her Mellee persona being more a spoken word artist, a la Peaches, than a singer. This year, with their song "Attention Whore", they finally hit the big time, hitting number 10 on the Billboard Club Play charts, and the song is still charting there. Obviously Melleny's new persona has garnered her a broader audience, and there's no telling how far she'll go. To explore here Melleny Melody persona, go HERE. For her Mellee Fresh persona, go HERE.Video for Doin' Dishes
Animated video for Doin' Dishes
Video for Loveshower
Download Super Happy Darkness
| 1 | Doin' Dishes | |
| 2 | I'm Already There | |
| 3 | Bad Girl | |
| 4 | Love Shower | |
| 5 | Eight Inch Pumps | |
| 6 | Cocktail Time | |
| 7 | 401 | |
| 8 | Honey Pill | |
| 9 | Fashion Victim | |
| 10 | E-Me |
Eyra Gail - Eyra Gail (2002)
I posted a song on Lost Pop Treasures recently by La Rissa, and mentioned that a second single was released by the act, but with a different singer. Luckily a visitor, saffronfinch, knew exactly who that singer was and mentioned that she had an album. Of course, I had to order it immediately, and here it is! That singer was Florida native Eyra Gail, and that La Rissa song, "Someone To Love (Me)" is included on the album. Also included are her three other singles: "Heaven", "The Flame" and "Tell Me It's A Lie". All three are remakes. Her version of "Heaven", originally by Bryan Adams, was a trancey reinterpretation. Unfortunately DJ Sammy released his identical version at the same time. He ended up hitting the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 with his version, while Eyra had to settle for #3 on the Maxi-Singles Sales chart (no doubt aided by her version's similarity to DJ Sammy's). Her next single, "The Flame", was a dance remake of the Cheap Trick ballad, and it went mostly unnoticed. Her most exciting song, in my opinion, was her third single "Tell Me It's A Lie", and that's because it's a remake of the Rumorz track (their album is posted here too) and it was also produced by their producer, freestyle legend Lewis Martinee! She sings the verses on her version differently, but it is still the same song about her man cheating on her...with another man! LOL This song also failed to get attention, unfortunately, and not much has been heard from her since except the single "Love Is On The Way" in 2006. But the album is a full on dance workout, with eurohouse, trance and freestyle sounds aplenty.Download Eyra Gail
| 1 | Heaven | |
| 2 | Tell Me It's A Lie | |
| 3 | Give It To Me Straight | |
| 4 | Someone To Love | |
| 5 | The Flame | |
| 6 | Missing You Tonight | |
| 7 | River Of Tears | |
| 8 | Why Did You Go | |
| 9 | Dreams | |
| 10 | I Like The Way (You Make Me Feel) | |
| 11 | Written On My Body | |
| 12 | I Gave You Everything | |
| 13 | It's A Lie (DJ Infiniti Mix) | |
| 14 | The Flame (DJ Fluid Radio Mix) |
The Underdog Project - It Doesn't Matter (2001)
The heart of the Underdog Project is euro production trio Triple S, euro producer Toni Cottura (the husband of featured Isle castaway Daisy Dee!) and Canadian singer Vick Krishna. After a jam session during Krishna's visit to Germany, they gelled and made some rough demos that got the attention of a label - in Germany. The album included many different styles, including freestyle, reggae, hip hop, trance and 2 step. While Krishna did the vocals on most tracks, many others stepped in to assist, and my faves are the songs featuring female singer Choice (not the rapper, unfortunately). The single "Summer Jam" became huge in Germany, and even made itself known in danceclubs across the world. Follow-up singles "I Can't Handle It" and "Tonight" also fared well in Europe, but didn't make much of an impact anywhere else. Though they used many elements, the songs tended to sound the same. Over the years they released other singles, including "Saturday Night", "Remember", "Winter Jam", "Miami" and "Girls Of Summer", but all the tracks seemed to reference their biggest hit "Summer Jam" and didn't make a huge splash. They released a remix of the song in 2003, and the album was rereleased in 2004 with remixes and some new tracks. It appears they may still be going, as they released a new single entitled "Unbelievable" in 2007.Video for Summer Jam
Video for I Can't Handle It
Download It Doesn't Matter
| 1 | Summer Jam | |
| 2 | Vibin' | |
| 3 | Saturday | |
| 4 | I Can't Handle It | |
| 5 | 4am | |
| 6 | Half A Woman | |
| 7 | Trippin' | |
| 8 | For The Ladies | |
| 9 | Tonight | |
| 10 | No More (Accapella Skid) | |
| 11 | Selecta | |
| 12 | All Night | |
| 13 | Summer Jam (Unplugged) |
Red Red Groovy - 25 (1993)
Red Red Groovy was another band who incorporated a more alternative sound into what is essentially pop music. The creation of Minneapolis DJ Brett Edgar, the group's goal was to "combine '60s-minded psychedelic rock with club/dance music". He had created a bunch of songs on his own that got label interest, so he had to pull a group together to tour and record a proper album. He enlisted singer Lori Larson and guitarist Mike Hill. They were signed to MCA offshoot Continuum. Their first single, "Another Kind Of Find", was a hit on the Billboard Dance Chart. The second single, "Come To Me, Ecstasy", did even better. A third single, "Burning Like The Sun", also hit the dance charts, only not as high. Despite this dance chart and club success, the group failed to reach the pop charts. Their sound, which really did incorporate psychedelic rock, pop, techno, house and even ambient moments, was certainly infectious but probably too adventurous for most. The fact that Continuum folded soon after, which prohibited them from releasing new music, didn't help, and the group disbanded. According to a site dedicated to the group, Edgar still records as Red Red Groovy. Some sources claim that Larson has released several independent new age solo albums, though her first name is spelled differently and there is no mention of Red Red Groovy on herwebsite, so one wonders if this is indeed the same Lori Larson...Video for Another Kind Of Find
Download 25
| 1 | The Footprint Of Memory | |
| 2 | View (The Universe) | |
| 3 | Ibiza Bar | |
| 4 | 25 | |
| 5 | Come To Me, Ecstacy | |
| 6 | The Time Has Come (To Go Out Of Your Mind) | |
| 7 | Another Kind Of Find | |
| 8 | Euphorigin | |
| 9 | A Flower | |
| 10 | Suspicion | |
| 11 | The Fabric Of Space | |
| 12 | The Two Eternities | |
| 13 | Burning Like The Sun | |
| 14 | Divergence Of Now | |
| 15 | The Vision | |
| 16 | Is This Heaven? | |
| 17 | Beginnings Of Sorrow |
One True Parker - Will I Dream? (1999)
One True Parker is essentially DJ Karen Parker. She was a well- respected drum 'n' bass DJ during the genre's heyday. She also remixed songs by various alternative acts ranging from Pig to Ruby to The Orb. She released the single "Bubblegum" in 1996 to lots of fanfare from the drum 'n' bass audience. It took her three years to release an album, but with it's release she also released another single, "Singing Ringing Tune" and later, "Killer". While all three tracks and the album were well received by critics and drum 'n' bass and jungle fans, the music was likely too much for the casual pop fan, despite Karen's soothing pop vocals, and it went mostly unnoticed. One fan, pop tart Gina G., summed up the album's spirit and sound: "It's the kind of thing I could really get into. It's got a heavy jungle feel with atmospheric, floaty vocals. Very innovative..." So if Gina approved, so should you! LOL It appears Karen recorded nothing more as One True Parker, and her current whereabouts are unknown. No doubt she is still DJing somewhere, though.Download Will I Dream?
| 1 | Bubble Gum | |
| 2 | Stop | |
| 3 | Killer | |
| 4 | Tree Top | |
| 5 | Keltik | |
| 6 | Song For Sean | |
| 7 | Kanga | |
| 8 | Bad Day | |
| 9 | Singing Ringing Tune | |
| 10 | Singing Ringing Tune (Juttajaw Mix) | |
| 11 | Singing Ringing Tune (Orb Mastermix) |
Robin Fox - I See Stars: The Trance Album (2001)
American Robin Fox is a multi-media kind of lady. Equal parts model, DJ, actress and singer, she has pursued fame, to limited but cult-worthy success. She has probably gotten the most notice as a singer, as she became unofficial queen of trance. Though trance music purists loathed her dance hit "I See Stars", dance music lovers embraced the track, and a remix also made it a hit on freestyle playlists as well. Her second single "It's Gonna Be Okay" didn't quite garner the same success, but she has continued to record. Her only album thus far keeps up with the trance vibe (thus the second part of it's title), occasionally delving into electro and pure synth pop. It's a sugary concoction, very much in the Rollergirl /Ann Lee vein, with girlish (and sometimes robotic) vocals over synthy beats. She also recorded similar music as Barbarella, and apparently has quite the stage show. The existence of her Myspace pagewould indicate that we haven't heard the last from her, and we can only hope that's true.Download I See Stars: The Trance Album
| 1 | It's Gonna Be Okay | |
| 2 | Feels Inside | |
| 3 | I See Stars | |
| 4 | Superstar | |
| 5 | Call Me | |
| 6 | Wonderland | |
| 7 | Freedom | |
| 8 | Deena | |
| 9 | Give Me What I Came Here For | |
| 10 | Angie Baby | |
| 11 | I See Stars (DJ Sharaz's Night Sky Remix) | |
| 12 | Superstar (Ford's Big Beat Remix) |
Hey all! I'm back, finally! Though I don't yet have my CDs unpacked, I did dig around in one box and found a few gems for you. First up, Grace. Grace was a trio comprised of super-producers Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne and jazz singer Dominique Atkins. They were originally known as State Of Grace, but they shortened the name and Dominique largely and erroneously became known as a solo artist named Grace. The music is exactly what you'd expect from Oakenfold and Osborne - trance, drum n' bass and progressive house. They were quite successful in the UK and Europe, but trance music never translated well in North America and they went largely unnoticed here. They disbanded after this album and went on to other projects, with Oakenfold garnering the most acclaim for his solo albums that featured guest vocalists like Nelly Furtado, Perry Farrell, Pharrell and even actress Brittany Murphy on the brilliant "Faster Kill Pussycat". They released several songs off the album, their biggest 'hit' being "Not Over Yet", which went to number one on the Billboard dance charts. That track was even covered (fantastically IMO) and released as a single by critical darlings Klaxons. Obviously Oakenfold and Osborne have continued to successfully churn out dance music, and Dominique has appeared on several other dance tracks while also pursuing her first love, jazz music.Video for Not Over Yet
Video for Hand In Hand
Video for Skin On Skin
Download If I Could Fly
| 1 | Not Over Yet | |
| 2 | Down To Earth | |
| 3 | If I Could Fly | |
| 4 | One Day | |
| 5 | You Don't Know | |
| 6 | Orange | |
| 7 | Hand In Hand | |
| 8 | Love Songs | |
| 9 | Don't Call Me (You're Not Mine) | |
| 10 | Mineral | |
| 11 | Skin On Skin | |
| 12 | I Want To Live |
Solar Twins - Solar Twins (1999)
Solar Twins were former lovers David Norland and Joanna Stevens. They traveled from their native London to Los Angeles in pursuit of a record deal. Once there, they didn't have long to wait until they were plucked out of obscurity by Guy Oseary, the head honcho (next to Madonna, of course) of Maverick Records, thanks to a performance at the celeb hot spot The Viper Room. But for every Maverick success story like Alanis Morissette, there were ten stories like that of Solar Twins. Their music was certainly inventive, very electronic, with pop, breakbeat and drum ' n' bass elements. In fact, unsurprisingly, their music was very similar to Madge's 'experimental' Ray Of Light album, released the year before. Unlike Madonna, however, they had no profile of any sort to fall back on, and their experimental music fell on mostly puzzled, deaf ears. They released two singles "Alleluias" and "Rock The Casbah" (a remake of The Clash's hit), and had a couple songs on soundtracks, but to no avail. They began recording a follow-up, but Maverick's troubles ensured it would never be completed. Joanna went on to do vocals on albums by electronic acts like Delirium and Conjure One, while David has most recently reappeared as a songwriter and producer for Disney acts like Vanessa Hudgens and the Cheetah Girls.Video for Rock The Casbah
Download Solar Twins
| 1 | Puppet | |
| 2 | Nightfall | |
| 3 | Better Life | |
| 4 | Alleluias | |
| 5 | Rock The Casbah | |
| 6 | Living Your Dream | |
| 7 | Earthbound | |
| 8 | Astral Hymn | |
| 9 | Out There | |
| 10 | Splintered | |
| 11 | Cybersadhu | |
| 12 | Swayambhu |
Rollergirl - Now I'm Singin'...And The Party Keeps On Rollin' (1999)
Armed with a girlish voice and Pamela Anderson looks, German chanteuse Rollergirl (real name Nicole Saft aka Nicci Juice) burst onto the dance charts with her euro-trance remake of Madonna's "Dear Jessie". She followed up this dance chart success with this album, her only full length album to date. It is produced by her husband, Alex Christensen, who was best known as eurohouse and techno act U96, and was also the producer of Marky Mark's failed dabblings in euro-house. The entire album follows the example of her debut release, upbeat euro-pop-trance. Her second single was also a remake, this time of Sunscreem's "Luv U More". It also found success on the German dance charts. But Rollergirl's appeal didn't seem to translate well to the world outside of Europe (the album wasn't even released in North America). She released more singles (like a cover of The Bangles' "Eternal Flame", which appeared on a rerelease of this album, "Superstar" and "Geisha Dreams") but none hit outside of her native land. Really, she was more admired for her body than her body of work. (And someone who has posed semi-nude and whose stage name is taken from Heather Graham's porn starlet character in the movie Boogie Nights likely expected as much.) She hasn't recorded anything recently as she has been living the life of a mom, but I wouldn't be surprised if she rolled back into the poplight in the future.Video for Dear Jessie
Video for Love U More
Download Now I'm Singin'...And The Party Keeps On Rollin'
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Kostars - Klassics With A "K" (1995)
Kostars was a side project by two of the talented ladies of one of my fave bands, Luscious Jackson. Jill Cunniff and Vivian Trimble obviously wanted to explore music that was not quite as hip hop as Luscious Jackson, and they banded together to release this album of pop tunes. It was released on the Beastie Boys' Grand Royal label with little fanfare. But it's a sweet little example of simple pop music, with spare arrangements and beautiful harmonies. The song "Don't Know Why" with weird brother duo Ween is such a beautiful, longing pop tune, perfect in my opinion. Of course, Trimble would leave Luscious Jackson soon after and, perhaps influenced by the freedom of this foray, would form the even more fantastic duo Dusty Trails with Josephine Wiggs from The Breeders. That album is up next. Luscious Jackson was fabulous, and these side projects show just how talented and versatile these ladies were.Video for Red Umbrella
Download Klassics With A "K"
| 1 | Never So Lonely | |
| 2 | Jacqueline | |
| 3 | Red Umbrella | |
| 4 | Jolene On The Freeway | |
| 5 | One Sunny Day | |
| 6 | Hey Cowboy | |
| 7 | Reverend | |
| 8 | Mama Never Said | |
| 9 | Don't Know Why | |
| 10 | French Kiss |
B-tina - Laid Back (2004)
From what I can gather from her myspace site and badly translated Wikipedia entries, B-tina is Bettina Antoni, whose birth name is Krystyna Ferentz. Born in Poland, she moved to France and became a model, most notably for Pierre Cardin. She soon moved into acting, starring in the erotic television series Emmanuelle. She was also a television host for French station Antenne 2. She also obviously embarked on a recording career, first as the voice of something called Froggy Mix, who released eurohouse cheese. A couple years later she released her only solo album on a label, Krysty Music, whose only other notable release was Bananarama's flop album Exotica. The album is dance pop, and would fit nicely beside any recent recordings by Dannii Minogue or Gina G. Given a bigger label and a bigger push, the album could have made a minor splash internationally, IMO. I think fans of this blog will find this one quite pleasing. ;) Recently she is once again recording with Froggy Mix and is also part of the revival of French cabaret act Les Coco Girls.Download Laid Back
| 1 | Not An Illusion | |
| 2 | Bright Blue Sky | |
| 3 | Why Oh Why | |
| 4 | Good Times | |
| 5 | A Little Bit Of Fun | |
| 6 | All I Want | |
| 7 | Up 2 U | |
| 8 | I Remember (Kobeto Mix) | |
| 9 | Artificial Love | |
| 10 | Laid Back | |
| 11 | There It Goes Again | |
| 12 | Open Up Your Mind | |
| 13 | Here I Am Here I Stay | |
| 14 | The Reason Why | |
| 15 | So Hot (Milky Remix Radio Edit) | |
| 16 | I Remember (Unplugged Mix) |
