GBI: German Bold Italic
Encyclopedia
"GBI: German Bold Italic" was a single from Towa Tei
's 1998 album Sound Museum
. The song is a collaboration with Australian singer Kylie Minogue
. At the time, Tei was best known as one of the DJs behind New York club sensations Deee-Lite
, having produced their biggest hit "Groove Is In The Heart
" (and appearing in the promotional video, from which some audio blips were re-used on this single); Minogue meanwhile was going through a difficult point in her musical career - critics were praising her musical ventures on the DeConstruction label, but the public were failing to warm to it, particularly the Impossible Princess
album. Minogue decided to add vocals to this techno-influenced dance record and the result is probably the most avant-garde entry in her entire discography (and probably the most unknown).
follows Minogue throughout New York City
as she is decked out in a full Geisha
outfit and make-up and towards the climax of which, the 5"2', then 30 year old singer was collared like a dog and carried by a Japanese man on a leash. It was directed by then-boyfriend Stéphane Sednaoui
. Again, the video fails to appear on any Minogue compilation, although a remix
ed version of it appears on the "Fever Tour" DVD
, released in 2002. The video can be seen on Stéphane Sednaoui's website and on Youtube
.
The song itself is based around the font name German Bold Italic. The font is seen on the single cover, and was included as a bonus feature on the CD single and the enhanced CD
version of the Sound Museum
album.
, while in Australia
and the United Kingdom
the song was not a commercial hit, reaching number 63 in the United Kingdom
and number 50 in Australia
. To further compound its ignominy, it was not released on any Minogue album or compilation, possibly because it was property of the Athrob label. Melbourne-based DJ Wilde Rose was the first to play this song on Australian radio after receiving an advance copy from Kylie herself. To this day they remain good friends.
Towa Tei
is a DJ, artist and record producer in Yokahoma, Japan.Tōwa debuted as a member of Deee-Lite, from the U.S. label Elektra Records in 1990, and shot to fame via their international hit single, "Groove Is In the Heart"...
's 1998 album Sound Museum
Sound Museum
Sound Museum is the second solo album from Japanese electronic musician Towa Tei, released in 1998.Similar to his debut album Future Listening!, Sound Museum incorporates a variety of musical genres, including electronic, hip-hop and jazz. Also included is a bossa nova cover version of Daryl Hall...
. The song is a collaboration with Australian singer Kylie Minogue
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...
. At the time, Tei was best known as one of the DJs behind New York club sensations Deee-Lite
Deee-Lite
Deee-Lite was an American house and club/dance group, formed in New York City, United States. The group's best-known single was "Groove Is in the Heart", from their 1990 debut album, World Clique. However, Deee-Lite achieved longer lasting success on the U.S...
, having produced their biggest hit "Groove Is In The Heart
Groove Is in the Heart
"Groove Is in the Heart" is a song by dance music band Deee-Lite from their debut album, World Clique. Released as a single in late 1990, it was a hit in many countries, including in Australia where it was a number-one hit.-Background:...
" (and appearing in the promotional video, from which some audio blips were re-used on this single); Minogue meanwhile was going through a difficult point in her musical career - critics were praising her musical ventures on the DeConstruction label, but the public were failing to warm to it, particularly the Impossible Princess
Impossible Princess
Impossible Princess is the sixth studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released in Japan on 1 November 1997 by BMG Records, Australia on 12 January 1998 by Mushroom Records and 23 March 1998 in Europe by Deconstruction Records to mixed reviews. The album was produced by...
album. Minogue decided to add vocals to this techno-influenced dance record and the result is probably the most avant-garde entry in her entire discography (and probably the most unknown).
Music video
By far, "GBI" is one of Minogue's strangest videos to date. The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
follows Minogue throughout New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as she is decked out in a full Geisha
Geisha
, Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...
outfit and make-up and towards the climax of which, the 5"2', then 30 year old singer was collared like a dog and carried by a Japanese man on a leash. It was directed by then-boyfriend Stéphane Sednaoui
Stéphane Sednaoui
Stéphane Sednaoui is a French-American photographer, director and producer whose work includes music videos, art projects, photographic essays, portrait photography, fashion photography and photojournalism....
. Again, the video fails to appear on any Minogue compilation, although a 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 ....
ed version of it appears on the "Fever Tour" DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, released in 2002. The video can be seen on Stéphane Sednaoui's website and on Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
The song itself is based around the font name German Bold Italic. The font is seen on the single cover, and was included as a bonus feature on the CD single and the enhanced CD
Enhanced CD
Enhanced CD, also known as CD Extra and CD Plus, is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both Compact Disc and CD-ROM players....
version of the Sound Museum
Sound Museum
Sound Museum is the second solo album from Japanese electronic musician Towa Tei, released in 1998.Similar to his debut album Future Listening!, Sound Museum incorporates a variety of musical genres, including electronic, hip-hop and jazz. Also included is a bossa nova cover version of Daryl Hall...
album.
Live performances
The song was featured in the following concert tours, though only performed as Dance Interludes:- KylieFever2002
- KylieX2008KylieX2008KylieX2008 was the tenth concert tour by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue, in support of her tenth studio album, X . Originally announced as just a European tour, rumors of Minogue taking the tour to Australia, Asia, and America had surfaced in the international media...
(excerpts at the beginning of "Sometime SamuraiSometime Samurai"Sometime Samurai" is a dance–pop song written and performed by Japanese musician Towa Tei and Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue for Tei's album Flash . The song was produced by Towa Tei and received a positive reception from music critics...
")
Charts
It spawned numerous remixes and also fared well in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, while in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
the song was not a commercial hit, reaching number 63 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and number 50 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. To further compound its ignominy, it was not released on any Minogue album or compilation, possibly because it was property of the Athrob label. Melbourne-based DJ Wilde Rose was the first to play this song on Australian radio after receiving an advance copy from Kylie herself. To this day they remain good friends.
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 63 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 50 |
| Japan Singles Chart | 20 |
External links
- StéphaneSednaoui.com - The official Stéphane Sednaoui website.