Background
Into the Music We Play: DJ Encore Interview
by Steven Ratz,
Jr. (Article Exclusive
to Disc Jockey 101)
March
2002
Anyone
can follow a trend. True artistry, however, comes from those
willing to question the formula, redefine it with their
own logic, and push for movement in a new direction.
If you're expecting the same "cookie-cutter" sound
of indistinguishable trance music from Intuition,
the new DJ Encore album, you'd better brace yourself! DJ
Encore's sensual electronica sound of innovative synths,
along with Engelina's stylistic Jazz influenced vocals,
have succeeded in differentiating themselves from anything else
out there, while elevating the standard of dance music to
a new level.
The duo of Andreas
Hemmeth and Engelina Larson, collectively known as DJ Encore,
have taken the world by storm. Both in their early
twenties and hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, they met through
a mutual friend, while Andreas was developing the theme song
for the Danish version of the reality television show Big
Brother. Originally intended as an instrumental track, Engelina
played the music over and over in her apartment, and in the middle
of intense house cleaning, the lyrics all came to her. They then
wrote the vocals into the theme song. When the viewers tuned
in to watch the show, they liked what they heard, and flooded
the television station with daily calls wanting to know the name
of the song, and who the artist was. The song was the
hit single "I See Right Through To You," which quickly
reached double platinum.
Following the overwhelming
success of "I See Right Through To You," DJ Encore has
now released their debut album domestically on the MCA imprint,
which they've called Intuition because, "Sometimes
you just have to do what feels right," explained Engelina.
Getting a lot of advice from a lot of people, with each opinion
on what they should do being very different from anyone
else's, the whole project came from having faith in what they
were doing, and trusting their feelings.
There's a little known
fact about "I See Right Through To You" that you would
never guess by listening to it. Engelina admits, "Actually,
we ended up using the demo vocals, the one that we recorded the
first time ever that I sang the song to Andreas. I came back
like two weeks later, in order to re-sing the whole thing, and
it just didn't work. It was just not the same. There was
not this happy, uplifting feeling in my voice at that point. And
don't ask me where it went, but it wasn't there. So we ended
up using the demo vocals for that one. It's pretty crazy, isn't
it?!"
Intuition was a complete collaboration
between Engelina, whose soulful vocals shine throughout the album,
and who wrote all of the lyrics, with Andreas,
who composed all of the music. In fact, Andreas kept a mass appeal
sensibility, along with Engelina's vocals, in mind as he
came up with the music for Intuition. He explained,
"This record is very radio friendly. It's very pop minded.
When we started to make the record, I thought there should be
like four instrumental tracks on it, but Engelina's voice is
just so beautiful that I couldn't stand not to have all
vocals on it." Engelina added, "I think trance music
is very much about emotions. It's very much about feeling what
you're singing. Andreas is very good at creating an environment
and an atmosphere around my voice that just gives me chills sometimes
when I've been singing it, because I feel so much in the right
spirit for singing it."
Andreas credits his
parents for his understanding of music, and how to put it all
together. "My father is a musician on an oboe, and my mother
is a music teacher. They were just forcing me to play piano when
I was small, and I played guitar, and played the trumpet. Actually,
I sang in choirs. It was good that I tried all these instruments
because now I know how to think musically when I produce,"
he revealed.
Coming from a Jazz
background, Engelina embraces her newfound genre, and appreciates
the chance to write her own songs for it. "The most wonderful
thing for an artist, is when you make a melody, and you come
up with some words that are special to you. It's great to have
a release, and it's great to have people actually tell you that
they feel the same way," she said, adding, "That would
never have happened in Jazz music because I would have been doing
'My Funny Valentine' and I'm sure that there have been other
people thirty years before me who've done it a thousand
times better. It's been done so many times, that it's hard to
be an original within Jazz music."
The album starts with
a cosmic intro, featuring sounds of drops and a rising beach
mood, moving into stunning Euro-trance tracks with extraordinary
powerful synth lines, epic Ibiza-like breaks and a bottom line
that will knock you down. The title song "Intuition"
is a very slow, Enya-type song, enhanced with a violin section.
Of course the hit single "I See Right Through To You"
is included, and Engelina's amazing vocals are featured throughout
the album.
Currently on tour
in support of Intuition to packed clubs and arenas across
the U.S., and scheduled to appear at the annual Winter Music
Conference, Andreas and Engelina have proven that their intuition
was right on target. DJ Encore has a sound that will appeal
to anyone who appreciates the fusing of intelligent, sophisticated,
upbeat music, along with uplifting songs with real meaning, and
angelic vocals in a Jazz improv-style. They are taking dance
music to the next level, so all we can say is "Encore!"
www.djencore.com
X-ecutioners
"It's Goin'
Down" Release (Courtesy Columbia Records)
Once known as the
"X-Men," the award winning X-ecutioners DJ crew have
released "It's Going Down" (February 26th) with Linkin
Park's Mr. Hahn and Mike Shinoda (Click
Here to view the video-RealPlayer). The X-ecutioners are
once again educating the masses about turntablism. In mid-February
(before its release), the track already started to accumulate
these results:
- Video debut on TRL
on Friday February 5th
- Video Accepted to MTV2 - Rotation to begin on Feb 5th
- #3 Most Added on Active Rock Radio BDS Reports
- #30 in the USA on Alternative Radio BDS Reports
- #2 Most Radio Airplay on Alternative Specialty Shows BDS Reports
"Built From Scratch"
has also received favorable press reviews:
Entertainment Weekly - "like a special ops
squad......The X-ecutioners repeatedly retake the turntables,
scuffing wax the way Kool Herc and Terminator X once did. While
their lightening fast deck skills evoke nostalgia, the X-men
still sound like the freshest crew on the block. Grade A-"
Vibe Magazine - "....the planet's
most decorated DJ's.....No matter what X-ecutioners Build with
their scratches here, the results are rocking and rock solid."
Paper Magazine - "Virtuoso may be label
normally reserved for rock guitar gods or free jazz giants, but
there is no better term to describe the uncanny DJ skills of
the New York City wrecking crew formerly known as The X-men.
On their Loud Records debut, the group aims to educate the mainstream
in the art of the DJ with a set heavy on high profile collaborations,
featuring some of the biggest names in both rock and hip hop."
X-ecutioners Tour
Schedule (March 2002)
Feb 28th - X-ecutioners in Las Vegas
- Video Gaming Awards (Tentative)
Mar 14th - X-ecutioners - South By Southwest - SONY Alt
Music Showcase Austin, TX
Mar 16th - X-ecutioners - South By Southwest - Loud Hip
Hop Showcase Austin, TX
Mar 30th - X-ecutioners in Seattle (Tentative)
