Like a Tim is Netherlands-based electronica deviant Tim van Leijden, whose idiot-(s)avant-garde abusements of hip-hop and techno have appeared mostly on the D-Jax label. One for the "Yeah, I buy his records...Sorted!...Play them out? Are you joking?" file, Leijden's surprisingly listenable beat-hiccups are similar in some respects to artists such as Atom Heart and Patrick Pulsinger, but with a typically stronger, more minimal hip-hop foundation (Mantronix, Schooly D) which those artists often trade out. Following a high-profile remix session for countrymate Speedy J's major label debut ("Ni Go Snix," released by Mute in early 1997), Leijden was roped in by Cornwall-based acid/electronica label Rephlex to give a few tracks the Like a Tim makeover. Leijden is also a gifted graffiti artist (his visual style equally as idiosyncratic as his musical), and his illustrations grace the labels and sleeves of most of his releases; he returned in 2000 with Red and Blue Boxing. ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
Void was one of the earliest bands to fuse hardcore punk and heavy metal in a way that was accepted by punk fans, and also the first band signed to Ian MacKaye's Dischord label that wasn't from Washington, D.C. (they hailed instead from suburban Columbia, Maryland). Their influence wasn't as widespread as it might have been, thanks to an extremely limited recorded legacy that didn't even include a proper full-length album. However, they enjoyed an enduring cult reputation among D.C. hardcore aficionados, and by most accounts their punk-metal fusion was highly effective -- a ferocious, barely controlled chaos rife with tortured vocals and shrieking guitar feedback. Void's live performances were notorious for descending into drunken mayhem, a rarity in the mostly straight-edge D.C. scene but one that perfectly mirrored their music. Unique too was their interracial lineup, formed in 1980 and composed of manic vocalist John Weiffenbach, guitarist Bubba Dupree, bassist Chris Stover, and drummer Sean Finnegan. Dupree was possessed of an innovative guitar style strongly reminiscent of Black Flag's Greg Ginn, but with a feel for the more technical riffs common to heavy metal. Void's volatility quickly found acceptance in the normally exclusive D.C. punk community. In 1981, they cut a demo tape titled Condensed Flesh, and made their vinyl debut early the next year with three songs on the Dischord label sampler Flex Your Head. The band went into the studio that spring and cut 12 songs -- some of which had appeared on Condensed Flesh -- that remained in the Dischord vaults for a time. Given the band's unhinged sound and live shows, it was clear that they wouldn't be able to hold together forever, and they disbanded in 1983. Dischord later paired their studio recordings with 12 more by the Faith and issued them as a split LP in 1985, which was later reissued on CD and introduced Void's music to a new generation of Dischord fanatics. The Condensed Flesh demo was also released as an EP by Eye 95 Records in 1992. Bubba Dupree still carried a cult of admirers in the �90s, and found work as a guest guitarist gigging with the likes of Soundgarden and Moby; he also appeared on Dave Grohl's Probot project in 2004. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
Jeff Mills is one of the biggest American names in techno. Championed for his music's relentless pursuit of hardness and his stripped-down, almost industrial DJ sets, Mills is the latest in a long line of Detroit-bred talent to take on an international reputation.
Jeff Mills, along with Robert Hood, Carl Craig, and Joey Beltram, is one of the biggest American names in techno. Championed for his music's relentless pursuit of hardness and his stripped-down, almost industrial DJ sets, Mills is the latest in a long line of Detroit-bred talent to take on an international reputation. A founding member of noted Motor City institution Underground Resistance, Mills helped build the artist roster and label ideology (as well as much of its back catalog) with partners "Mad" Mike Banks and Robert "Noise" Hood before moving to New York in 1992 to pursue more vigorously his solo and DJ career (with a resident spot at the legendary Limelight and a recording contract with the noted German label Tresor). (Although rumors of bad blood between the early UR crew have been denied by all involved, Mills' decision to split was apparently total, with Banks all but repudiating his involvement with Mills and Mills distancing himself from the continuing political militancy of Banks and the UR organization.) Mills' UR-related releases (including "The Punisher" and "Seawolf") are stripped-down and erratic, fusing elements of hardcore acid and industrial techno to the sparse Detroit aesthetic. Not surprisingly, his post-UR sound hasn't eased a bit, although UR's penchant for the four-track has been replaced by higher-quality production.
Prior to his involvement in UR, Mills was a DJ at Detroit public radio station WDET (he was also studying architecture at the time), spinning everything from Meat Beat Manifesto and Nine Inch Nails to Chicago house and underground Detroit techno. He began producing in the mid-'80s, working with Tony Srock on the project the Final Cut. Mills met Banks through a local garage group Members of the House, whom Banks was working with in the late '80s. Mills remixed a track on a Members 12", and his and Banks' shared love for Chicago soul and the harder edge of Detroit techno blossomed into Underground Resistance as a combined business and creative enterprise. The pair, along with Robert Hood, recorded several EPs and singles together, including tracks such as "Waveform" and "Sonic," before Mills defected to New York in 1992 to pursue a residency at the Limelight club and a solo career recording for Tresor and his own label, Axis.
Mills' discography includes two full-length volumes of Waveform Transmissions for Tresor, a live album and rarities collection for the British label React, and the first album in a new contract with Sony Japan, as well as a handful of 12" EPs on Axis and several collaborations with Robert Hood on his M-Plant label. In 2000, Mills took more memorable action by scoring a new soundtrack for Fritz Lang's 1926 film Metropolis, screened around the world at venues including the Museum of Music in Paris, London's Royal Albert Hall, and the Vienna International Film Festival. The album Metropolis documented the project in 2000, the same year that the compilation The Art of Connecting and the new album Every Dog Has Its Day both arrived. In 2004 the Exhibitionist mix CD appeared, as did a mix DVD of the same name, the latter packed with extra features. Choice: A Collection of Classics was released that same year and featured Mills mixing some old personal favorites. Blue Potential from 2006 was a live album recorded with the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra. ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
Born in 1966, February 1st. A former staffer at the embassy in London, Frenchman Laurent Garnier began DJing in Manchester during the late '80s and became by the following decade one of the best all-around DJs in the world, able to span classic deep house and Detroit techno, the harder side of acid/trance and surprisingly jazzy tracks as well. He added production work to his schedule in the early '90s, and recorded several brilliant LPs with a similar penchant for diversity.
One of the first Europeans to begin mixing American house music in Britain, Garnier was one of the prime cogs in the late-'80s club scene. His DJing at Manchester's legendary Haçienda club provided a major inspiration for the Stone Roses, The and Happy Mondays to begin adding house rhythms to rock music. Garnier shifted his attention back to France in the early '90s, running the Wake Up parties at the Rex club in Paris for three years and gradually moving into recording as well. For the FNAC label, Garnier released "French Connection" and the "A Bout de Souffle EP"; after the label went under, though, he formed the F Communications label with Eric Morand (a friend who had also worked for FNAC). He had amassed quite a discography by the mid-'90s, but his first LP "Shot In The Dark" wasn't launched until 1994. His second, "30", appeared in 1997, followed by the retrospective "Early Works" in 1998. After trotting the globe with multiple DJ appearances during the late '90s, Garnier returned to the production realm with "Unreasonable Behaviour", released in early 2000.
A former staffer at the embassy in London, Frenchman Laurent Garnier began DJing in Manchester during the late '80s and became by the following decade one of the best all-around DJs in the world, able to span classic deep house and Detroit techno, the harder side of acid/trance and surprisingly jazzy tracks as well. He added production work to his schedule in the early '90s, and recorded several brilliant LPs with a similar penchant for diversity.
One of the first Europeans to begin mixing American house music in Britain, Garnier was one of the prime cogs in the late-'80s Madchester scene. His DJing at Manchester's legendary Ha�ienda club provided a major inspiration for the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays to begin adding house rhythms to rock music. Garnier shifted his attention back to France in the early '90s, running the Wake Up club in Paris for three years and gradually moving into recording as well. For the FNAC label, Garnier released "French Connection" and the Bout de Souffle EP; after the label went under, though, he formed the F Communications label with Eric Morand (a friend who had also worked for FNAC). He had amassed quite a discography by the mid-'90s, but his first LP Shot in the Dark wasn't launched until 1995. His second, 30, appeared in 1997, followed by the retrospective Early Works. After trotting the globe with multiple DJ appearances during the late '90s, Garnier returned to the production realm with Unreasonable Behaviour, released in early 2000. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
Toronto, Canada's quirky popsters Barenaked Ladies were never ones to follow a trend. They were more interested in making someone laugh than being astute and serious. Most of all, a friendship consumed this band and that bond cemented their place in alternative rock.
Teenage friends Ed Robertson and Steven Page found themselves laughing at the innocent and child-like term "barenaked lady" while attending a Bob Dylan concert in 1988. Both Robertson and Page agreed that it would make a funny band name, and since the duo was already into rock music and playing guitar, the Barenaked Ladies were born. Joining them were bass man Jim Creeggan, his brother Andy on keyboards, and drummer Tyler Stewart, and the Barenaked Ladies began to blend their comic relief sensibilities inside an eclectic mix of jazz, folk, and rock.
The famous self-titled Yellow Tape (1991) captured BNL's first independently recorded material, however Canadians weren't too fond of the group's na�vet�. They were branded a novelty act by some, but The Yellow Tape proved successful when it became the only indie release to achieve platinum status in Canada. Record labels entered an instant bidding war, and Sire won over the band. Their rock & roll dreams were beginning to unfurl. Their zany, wacky, and hip debut Gordon was released in 1992, and college kids across North America were keen on singles such as "Be My Yoko Ono," "Enid," and the charming favorite "If I Had a $1,000,000." Canadian contemporaries also warmed up to the silliness of "If I Had a $1,000,000" and BNL began their reign as Canada's pop kings alongside the Tragically Hip. Not everyone was amused, however.
Toronto mayor June Rowlands considered the band's name to be sexist and demeaning to women, and therefore forbid the Barenaked Ladies from playing a local gig in 1992. In typical style, BNL laughed it off and resumed their schedule.
At the height of grunge, Ben Mink came around to produce the acoustically mellow Maybe You Should Drive in 1994. Songs like the jaunty "Alternative Girlfriend" and the sweetly melodic "Jane" were college radio favorites, but changes were on the way. Before they could collect themselves for a third album, Andy Creeggan left the band in order to finish college and Look People guitarist/keyboardist Kevin Hearn hopped on board for BNL's joint tour with Billy Bragg...and never left. Hearn joined the band for 1996's obscuro-pop album Born on a Pirate Ship and again, BNL charted new celebrity territory by appearing on an episode of Beverly Hills 90210 to perform their Top 40 hit, "The Old Apartment." Success was fast, leaving BNL to sellout countless summer shows. This merry mayhem was captured on the band's first live album, Rock Spectacle (pronounced Rock-Spek-Tak). The uninhibited and playful effort introduced a new audience to the aspect of the band that had been winning them fans since they started -- their live shows. It even included one of their signatures -- improvised rapping and stage banter. Rock Spectacle was BNL's first album to be certified gold in the U.S. The Barenaked Ladies had finally arrived, positioning themselves to take over America -- and the pressure was on.
Stunt, the band's fifth album, was issued in July 1998, marking a pivotal time for BNL. "One Week" was their most popular hit to date, and Stunt debuted at number three on Billboard. The North American Stunt Tour moved them from theaters and clubs and made them stadium sweethearts. Sadness loomed over BNL's carefree effervescence, however. Hearn had been diagnosed with leukemia earlier that spring and spent almost six months recuperating. Geggy Tah's Greg Kurstin and fellow BNL comrade, multi-instrumentalist Chris Brown, filled in for Hearn on tour. After a bone marrow transplant in October, Hearn was free of all cancerous cells and BNL was at their finest.
The Don Was-produced Maroon followed two years later and did moderately well with "Pinch Me" and constant touring. Still their comical selves, and now glorified pop stars, Maroon introduced a more mature group and Page's lyrics had now become more abrasive. They grew into men, some of them marrying and having children by this time, so the progression was natural. That same year, BNL won two Juno Awards for Best Pop Album and Best Group, as well as being nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Pinch Me."
They proved to be unstoppable...and still enjoying their rise to fame and having fun at the same time. Taking its title from their song "Box Set," a greatest- hits collection, Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits (1991-2001), was issued in fall 2001 and celebrated BNL's work and bond as a musical family. Two years later, the band returned with Everything to Everyone. Barenaked Ladies Are Me followed in 2006. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
Steady as a rock, Tim J owns a special spot in the dance scene. His tribal techno and groovy beats are very recognizable and appreciated by numerous big dj's. Tim J is producing and playing for several years now with lots of different artists, like Joff Roach, Miss Melody, Erwin v/d Bliek, Warren Fellow, Stephen J. Kroos, Jellisimo and many others. Tim J is co-owner of Smoke Records.