Mai Tai (music group)
Encyclopedia
Mai Tai is a Dutch
group
(named after a tropical cocktail
) that was formed in 1983, by the Dutch record producer
s Eric van Tijn
and Jochem Fluitsma
. With three former backing vocalist
s Jetty Wheels, Mildred Douglas and Caroline de Windt, they created a Dutch soul
, disco
and pop
act.
, "Keep On Dancin'" (1983) was only a hit
in the Dutch nightclub
s. In the summer of 1984 they released a second single, "What Goes On". It became their first hit in the Dutch Top 40
, peaking at number 30. Following tracks like "Body And Soul" and "Am I Losing You Forever" also hit the charts
, but never managed to reach the Top 20 in the Netherlands
.
In early 1985 they released their debut album
, called Mai Tai, which won a Dutch Edison Award and a Silver Harp. Their international breakthrough came with "History" from the debut album. This song was successful all over Europe
, and became a #8 hit in the UK Singles Chart
and reached the Top 20 in Germany
. It was also a hit in New Zealand
and Australia
and entered the U.S.
Billboard
dance
chart. In 1986 their song "Female Intuition" became a Top 40 hit across Europe, and made Top 10 in Denmark
.
"Body and Soul" was re-released in the UK and became their second UK Top 10 hit, peaking at #9. After their international breakthrough, Mai Tai also became more popular in the Netherlands. The follow-up single, "Turn Your Love Around" from the second album, 1 Touch 2 Much, went straight into the Top 10 of the Dutch Top 40.
Mai Tai could not manage to maintain the success. Their third album, Cool Is The Rule was less successful in the charts, with two minor hits: 'Bet, that's what you say' and 'Fight fire with fire'. After this album they released another single: 'Dance in the light'(in 1988) but this was no success. In 1991 a 'Best Of' album was released. A few years later they decided to split up.
In 2003 Mai Tai was reunited, and some new tracks were released unsuccessfully.
The song "History" is featured on Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City
(2009), which has an exclusive radio station called Vice City FM, featuring many more hits from the '80s.
"Body and Soul" has been remixed by production duo 7th Heaven for a 2010 release.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
(named after a tropical cocktail
Mai Tai
The Mai Tai is an alcoholic cocktail based on rum, Curaçao liqueur, and lime juice, associated with "Polynesian-style" settings.-History:It was purportedly invented at the Trader Vic's restaurant in Oakland, California in 1944. Trader Vic's rival, Don the Beachcomber, claimed to have created it in...
) that was formed in 1983, by the Dutch record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s Eric van Tijn
Eric van Tijn
Eric Job van Tijn is a Dutch music producer and judge on the Dutch versions of the music competitions Idols and X Factor....
and Jochem Fluitsma
Jochem Fluitsma
Jochem Fluitsma , is a Dutch music producer and musician. With Eric van Tijn, he is also part of the successful musical writing duo Fluitsma & Van Tijn...
. With three former backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
s Jetty Wheels, Mildred Douglas and Caroline de Windt, they created a Dutch soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
act.
Career
Their debut singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Keep On Dancin'" (1983) was only a hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in the Dutch nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s. In the summer of 1984 they released a second single, "What Goes On". It became their first hit in the Dutch Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...
, peaking at number 30. Following tracks like "Body And Soul" and "Am I Losing You Forever" also hit the charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, but never managed to reach the Top 20 in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
In early 1985 they released their debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, called Mai Tai, which won a Dutch Edison Award and a Silver Harp. Their international breakthrough came with "History" from the debut album. This song was successful all over Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and became a #8 hit in 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 reached the Top 20 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was also a hit in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and 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 entered the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
dance
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart. In 1986 their song "Female Intuition" became a Top 40 hit across Europe, and made Top 10 in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
"Body and Soul" was re-released in the UK and became their second UK Top 10 hit, peaking at #9. After their international breakthrough, Mai Tai also became more popular in the Netherlands. The follow-up single, "Turn Your Love Around" from the second album, 1 Touch 2 Much, went straight into the Top 10 of the Dutch Top 40.
Mai Tai could not manage to maintain the success. Their third album, Cool Is The Rule was less successful in the charts, with two minor hits: 'Bet, that's what you say' and 'Fight fire with fire'. After this album they released another single: 'Dance in the light'(in 1988) but this was no success. In 1991 a 'Best Of' album was released. A few years later they decided to split up.
In 2003 Mai Tai was reunited, and some new tracks were released unsuccessfully.
The song "History" is featured on Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City is a standalone compilation of the downloadable content episodes for the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV. Created by Rockstar North in the United Kingdom, it contains both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony on one disc...
(2009), which has an exclusive radio station called Vice City FM, featuring many more hits from the '80s.
"Body and Soul" has been remixed by production duo 7th Heaven for a 2010 release.