2009 looks like it’s going to be a good year for getting Scandinavian music released in the UK. No less than 5 different UK record labels have got some scandipop scheduled for release in the first three months of the year.
We already mentioned Velvet’s ‘Chemistry’ earlier in the week which is coming out on Positiva. Well her Melodifestivalen 2009 rival Star Pilots are also quite rightly coming to the UK. The ever generous Hard2Beat have signed them and are releasing ‘In The Heat Of The Night’, which was a massive hit for Star Pilots over last summer in Sweden. ‘In The Heat Of The Night’ was past of the soundtrack to many a scandipop fan’s 2008. The type of dance music that people stopped making in 2005 because it became rather uncool – the fate of most of the music we like! However, the producers Johan Fjellström and Joakim Udd (behind such pop delights as Victoria Silvstedt, West End Girls, Helena Paparizou, and Verona) prevailed and came up with Star Pilots. The project is sort of like the Vengaboys; two producers fronted by a pretty band of miming dancers. Although with Star Pilots, it’s a boyband fronting them, rather than a co-ed group. They are now on their second single, a cover of Chesney Hawkes’ ‘The One And Only’, and are participating in Melodifestivalen 2009 with a song called ‘Higher’. Hard2Beat have commissioned remixes from Digital Dog and Wawa. But naturally, the original edit has been on rotation at the scandipop club nights since their launch!
Next up is E-Type. They were first launched in the UK in 1999 with ‘Here I Go’, but that didn’t do very well. Now AATW have given them a second shot thanks to them hearing the undeniably catchy ‘True Believer’. E-Type have been around for over 10 years in their native Sweden, and have had consistent success. AATW have already put ‘True Believer’ on one of their multi-hundred thousand selling Clubland compilations, and the video was on heavy rotation on Clubland TV over Christmas and New Year – both the original version and the happy hardcore edit! Here’s the extensive remix package;
01. Radio Edit
02. Extended
03. Jorg Schmid Remix
04. The Real Booty Babes Remix
05. Aeronautics Remix
06. Jupiter Ace Remix
07. Fugitives Inspirational Remix
08. Aeronautics Dub
09. Jupiter Ace Dub
10. The Real Booty Babes Radio Edit
We touched upon this in our gig review last week, but it’s worth mentioning again that Universal have signed Alcazar for a one single deal. ‘Burning’ is coming out in the UK soon, but there are no release dates or remixes as yet. If the single does well though, it’s worth remembering that come March, Alcazar will have an album ready to go too.
Finally, we have a Finn coming to these shores! After a multi months residency on the Billboard club charts (where it reached number one!), ‘Every Word’ by Ercola featuring Daniella (not to be confused with new Swedish artist Daniela) is coming out in the UK. It’s been signed by Cayenne Recordings, a subsidiary of New State Entertainment. They’ve already put it on a few of their compilations, and will be releasing it as a physical single in the next couple of months. And to match its UK success, it’s now gone to number one in the UK club charts. Its achievements so far are well deserved. ‘Every Word’ (the Wendel Kos radio edit, which is being used as the main version) is a beautiful, strong dance track. The backing track brings back memories of ‘Touch Me’ by Rui DeSilva, but at the same time doesn’t sound like any other dance track out there at the moment. While the haunting lyrics evoke an image of a lovestruck girl hanging onto the kind words that her lover has said to her, saving them up for future reference. The remix package is refreshingly consistent, despite being very generous. There are eleven remixes on there. Or favourite is still the Wendel Kos radio edit, but there’s an extended version on there too for when you’re feeling more luxurious! And the Bastian Laval remix features different lyrics. Here it is in its full glory;
01. Wendel Kos Radio Edit
02. Wendel Kos First Sunlight Remix
03. Bastian Laval Turn The Headz Remix
04. Paolo Jackson Remix
05. Scandall Sunset On Ibiza Remix
06. Sami S Never Ending Summer Remix
07. Original Mix
08. Wendel Kos First Sunlight Dub
09. Paolo Jackson Badbouy Dub
10. Ercola Dub
11. Original Instrumental
It looks like September and Basshunter may have opened the latest Nordic floodgates. May they purge these shores! Oh, and speaking of September, Hard2Beat are releasing ‘Can’t Get Over’ in the UK on March 2nd.
