Chicane (recording artist)
Encyclopedia
Chicane is a British electronic dance music
act, and the guise of British musician, composer, songwriter and record producer, Nicholas Bracegirdle.
Chicane is known for the singles "Offshore
", an Ibiza dance anthem included in many compilations in both chill-out and dance versions; "Saltwater
", which featured vocals by Clannad member Máire Brennan and is one of the most well-known and popular singles of the trance
genre; and the UK number-one hit "Don't Give Up
", featuring vocals by Bryan Adams
, which became a top ten hit on singles charts across Europe and Australia.
Far from the Maddening Crowds
, Chicane's debut album from 1997, is still considered a seminal release among the trance music community, while the second album, 2000's Behind the Sun
, was certified gold in the UK. In 2007, after the hindrance of an ultimately unreleased album (Easy to Assemble) in the intervening time, the third artist album Somersault
was released on Bracegirdle's independent record label
, followed shortly after by a tenth anniversary re-release of Far from the Maddening Crowds which included a new mix of "Offshore" ("Offshore 2007"). He released his fourth studio album
Giants
in 2010.
In addition, Bracegirdle also worked under the aliases Disco Citizens, producing a handful of less radio-friendly, vocal-less tracks with a stronger progressive house sound. Working with singer Vanessa St. James
and producer Mr. Joshua, Bracegirdle was part of the Mr. Joshua Presents Espiritu
project, known for the song "In Praise of the Sun", released with both English and French vocals. Bracegirdle has also gone by the name "Rebel Transcanner" to produce a remix of Tomski's "14 Hours To Save The Earth." Nick Bracegirdle has also used the alias Sitvac to produce a one-time single, "Wishful Thinking."
and Vangelis
, and synthpop
pioneer Vince Clarke
; a further influence was the dance hit "Anthem" by the house music
group N-Joi
. all this convinced him to pursue the creation of melodic
dance music, and by the age of 12 he was making music in recording studios and sending demos
to record labels.
them to other labels for release and distribution. A partnership with Leo Elstob produced the first Disco Citizens single, "Right Here Right Now", in 1995, as well as the first Chicane single, "Offshore", in 1996. "Offshore" would be the first of Chicane's many releases on edel UK Records and independent
UK dance music record label Xtravaganza Recordings, then-newly founded by DJ and Bracegirdle's college friend Alex Gold. It reached #12 on the UK Singles Chart
(and #1 on other UK-based charts compiled by Mixmag
, Record Mirror
, and others), the top 40 in multiple European countries, and #5 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts in 1997 upon re-release. Its inclusion on numerous Ibiza
-themed trance music
compilation album
s (such as Café del Mar
) attest to its popularity in the nightclub
s on the island, one of the worldwide epicenters of dance music.
"Sunstroke", the follow-up single, attained similar popularity and chart numbers. A third single, "Offshore '97" (a separate item from the re-release of "Offshore") was actually a mashup
of "Offshore" with the vocal track from the Power Circle song "A Little Love, a Little Life", mixed by producer and DJ Anthony Pappa
. Originally a bootleg, it was turned into an official release, credited to "Chicane with Power Circle".
Following these releases, the first Chicane album, Far from the Maddening Crowds
, which included new songs and multiple versions of the previously-released singles, was released in September 1997. Additional singles that followed were "Lost You Somewhere", the Benelux
release "Red Skies", and the non-album single "Strong in Love", for which Bracegirdle used vocals by British singer Sylvia Mason-James
(after discovering that she was the vocalist on the Paul Oakenfold
/Steve Osborne
remix of "Lemon
" by U2
) and first collaborated on production with Ray "Madman" Hedges
(producer for B*Witched and Boyzone
).
", a song based on Máire Brennan's vocals from "Theme from Harry's Game
" by the Celtic band Clannad. This song was also used on one of the Belfast City advertisements broadcast in 2005–2006 across regional channels. The version of the vocals used in "Saltwater", however, was a new recording by Brennan herself. It surpassed all previous Chicane singles, reaching #6 on the UK charts and #1 on all five major UK dance charts.
After producing a radio remix of Bryan Adams
's "Cloud Number Nine", Bracegirdle offered Adams the vocal position on the song "Don't Give Up
". The vocals Adams recorded were subsequently heavily processed
through a vocoder
so as to play down his rock music vocal style; in fact, the vocal credit was initially not publicized when the single was sent to Pete Tong
's BBC Radio 1
program Essential Selection
. On the show, Tong made the song his first "Essential New Tune" selection of the new millennium. It was also Chicane's biggest hit, debuting at #1 on the UK charts (and notably replacing "American Pie", Madonna
's #1 single of the previous week), reached #3 on the US dance chart and #1 on Australian and Russian charts, and made other charts across Europe as well.
The subsequent album Behind the Sun
was certified gold by the BPI
, while "Don't Give Up" was certified silver. Two other singles were released off the album—the double A-side Halcyon / No Ordinary Morning
, and a dramatically remixed version of "Autumn Tactics"—but neither was as successful as the preceding releases.
In 2002, Bracegirdle co-wrote two songs on Cher
's album Living Proof, "You Take It All" and "Alive Again
", the latter which was released as a single in Europe only. The 2001 Edition of the EA Sports Formula One Video Game Series included the songs "Sunstroke", "The Drive Home", and a remix of "Nagasaki Badger".
for the release of a third album, Easy to Assemble. Originally scheduled for 2003, the album's release was preceded by the lead single "Love on the Run", followed by a promotional single, "Locking Down". After promotional
copies of the album were distributed, however, Easy to Assemble was not commercially released as expected—though over the following year, the official Chicane website was periodically updated with messages announcing further delays towards a still-expected release.
More recently, biographies, interviews, and publicity have stated that the album's release was outright prevented due to an Internet leak
and bootlegging
of the promotional album. It was also revealed that Bracegirdle had left Warner following its 2003 sale to Edgar Bronfman, Jr.
and was planning an independent release at the time.
", on Globe Records through Universal Music Group
, featuring singer Tom Jones
on vocals. (Press Release). At the time of the announcement the song was also played twice by Pete Tong.
The track received substantial UK TV promotion in the run up to the week of release, featuring utterly live performances on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
, The New Paul O'Grady Show
and a semi-live performance on BBC's now defunct Top of the Pops
. Jones and Bracegirdle were also interviewed on Channel 5 News; When asked in the 5 News interview where he had been since "Don't Give Up", Bracegirdle replied that he had been "basically stuffed" by the internet bootlegging of the album Easy to Assemble.
In February 2007, Chicane departed from Universal as well; according to the official website, all new material will now be released through Modena itself. The follow-up single "Come Tomorrow" was released on 16 July 2007, followed by the third official studio album, Somersault
, a week later on 23 July 2007. Bracegirdle has entirely self-financed these initial independent releases, as well as subsequent live performances. On 4 May 2007, the Cicada
remix of "Come Tomorrow" was played on Radio 1 by Pete Tong.
" with Natasha Bedingfield
. Promotional copies of the track were made available, with remixes from Mischa Daniels and Adam K. Following the leak of his 2003 album, Chicane now employs the international internet policing company, Web Sheriff
to prevent links to pirated material, such as this single and other tracks from his upcoming album, from being posted on various blogs and websites.
In October 2008, Chicane released a new Best Of compilation, which features all their hits, along with a new track called "Wake Up", which is a collaboration with Keane.
The lead track from the Re-work EP "Poppiholla" based on the track "Hoppípolla
" by Sigur Rós
was A listed on Radio 1. It charted at a very respectable No 7 in the Top 10 on 19 July 2009, and was added to a reissued version of the Best Of album. The download single contained a Remix by The Thrillseekers
, along with a mix by Bracegirdle's moniker Disco Citizens. The follow-up to this single was revealed as "Hiding All the Stars
", which contains a sample of Gary Numan
's "Cars
", which had its first full play on Radio 1
's Floorfillers on 21 August 2009.
September: Chicane produced a remix of the classic track "Relax (Don't Do It)" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
, which is part of a the 25-year anniversary of the seminal track. It was learned that the Re-Work EP was cancelled although no official announcement was ever made in regards to this. Other 'reworked' tracks that were due to appear on the EP were never mentioned from the initial announcement. Recently stated from Chicane Management; there were actually quite a few that people never got to hear.
In a June 2010 interview with Impact Magazine
, Bracegirdle commented on the 'Re-work Ep' issue.
"We covered House Arrest and there’s a massive bag of legal problems with that record. God knows why. Poppiholla became this complete and utter monster... The best laid plans of mice and men can go completely astray once you have a big record. Things change all the time...the plan was to (release Re-worked) and then the whole thing went completely mental…in a good way”.
The new and fourth Chicane artist album may well feature collaborations with BT
and Armin van Buuren. It has been announced by Bracegirdle, that the first single from the new album probably will be revealed end 2009, while fans have to wait for the longplayer until early 2010. Compared to 'Somersault' the new album will future more original Chicane downtempo chillout tracks but also exiting new productions like 'Hiding All The Stars'.
Furthermore Chicane will make an appearance on the forthcoming artist album by The Thrillseekers
.
will be released summer 2010. The first single in connection with the new album "Come Back", is a rework of the Paul Young 1980s hit "Come Back and Stay
". It was released on 25 April.
April: A new track from the forthcoming album Giants — "Barefoot" — was added to Chicane's website. A laidback, Baleric-style tune, it proved popular with listeners, awaiting the new album. This was followed by the track "Titles".
May: Through Facebook
Bracegirdle officially announced the new album — Giants. He also revealed a new single "Middledistancerunner
". It features Owl City
's Adam Young on vocals. Single and Album will be released 2 August in UK. The album also features the singles "Hiding All the Stars
", "Come Back" and "Poppiholla". Middledistancerunner is also a remake of another Sigur Ros song "untitled 4".
August: Chicane's fourth studio album, Giants
was released on 2 August 2010, the same day as the release of the single Middledistancerunner
. During the first week of release, a new track, called Velo, was given away as a free download via Chicane's website.
November: The track "Where Do I Start" was released as single. Among others it was remixed by Armin van Buuren.
Remixes of "Going Deep" by Steve Smart & WestFunk, VillaNaranjos — single release date expected June 2011.
May: Bracegirdle announced that a new mini album will be released summer 2011.
June: June 18. Chicane released the 'Wawa Remix' of his production 'Spirit' as a free download from the official homepage.
Also in June, filming continued for the "Going Deep" music video, with photographic stills being taken off the coast of Magaluf and Palma Nova, Majorca. Aggi Dukes was represented by a comical puppet and was found to be socialising with those onboard, including two fitties from Blackburn, a fitty from Ireland and 6 Geordie Hunks.
The Video was released at the start of July, and tells the story of Aggi starting off his journey in a cafe, presumably in London, before he undertakes on an epic holiday to Magaluf. He is then shown to return back home to the UK, suffering from a dose of what looks like the well-known 'Magaluf-Bloos' at the end of the video.
July: July 29. Chicane revealed a preview of the title track for the forthcoming artist album 'Thousand Mile Stare'. The album is set to have an exclusive release at the end of 2011.
August: The single 'Going Deep' was released on August 14th.
October: July 29. Chicane revealed a preview of the title track for the forthcoming artist album 'Thousand Mile Stare'.
November: It was also revealed that for the second time in Chicane's career, their new album had been hacked and leaked onto the internet. For a time it seemed that the album may never get released. Then it was revealed that 'Thousand Mile Stare' would see the light of day, released in December 2011, and would be part of a larger package that also included a memory-stick of rare material and an album of remixes. Each early order would contain the buyers name on the album.
, where he was taken on holidays as a child. The first two Chicane albums, along with Giants
— the fourth studio album — are known for atmospheric, ambient
melodies and shifting moods and tempos, particularly Far from the Maddening Crowds
, which has been called "a soundtrack for an average day".
Bracegirdle's career took a turn following the release of Behind the Sun
, at which point he stated desires to focus on being a recording artist and producer, starting with planned work on Adams' then-upcoming studio album. (However, Adams would not release another studio album until 2004.) Bracegirdle also put remix work on hold at this point, reportedly turning down Jean Michel Jarre
, Moby
, and both Kylie
and Dannii Minogue
. The music that followed also changed; in more recent interviews, Bracegirdle has noted that he is consciously moving away from the influences of Ibiza in his songwriting—calling it a return to his "song writing background" as opposed to dance music.
Bracegirdle's dance music productions have caused him to be incorrectly identified as a DJ
throughout his career. As early as 1997, The Mirror
called him a "top DJ" in an article, while the Portland Press Herald
published a 2000 review in which both Chicane and BT
were referred to as DJs. Most recently, in 2007, Bracegirdle remarked in an interview that many people still hold this belief.
Far from the Maddening Crowds and Behind the Sun were both primarily recorded at Chicane's personal recording studio, Modena One (sharing the name of his own record label), located at his parents' house. Co-producers who worked on these albums are Leo Elstob, Salt Tank
, Ray "Madman" Hedges, and Martin Brannigan. Tomski was commissioned to program the opening tracks ("Early" and "Overture") on both albums and contributed snippets and sounds to other tracks. However, Bracegirdle has stated that he works alone when in his own studio. Recently, references to a studio called "Modena 2" have appeared in liner notes
since the April 2006 release of the "Stoned in Love" single.
Bracegirdle somewhat returned to the old 'Chicane sound' with Giants
, the fourth studio album. A mixture of emotive, atmospheric songs, such as "What Am I Doing Here? [Pt1]" and "Titles", along with 'hands-in-the-air' dancefloor tracks such as "Middledistancerunner
", "From Where I Stand" and the title track, this album brought Chicane back to his roots, much to the delight of his loyal fanbase.
With the April 2011 premiere of the Chicane single "Going Deep" Bracegirdle stressed his own statement, that 'Chicane music is not bound by a certain genre'. 'Going Deep' is certainly a new turn in the sound as it is a blend of 90s retro disco, rap in a modern house, trance package.
, who provided vocals on "Autumn Tactics" from Behind the Sun, toured with the band in 2000. UK trance producer Tom Jankiewicz (Tomski) was a frequent musical collaborator with Chicane from 1995 to 2003, and he also played keyboards in the band during that period. During April 2006 Tomski has programmed keyboard sounds for Chicane's live concerts. Session drummers in the band, notably, have included Mark Pusey (Eminem, Natasha Bedingfield, Sway), Shovell from M People
, Simon Merry (Natalie Imbruglia) and David Barbarossa from Bow Wow Wow
.
The band's current lineup since 2006 consists of the following musicians:
Though the band's singers usually substitute for the higher-profile original vocalists due to the latter's other recording commitments, there have been exceptions; for example, both Maire Brennan and Bryan Adams performed live with the band in Ibiza
in 2000. The former took place at one of the annual Ibiza festivals held by MTV
at the turn of the 2000s, while the latter took place at a heavily-promoted concert hosted by Xtravaganza on 4 August at Privilege Ibiza
, which was attended by over 7000, including Bono
and Noel Gallagher
.
Chicane has also played at major European music festivals, such as the Glastonbury Festival
and Creamfields
in England and the Roskilde Festival
in Denmark; as well as Red Square
in Moscow.
Chicane has performed remix
es (specifically, the "Tomski vs. Disco Citizens" remixes) live, as shown by a track listing from Chicane's 22 January 2000 performance at the Palladium in Cologne
, Germany. This is unusual in that remixes, as products of audio editing, are not generally considered instrumental performances in their own right. At least some aspects of this are credited to Tomski himself, on stage.
Bracegirdle also made a guest appearance live with Bryan Adams at the 2000 Slane Concert
, as seen on Adams' Live at Slane Castle DVD.
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
act, and the guise of British musician, composer, songwriter and record producer, Nicholas Bracegirdle.
Chicane is known for the singles "Offshore
Offshore (song)
"Offshore" is a song by British electronic dance music artist Chicane. It was released as his debut single from the album Far from the Maddening Crowds on 2 December 1996...
", an Ibiza dance anthem included in many compilations in both chill-out and dance versions; "Saltwater
Saltwater (Chicane song)
"Saltwater" is a song by Chicane featuring the vocals of Irish singer Máire Brennan. The track uses parts of Clannad's 1982 hit "Theme From Harry's Game" with both re-recorded and newly-written lyrics....
", which featured vocals by Clannad member Máire Brennan and is one of the most well-known and popular singles of the trance
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
genre; and the UK number-one hit "Don't Give Up
Don't Give Up (Chicane song)
"Don't Give Up" is a song by Chicane, alias of English producer Nick Bracegirdle, with vocals recorded by Canadian rock/pop singer Bryan Adams...
", featuring vocals by Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
, which became a top ten hit on singles charts across Europe and Australia.
Far from the Maddening Crowds
Far from the Maddening Crowds
Far from the Maddening Crowds is the debut studio album by British electronic dance music act Chicane, released in 1997. It is highly regarded as a seminal release in the trance community, and is highly sought after...
, Chicane's debut album from 1997, is still considered a seminal release among the trance music community, while the second album, 2000's Behind the Sun
Behind the Sun (Chicane album)
Behind The Sun is Chicane's second album, released in August 2000 under Alex Gold's Xtravaganza Recordings in the UK. In the United States, it was distributed by C2 Records, as part of a then newly-signed distribution deal between Xtravaganza and the now defunct imprint of Columbia Records.The...
, was certified gold in the UK. In 2007, after the hindrance of an ultimately unreleased album (Easy to Assemble) in the intervening time, the third artist album Somersault
Somersault (Chicane album)
Somersault is Chicane's third official studio album, released on 23 July 2007. It is Chicane's first album self-released on producer and songwriter Nick Bracegirdle's independent record label, Modena Records.-History:...
was released on Bracegirdle's independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
, followed shortly after by a tenth anniversary re-release of Far from the Maddening Crowds which included a new mix of "Offshore" ("Offshore 2007"). He released his fourth studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
Giants
Giants (album)
Giants is the fourth studio album by British electronic dance music artist Chicane. It was released in the United Kingdom on 2 August 2010. The album's first official single, "Middledistancerunner", featuring the vocals of Adam Young was released on the same day...
in 2010.
In addition, Bracegirdle also worked under the aliases Disco Citizens, producing a handful of less radio-friendly, vocal-less tracks with a stronger progressive house sound. Working with singer Vanessa St. James
Vanessa Quinones
Vanessa Contenay-Quinones is a London-based singer-songwriter....
and producer Mr. Joshua, Bracegirdle was part of the Mr. Joshua Presents Espiritu
Vanessa Quinones
Vanessa Contenay-Quinones is a London-based singer-songwriter....
project, known for the song "In Praise of the Sun", released with both English and French vocals. Bracegirdle has also gone by the name "Rebel Transcanner" to produce a remix of Tomski's "14 Hours To Save The Earth." Nick Bracegirdle has also used the alias Sitvac to produce a one-time single, "Wishful Thinking."
The beginning
While having trained in classical guitar and piano at an early age, Bracegirdle's earliest influences in electronic music came from melodic composers such as Jean Michel JarreJean Michel Jarre
Jean Michel André Jarre is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and New Age genres, and known as an organiser of outdoor spectacles of his music featuring lights, laser displays, and fireworks.Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and...
and Vangelis
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
, and synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
pioneer Vince Clarke
Vince Clarke
Vince Clarke is an English synthpop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been involved with a number of successful groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Assembly and Erasure....
; a further influence was the dance hit "Anthem" by the house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
group N-Joi
N-Joi
N-Joi is a house music and techno production duo from Southend, Essex, England, consisting of Nigel Champion and Mark Franklin, with sometime vocalist/front person Saffron. Champion went to Framlingham College and Franklin to Felsted School but met up again after school in 1987.Between 1991 and...
. all this convinced him to pursue the creation of melodic
Melodic music
Melodic Imitation is a term that covers various genres of non-classical music which are primarily characterised by the dominance of a single strong melody line. Rhythm, tempo and beat are subordinate to the melody line or tune, which is generally easily memorable, and followed without great...
dance music, and by the age of 12 he was making music in recording studios and sending demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
to record labels.
1996-1998:"Offshore" and initial success
Eventually, Bracegirdle founded his own record label, Modena Records, which holds the rights to all his songs and licensesMusic licensing
Music licensing is the licensed use of copyrighted music. Music licensing is intended to ensure that the creators of musical works get paid for their work. A purchaser of recorded music owns the media on which the music is stored, not the music itself...
them to other labels for release and distribution. A partnership with Leo Elstob produced the first Disco Citizens single, "Right Here Right Now", in 1995, as well as the first Chicane single, "Offshore", in 1996. "Offshore" would be the first of Chicane's many releases on edel UK Records and independent
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
UK dance music record label Xtravaganza Recordings, then-newly founded by DJ and Bracegirdle's college friend Alex Gold. It reached #12 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
(and #1 on other UK-based charts compiled by Mixmag
Mixmag
Mixmag is a British dance music and clubbing magazine. It styles itself as "the world's biggest selling dance music magazine", with an Audit Bureau of Circulations audited circulation of approximately 21,250...
, Record Mirror
Record Mirror
Record Mirror was a British weekly pop music newspaper, founded by Isadore Green and featured, news articles, interviews, record charts, record reviews, concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became respected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record collectors...
, and others), the top 40 in multiple European countries, and #5 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts in 1997 upon re-release. Its inclusion on numerous Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
-themed trance music
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s (such as Café del Mar
Café del Mar
Café del Mar is a bar located in Sant Antoni de Portmany, Ibiza. It is known for its sunsets and chill-out music.- Beginning :The Café del Mar was founded by Ramón Guiral, Carlos Andrea, and José Les on 20 June 1980.- Decoration :...
) attest to its popularity in the nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s on the island, one of the worldwide epicenters of dance music.
"Sunstroke", the follow-up single, attained similar popularity and chart numbers. A third single, "Offshore '97" (a separate item from the re-release of "Offshore") was actually a mashup
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
of "Offshore" with the vocal track from the Power Circle song "A Little Love, a Little Life", mixed by producer and DJ Anthony Pappa
Anthony Pappa
Anthony Pappa is a DJ from Melbourne, Australia. After meeting Sasha and John Digweed during an Australian tour, he decided to move to Great Britain...
. Originally a bootleg, it was turned into an official release, credited to "Chicane with Power Circle".
Following these releases, the first Chicane album, Far from the Maddening Crowds
Far from the Maddening Crowds
Far from the Maddening Crowds is the debut studio album by British electronic dance music act Chicane, released in 1997. It is highly regarded as a seminal release in the trance community, and is highly sought after...
, which included new songs and multiple versions of the previously-released singles, was released in September 1997. Additional singles that followed were "Lost You Somewhere", the Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
release "Red Skies", and the non-album single "Strong in Love", for which Bracegirdle used vocals by British singer Sylvia Mason-James
Sylvia Mason-James
Sylvia Mason-James born in 1959 is a British singer who has worked extensively as a backing vocalist and solo artist.She started her career with the disco band Voyage in 1977....
(after discovering that she was the vocalist on the Paul Oakenfold
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...
/Steve Osborne
Steve Osborne
Steve Osborne is a multi-platinum selling British record producer. He has worked with a wide variety of musicians, such as New Order, Doves, U2 and KT Tunstall. During the 1990s, Osborne was half of the Perfecto Records team, a production and remix collaboration with Paul Oakenfold; the artists...
remix of "Lemon
Lemon (U2 song)
"Lemon" is the fourth song and second single from U2's 1993 album, Zooropa. Inspired by old video footage of Bono's late mother, the lyrics describe an attempt to preserve memory through film. More than any previous U2 song, "Lemon" showcases Bono's falsetto skills, aided by atmospheric vocals from...
" by U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
) and first collaborated on production with Ray "Madman" Hedges
Ray Hedges
Ray Hedges from Surrey, England is a songwriter and record producer.Ray Hedges has had over 60 top 20 singles and albums including 6 UK No 1’sas producer and or writer with many on his own record labels....
(producer for B*Witched and Boyzone
Boyzone
Boyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...
).
1999-2003:Collaborations and more hits
1999 saw the release of "SaltwaterSaltwater (Chicane song)
"Saltwater" is a song by Chicane featuring the vocals of Irish singer Máire Brennan. The track uses parts of Clannad's 1982 hit "Theme From Harry's Game" with both re-recorded and newly-written lyrics....
", a song based on Máire Brennan's vocals from "Theme from Harry's Game
Theme from Harry's Game
"Theme from Harry's Game" or just "Harry's Game" is a BAFTA-nominated hit song by Irish group Clannad, written by Pól Brennan. It was released in 1982 and served as the main track from their album Magical Ring...
" by the Celtic band Clannad. This song was also used on one of the Belfast City advertisements broadcast in 2005–2006 across regional channels. The version of the vocals used in "Saltwater", however, was a new recording by Brennan herself. It surpassed all previous Chicane singles, reaching #6 on the UK charts and #1 on all five major UK dance charts.
After producing a radio remix of Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
's "Cloud Number Nine", Bracegirdle offered Adams the vocal position on the song "Don't Give Up
Don't Give Up (Chicane song)
"Don't Give Up" is a song by Chicane, alias of English producer Nick Bracegirdle, with vocals recorded by Canadian rock/pop singer Bryan Adams...
". The vocals Adams recorded were subsequently heavily processed
Audio signal processing
Audio signal processing, sometimes referred to as audio processing, is the intentional alteration of auditory signals, or sound. As audio signals may be electronically represented in either digital or analog format, signal processing may occur in either domain...
through a vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
so as to play down his rock music vocal style; in fact, the vocal credit was initially not publicized when the single was sent to Pete Tong
Pete Tong
Peter "Pete" Tong is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is known worldwide by fans of electronic music for hosting programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records, and for...
's BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
program Essential Selection
Essential Selection
The Essential Selection was a radio show on Friday evenings on BBC Radio 1, hosted by Pete Tong. It started in early 1991 and showcased the latest electronic dance music, with an emphasis on house...
. On the show, Tong made the song his first "Essential New Tune" selection of the new millennium. It was also Chicane's biggest hit, debuting at #1 on the UK charts (and notably replacing "American Pie", Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's #1 single of the previous week), reached #3 on the US dance chart and #1 on Australian and Russian charts, and made other charts across Europe as well.
The subsequent album Behind the Sun
Behind the Sun (Chicane album)
Behind The Sun is Chicane's second album, released in August 2000 under Alex Gold's Xtravaganza Recordings in the UK. In the United States, it was distributed by C2 Records, as part of a then newly-signed distribution deal between Xtravaganza and the now defunct imprint of Columbia Records.The...
was certified gold by the BPI
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
, while "Don't Give Up" was certified silver. Two other singles were released off the album—the double A-side Halcyon / No Ordinary Morning
No Ordinary Morning
"No Ordinary Morning" / "Halcyon" is a double A-side single by British electronic dance music artist Chicane. It was released as the fourth single from his second studio album, Behind the Sun on 10 July 2000...
, and a dramatically remixed version of "Autumn Tactics"—but neither was as successful as the preceding releases.
In 2002, Bracegirdle co-wrote two songs on Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
's album Living Proof, "You Take It All" and "Alive Again
Alive Again (Cher song)
"Alive Again" is a song performed by American singer-actress Cher from her twenty-fifth studio album, Living Proof. It was released as a third and final European single from the album on June 11, 2002 by WEA, and is current, the song remains unreleased in North America. The song has never been...
", the latter which was released as a single in Europe only. The 2001 Edition of the EA Sports Formula One Video Game Series included the songs "Sunstroke", "The Drive Home", and a remix of "Nagasaki Badger".
Difficulties
For the next two years, Bracegirdle became engaged in a lawsuit with Xtravaganza, which ended in Chicane's departure from the label and its signing with WEAWarner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
for the release of a third album, Easy to Assemble. Originally scheduled for 2003, the album's release was preceded by the lead single "Love on the Run", followed by a promotional single, "Locking Down". After promotional
Promotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
copies of the album were distributed, however, Easy to Assemble was not commercially released as expected—though over the following year, the official Chicane website was periodically updated with messages announcing further delays towards a still-expected release.
More recently, biographies, interviews, and publicity have stated that the album's release was outright prevented due to an Internet leak
Internet leak
An Internet leak occurs when a party's confidential information is released to the public on the Internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, and artistic works such...
and bootlegging
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
of the promotional album. It was also revealed that Bracegirdle had left Warner following its 2003 sale to Edgar Bronfman, Jr.
Edgar Bronfman, Jr.
Edgar Miles Bronfman, Jr. , is the Chairman of Warner Music Group. He previously served as CEO of the company from 2004 to 2011. In May, 2011, the sale of WMG was announced; Bronfman would continued as CEO in the transaction. In August 2011, he became Chairman of the company as Stephen Cooper...
and was planning an independent release at the time.
2006-2008:New Management
Eventually, under the new management of John Cavanagh, April 2006 saw the release of a new single, "Stoned in LoveStoned in Love
"Stoned in Love" is a dance track by Chicane , with vocals performed by famed pop singer Tom Jones. It was released as a single on 24 April 2006....
", on Globe Records through Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, featuring singer Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
on vocals. (Press Release). At the time of the announcement the song was also played twice by Pete Tong.
The track received substantial UK TV promotion in the run up to the week of release, featuring utterly live performances on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
, The New Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show was a BAFTA award-winning British comedy chat show hosted by Birkenhead-born comedian Paul O'Grady. The format was originally devised by Granada Television and was broadcast on ITV before moving to Channel 4...
and a semi-live performance on BBC's now defunct Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. Jones and Bracegirdle were also interviewed on Channel 5 News; When asked in the 5 News interview where he had been since "Don't Give Up", Bracegirdle replied that he had been "basically stuffed" by the internet bootlegging of the album Easy to Assemble.
In February 2007, Chicane departed from Universal as well; according to the official website, all new material will now be released through Modena itself. The follow-up single "Come Tomorrow" was released on 16 July 2007, followed by the third official studio album, Somersault
Somersault (Chicane album)
Somersault is Chicane's third official studio album, released on 23 July 2007. It is Chicane's first album self-released on producer and songwriter Nick Bracegirdle's independent record label, Modena Records.-History:...
, a week later on 23 July 2007. Bracegirdle has entirely self-financed these initial independent releases, as well as subsequent live performances. On 4 May 2007, the Cicada
Cicada (band)
Cicada is the name of a United Kingdom based electronic music band. Members include producers Aaron Gilbert , Alex Payne and several guest vocalists including Tom Smith from Editors, Heidrun Bjornsdottir, Ben Onono, Max Berlin, Bjorn from Pacific! and most recently Megan Quashie, Joel Pott, Nik...
remix of "Come Tomorrow" was played on Radio 1 by Pete Tong.
2008
On 25 August 2008 Chicane released "Bruised WaterBruised Water
"Bruised Water" is a song by dance artist Chicane. It is a mashup of Natasha Bedingfield's song, "I Bruise Easily" with his own song, "Saltwater".The song was released on August 25, 2008 as a digital download.-Music video:...
" with Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Anne Bedingfield is a British pop singer and songwriter. Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group The DNA Algorithm with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle...
. Promotional copies of the track were made available, with remixes from Mischa Daniels and Adam K. Following the leak of his 2003 album, Chicane now employs the international internet policing company, Web Sheriff
Web Sheriff
Web Sheriff is an anti-piracy company based in the United Kingdom that provides intellectual property, copyright and privacy rights protection services for a range of clients that include record labels, musical artists, media organizations, and celebrities. The company monitors various websites...
to prevent links to pirated material, such as this single and other tracks from his upcoming album, from being posted on various blogs and websites.
In October 2008, Chicane released a new Best Of compilation, which features all their hits, along with a new track called "Wake Up", which is a collaboration with Keane.
2009
June / July: Bracegirdle worked with producers James Hockley & Richard Searle on a Re-Work EP for a targeted summer 2009 release, along with a new and fourth Chicane artist album & mixes of forthcoming productions by BT and William Orbit.The lead track from the Re-work EP "Poppiholla" based on the track "Hoppípolla
Hoppípolla
"Hoppípolla" is a song by Icelandic band Sigur Rós from their 2005 album Takk.... It was released as the album's second single on 28 November 2005. The lyrics are mainly in Icelandic, with some nonsensical phrases, a "language" the band calls Vonlenska . Written with spaces, the song's title would...
" by Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...
was A listed on Radio 1. It charted at a very respectable No 7 in the Top 10 on 19 July 2009, and was added to a reissued version of the Best Of album. The download single contained a Remix by The Thrillseekers
The Thrillseekers
The Thrillseekers is the name of an English trance DJ, record producer and remixer. He has been at the forefront of the trance genre since the release in 1998 of his critically acclaimed track, "Synaesthesia ". He has also worked under the guises of En Motion, Insigma, Rapid Eye, and Hydra...
, along with a mix by Bracegirdle's moniker Disco Citizens. The follow-up to this single was revealed as "Hiding All the Stars
Hiding All The Stars
"Hiding All The Stars" is a song by British electronic dance music artist Chicane featuring vocals by natasha Andrews. The song, which features a sample from "Cars" by Gary Numan, was released on 18 October 2009 in the United Kingdom....
", which contains a sample of Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
's "Cars
Cars (song)
Fear Factory, an American industrial metal band, recorded a version of "Cars" and released it as the second single from their third studio album, Obsolete. The song was only included as a bonus track on the limited edition digipak re-release of Obsolete and would be instrumental in breaking Fear...
", which had its first full play on Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's Floorfillers on 21 August 2009.
September: Chicane produced a remix of the classic track "Relax (Don't Do It)" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood were a British dance-pop band popular in the mid-1980s. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson , with Paul Rutherford , Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole , and Brian Nash .The group's debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and...
, which is part of a the 25-year anniversary of the seminal track. It was learned that the Re-Work EP was cancelled although no official announcement was ever made in regards to this. Other 'reworked' tracks that were due to appear on the EP were never mentioned from the initial announcement. Recently stated from Chicane Management; there were actually quite a few that people never got to hear.
In a June 2010 interview with Impact Magazine
Impact (student magazine)
Impact Magazine is the official student magazine of the University of Nottingham, it has been published in various forms and various names since 1939 Run on a voluntary basis using funds from the Students' Union, the magazine is available free to students. Impact also publishes a website, which has...
, Bracegirdle commented on the 'Re-work Ep' issue.
"We covered House Arrest and there’s a massive bag of legal problems with that record. God knows why. Poppiholla became this complete and utter monster... The best laid plans of mice and men can go completely astray once you have a big record. Things change all the time...the plan was to (release Re-worked) and then the whole thing went completely mental…in a good way”.
The new and fourth Chicane artist album may well feature collaborations with BT
BT (musician)
Brian Wayne Transeau is a classically trained and Grammy-nominated American music producer, composer, audio technician, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter better known by his stage name, BT. He is an artist in the electronic genre...
and Armin van Buuren. It has been announced by Bracegirdle, that the first single from the new album probably will be revealed end 2009, while fans have to wait for the longplayer until early 2010. Compared to 'Somersault' the new album will future more original Chicane downtempo chillout tracks but also exiting new productions like 'Hiding All The Stars'.
Furthermore Chicane will make an appearance on the forthcoming artist album by The Thrillseekers
The Thrillseekers
The Thrillseekers is the name of an English trance DJ, record producer and remixer. He has been at the forefront of the trance genre since the release in 1998 of his critically acclaimed track, "Synaesthesia ". He has also worked under the guises of En Motion, Insigma, Rapid Eye, and Hydra...
.
2010
January: Bracegirdle revealed through his Facebook artist profile, that the new and fourth Chicane studio album GiantsGiants (album)
Giants is the fourth studio album by British electronic dance music artist Chicane. It was released in the United Kingdom on 2 August 2010. The album's first official single, "Middledistancerunner", featuring the vocals of Adam Young was released on the same day...
will be released summer 2010. The first single in connection with the new album "Come Back", is a rework of the Paul Young 1980s hit "Come Back and Stay
Come Back and Stay
"Come Back and Stay" is a song that was first recorded in 1981 by its writer Jack Lee. In 1983, singer Paul Young released his version as a single from his album, No Parlez, and it became an international hit....
". It was released on 25 April.
April: A new track from the forthcoming album Giants — "Barefoot" — was added to Chicane's website. A laidback, Baleric-style tune, it proved popular with listeners, awaiting the new album. This was followed by the track "Titles".
May: Through Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
Bracegirdle officially announced the new album — Giants. He also revealed a new single "Middledistancerunner
Middledistancerunner
"Middledistancerunner" is the second official single taken from the 2010 Chicane album Giants. It features American musician and vocalist Adam Young . The single was digitally released 1 August 2010.-Music video:...
". It features Owl City
Owl City
Owl City is an American electronica musical project by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young formed in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. Young created the project while experimenting with music in his parents' basement...
's Adam Young on vocals. Single and Album will be released 2 August in UK. The album also features the singles "Hiding All the Stars
Hiding All The Stars
"Hiding All The Stars" is a song by British electronic dance music artist Chicane featuring vocals by natasha Andrews. The song, which features a sample from "Cars" by Gary Numan, was released on 18 October 2009 in the United Kingdom....
", "Come Back" and "Poppiholla". Middledistancerunner is also a remake of another Sigur Ros song "untitled 4".
August: Chicane's fourth studio album, Giants
Giants (album)
Giants is the fourth studio album by British electronic dance music artist Chicane. It was released in the United Kingdom on 2 August 2010. The album's first official single, "Middledistancerunner", featuring the vocals of Adam Young was released on the same day...
was released on 2 August 2010, the same day as the release of the single Middledistancerunner
Middledistancerunner
"Middledistancerunner" is the second official single taken from the 2010 Chicane album Giants. It features American musician and vocalist Adam Young . The single was digitally released 1 August 2010.-Music video:...
. During the first week of release, a new track, called Velo, was given away as a free download via Chicane's website.
November: The track "Where Do I Start" was released as single. Among others it was remixed by Armin van Buuren.
2011
April: An upcoming Chicane single was announced through twitter. "Going Deep" (featuring British producer and rapper Aggi Dukes) had its first airplay on DJ Steve Smart's radio show Friday Night Kiss on April 8.Remixes of "Going Deep" by Steve Smart & WestFunk, VillaNaranjos — single release date expected June 2011.
May: Bracegirdle announced that a new mini album will be released summer 2011.
June: June 18. Chicane released the 'Wawa Remix' of his production 'Spirit' as a free download from the official homepage.
Also in June, filming continued for the "Going Deep" music video, with photographic stills being taken off the coast of Magaluf and Palma Nova, Majorca. Aggi Dukes was represented by a comical puppet and was found to be socialising with those onboard, including two fitties from Blackburn, a fitty from Ireland and 6 Geordie Hunks.
The Video was released at the start of July, and tells the story of Aggi starting off his journey in a cafe, presumably in London, before he undertakes on an epic holiday to Magaluf. He is then shown to return back home to the UK, suffering from a dose of what looks like the well-known 'Magaluf-Bloos' at the end of the video.
July: July 29. Chicane revealed a preview of the title track for the forthcoming artist album 'Thousand Mile Stare'. The album is set to have an exclusive release at the end of 2011.
August: The single 'Going Deep' was released on August 14th.
October: July 29. Chicane revealed a preview of the title track for the forthcoming artist album 'Thousand Mile Stare'.
November: It was also revealed that for the second time in Chicane's career, their new album had been hacked and leaked onto the internet. For a time it seemed that the album may never get released. Then it was revealed that 'Thousand Mile Stare' would see the light of day, released in December 2011, and would be part of a larger package that also included a memory-stick of rare material and an album of remixes. Each early order would contain the buyers name on the album.
Discography
- Far from the Maddening CrowdsFar from the Maddening CrowdsFar from the Maddening Crowds is the debut studio album by British electronic dance music act Chicane, released in 1997. It is highly regarded as a seminal release in the trance community, and is highly sought after...
(1997) - Behind the SunBehind the Sun (Chicane album)Behind The Sun is Chicane's second album, released in August 2000 under Alex Gold's Xtravaganza Recordings in the UK. In the United States, it was distributed by C2 Records, as part of a then newly-signed distribution deal between Xtravaganza and the now defunct imprint of Columbia Records.The...
(2000) - Easy to Assemble (2003, never released)
- SomersaultSomersault (Chicane album)Somersault is Chicane's third official studio album, released on 23 July 2007. It is Chicane's first album self-released on producer and songwriter Nick Bracegirdle's independent record label, Modena Records.-History:...
(2007) - GiantsGiants (album)Giants is the fourth studio album by British electronic dance music artist Chicane. It was released in the United Kingdom on 2 August 2010. The album's first official single, "Middledistancerunner", featuring the vocals of Adam Young was released on the same day...
(2010) - Thousand Mile StareThousand Mile Stare-Track listing :Thousand Mile Stare CD Album:Demo "Cassette" / USB:Remix CD:...
(2011)
Style
Bracegirdle describes Chicane's music as being strongly influenced by the relaxed, summer atmosphere of IbizaIbiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
, where he was taken on holidays as a child. The first two Chicane albums, along with Giants
Giants (album)
Giants is the fourth studio album by British electronic dance music artist Chicane. It was released in the United Kingdom on 2 August 2010. The album's first official single, "Middledistancerunner", featuring the vocals of Adam Young was released on the same day...
— the fourth studio album — are known for atmospheric, ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
melodies and shifting moods and tempos, particularly Far from the Maddening Crowds
Far from the Maddening Crowds
Far from the Maddening Crowds is the debut studio album by British electronic dance music act Chicane, released in 1997. It is highly regarded as a seminal release in the trance community, and is highly sought after...
, which has been called "a soundtrack for an average day".
Bracegirdle's career took a turn following the release of Behind the Sun
Behind the Sun (Chicane album)
Behind The Sun is Chicane's second album, released in August 2000 under Alex Gold's Xtravaganza Recordings in the UK. In the United States, it was distributed by C2 Records, as part of a then newly-signed distribution deal between Xtravaganza and the now defunct imprint of Columbia Records.The...
, at which point he stated desires to focus on being a recording artist and producer, starting with planned work on Adams' then-upcoming studio album. (However, Adams would not release another studio album until 2004.) Bracegirdle also put remix work on hold at this point, reportedly turning down Jean Michel Jarre
Jean Michel Jarre
Jean Michel André Jarre is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and New Age genres, and known as an organiser of outdoor spectacles of his music featuring lights, laser displays, and fireworks.Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and...
, Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
, and both Kylie
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
and Dannii Minogue
Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...
. The music that followed also changed; in more recent interviews, Bracegirdle has noted that he is consciously moving away from the influences of Ibiza in his songwriting—calling it a return to his "song writing background" as opposed to dance music.
Bracegirdle's dance music productions have caused him to be incorrectly identified as a DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
throughout his career. As early as 1997, The Mirror
The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror is a British national daily tabloid newspaper which was founded in 1903. Twice in its history, from 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was changed to read simply The Mirror, which is how the paper is often referred to in popular parlance. It had an...
called him a "top DJ" in an article, while the Portland Press Herald
Portland Press Herald
The Portland Press Herald publish daily newspapers in Portland, Maine, USA...
published a 2000 review in which both Chicane and BT
BT (musician)
Brian Wayne Transeau is a classically trained and Grammy-nominated American music producer, composer, audio technician, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter better known by his stage name, BT. He is an artist in the electronic genre...
were referred to as DJs. Most recently, in 2007, Bracegirdle remarked in an interview that many people still hold this belief.
Far from the Maddening Crowds and Behind the Sun were both primarily recorded at Chicane's personal recording studio, Modena One (sharing the name of his own record label), located at his parents' house. Co-producers who worked on these albums are Leo Elstob, Salt Tank
Salt Tank
Salt Tank are two English record producers, David Gates and Malcolm Stanners, plus percussionist Andy Rose, from Surrey. Their music ranges from laid-back trance, such as their hit single "Eugina" to tougher sounds.-Biography:The trio recorded several singles, before signing a recording contract...
, Ray "Madman" Hedges, and Martin Brannigan. Tomski was commissioned to program the opening tracks ("Early" and "Overture") on both albums and contributed snippets and sounds to other tracks. However, Bracegirdle has stated that he works alone when in his own studio. Recently, references to a studio called "Modena 2" have appeared in liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
since the April 2006 release of the "Stoned in Love" single.
Bracegirdle somewhat returned to the old 'Chicane sound' with Giants
Giants (album)
Giants is the fourth studio album by British electronic dance music artist Chicane. It was released in the United Kingdom on 2 August 2010. The album's first official single, "Middledistancerunner", featuring the vocals of Adam Young was released on the same day...
, the fourth studio album. A mixture of emotive, atmospheric songs, such as "What Am I Doing Here? [Pt1]" and "Titles", along with 'hands-in-the-air' dancefloor tracks such as "Middledistancerunner
Middledistancerunner
"Middledistancerunner" is the second official single taken from the 2010 Chicane album Giants. It features American musician and vocalist Adam Young . The single was digitally released 1 August 2010.-Music video:...
", "From Where I Stand" and the title track, this album brought Chicane back to his roots, much to the delight of his loyal fanbase.
With the April 2011 premiere of the Chicane single "Going Deep" Bracegirdle stressed his own statement, that 'Chicane music is not bound by a certain genre'. 'Going Deep' is certainly a new turn in the sound as it is a blend of 90s retro disco, rap in a modern house, trance package.
Live
Chicane also performs live concerts as a full-fledged band, which has included a rotating lineup of singers, guitarists, drummers, and flautists, as well as Bracegirdle himself on keyboards. Justine SuissaJustine Suissa
Justine Suissa is an English singer-songwriter, best known for her work with the trance group OceanLab, which includes her and Above & Beyond. She has also collaborated with some of the most popular DJs in the world, including Armin van Buuren, Markus Schulz and Robbie Rivera...
, who provided vocals on "Autumn Tactics" from Behind the Sun, toured with the band in 2000. UK trance producer Tom Jankiewicz (Tomski) was a frequent musical collaborator with Chicane from 1995 to 2003, and he also played keyboards in the band during that period. During April 2006 Tomski has programmed keyboard sounds for Chicane's live concerts. Session drummers in the band, notably, have included Mark Pusey (Eminem, Natasha Bedingfield, Sway), Shovell from M People
M People
M People are a British house music act from Manchester, who formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering, who formed the group.-Career:...
, Simon Merry (Natalie Imbruglia) and David Barbarossa from Bow Wow Wow
Bow Wow Wow
Bow Wow Wow were an English 1980s New Wave band created by Malcolm McLaren to promote his and business partner Vivienne Westwood's New Romantic fashion lines.The group's music is described as having an "African-derived drum sound".-History:...
.
The band's current lineup since 2006 consists of the following musicians:
- Keyboards / Programming – Nick Bracegirdle
- Bass – Carl Holt
- Drums – Mark Pusey Or Simon Merry
- Guitar – Simon Small
- Female vocals – Natasha Andrews
Though the band's singers usually substitute for the higher-profile original vocalists due to the latter's other recording commitments, there have been exceptions; for example, both Maire Brennan and Bryan Adams performed live with the band in Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
in 2000. The former took place at one of the annual Ibiza festivals held by MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
at the turn of the 2000s, while the latter took place at a heavily-promoted concert hosted by Xtravaganza on 4 August at Privilege Ibiza
Privilege Ibiza
Privilege Ibiza is the "world's largest nightclub" according to the Guinness Book of Records, with a capacity of 10,000 people. It is located not far from San Rafael, Ibiza, less than 1 km from the nightclub Amnesia. For fourteen years, Privilege hosted Manumission, one of the island's most famous...
, which was attended by over 7000, including Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
and Noel Gallagher
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.Raised in Burnage, Manchester with his...
.
Chicane has also played at major European music festivals, such as the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
and Creamfields
Creamfields
Creamfelds is a large dance music festival featuring DJs and live acts. It is held annually on the August Bank Holiday weekend in Daresbury, Cheshire, England, just outside of Liverpool where it had previously been held for a number of years. It is renowned for being headlined every year by the...
in England and the Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival is a festival held south of Roskilde in Denmark and is one of the six biggest annual music festivals in Europe . It was created in 1971 by two high school students, Mogens Sandfær and Jesper Switzer Møller, and promoter Carl Fischer...
in Denmark; as well as Red Square
Red Square
Red Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod...
in Moscow.
Chicane has performed remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es (specifically, the "Tomski vs. Disco Citizens" remixes) live, as shown by a track listing from Chicane's 22 January 2000 performance at the Palladium in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany. This is unusual in that remixes, as products of audio editing, are not generally considered instrumental performances in their own right. At least some aspects of this are credited to Tomski himself, on stage.
Bracegirdle also made a guest appearance live with Bryan Adams at the 2000 Slane Concert
Slane Concert
Slane Concert is a concert held most years since 1981 in the grounds of Slane Castle near Slane, County Meath, in Ireland. The castle is owned by Henry Conyngham, 8th Marquess Conyngham, who was the Earl of Mountcharles until 2009. Slane lies between Navan and Drogheda, about 45 km northwest...
, as seen on Adams' Live at Slane Castle DVD.