Bob Marley (4) 609 views 0 favorites Bob Marley and the Wailers were a Jamaican reggae band created by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. The band formed when self-taught musician Hubert Winston McIntosh (Peter Tosh) met Neville Livingston (Bunny Wailer), and Robert Nesta Marley (Bob Marley) in 1963 and taught them how to play guitar, keyboards, and percussion. By late 1963 Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith had joined The Wailers. After Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the band in 1974, Bob Marley began touring with new band members. His new backing band included brothers Carlton and Aston "Family Man" Barrett on drums and bass respectively, Junior Marvin and Al Anderson on lead guitar, Tyrone Downie and Earl "Wya" Lindo on keyboards, and Alvin "Seeco" Patterson on percussion. The "I Threes", consisting of Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, and Marley's wife, Rita, provided backing vocals.
Blur (1) 279 views 0 favorites Blur are an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1988 as Seymour, the group consists of singer/keyboardist Damon Albarn, guitarist/singer Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure (1991) incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing. Following a stylistic change influenced by English guitar pop groups such as The Kinks, The Beatles and XTC, Blur released Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995). As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a chart battle with rival band Oasis in 1995 dubbed "The Battle of Britpop".
In recording their follow-up, Blur (1997), the band underwent another reinvention, showing influence from the lo-fi style of American indie rock groups. "Song 2", one of the album's singles, brought Blur mainstream success in the United States. Their next album, 13 (1999) saw the band members experimenting with electronic and gospel music, and featured more personal lyrics from Albarn. In May 2002, Coxon left Blur during the recording of their seventh album Think Tank (2003). Containing electronic sounds and more minimal guitar work, the album was marked by Albarn's growing interest in hip hop and African music. After a 2003 tour without Coxon, Blur did no studio work or touring as a band, as members engaged in other projects. In 2008 Blur reunited, with Coxon back in the fold, for a series of concerts and have continued to release several singles and retrospective releases. In 2012, Blur received a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.
Blue Oyster Cult (3) 549 views 0 favorites Spanning three decades, Blue Öyster Cult has a long and interesting history. The band got its start in the late '60s on Long Island, New York, as the Soft White Underbelly, before ending up in the "right place at the right time" to create the beginnings of Blue Öyster Cult.
Long Island native Donald Roeser and Albert Bouchard (of Watertown, New York) met at Clarkson College, in Potsdam, NY. The two were introduced by a mutual friend, Bruce Abbott (who later co-authored "Golden Age of Leather" with Donald). With Abbott and two other friends, they formed "The Disciples" and played college parties and local beer halls. The next year, the band reformed and played the same circuits as "Travesty" (named after the Blues Project album). Through all this, their studies fell by the wayside, and both Albert and Donald decided to quit college to concentrate on playing music full-time.
Eventually "Travesty" broke up and Donald and Albert paths separated for a while. Donald met Sandy Pearlman, a pioneering voice of rock criticism, who with his friend, Richard Meltzer, were contributors to the seminal magazine "Crawdaddy!," the first magazine dedicated to the analysis of rock music and its culture.
Allen Lanier then came into the fold by way of guitarist John Wiesenthal. An old house near Stony Brook College became ground zero for the formative band, and casual jams with whomever happened to be hanging around began to turn into rehearsals with a core band, which included Wiesenthal, Donald, Albert, Allen and Andrew Winters, a school friend of Donald. It was 1967.
In 1970, the band's name was changed to the Blue Oyster Cult, a name suggested by Richard Meltzer to Sandy Pearlman. The name comes from the famous Long Island "Blue Point Oysters." The umlaut was added later which started the trend for using the "heavy metal umlaut" in band names.
At a time when the heavy metal was starting to seem tired, Blue Öyster Cult released records that combined powerful music and intelligent and funny lyrics. A steady flow of albums with great songs, like "Burnin' for You", "Godzilla", "The Red And The Black", "This Ain't The Summer of Love", "Astronomy", "Black Blade", "Flaming Telepaths", and "(Don't Fear) The Reaper".
In 1998, the BÖC released Heaven Forbid, to fine reviews, particularly of the track, "Harvest Moon". Curse of the Hidden Mirror followed in 2001.
Their motto "On Tour Forever" still holds, as the band plays over 100 dates per year.
Blue (1) 242 views 0 favorites Blue are an English pop boyband. The band consists of Simon Webbe, Lee Ryan, Duncan James and Antony Costa. Blue originally formed in 2000 before splitting in 2005. They reformed in April 2009 and represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany with the song "I Can". They came 11th, earning 100 points. They are set to release their fourth studio album in late 2012.
Blondie (2) 407 views 0 favorites Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s. Their first two albums contained strong elements of these genres, and although successful in the United Kingdom and Australia, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the United States until the release of Parallel Lines in 1978.
Over the next three years, the band achieved several hit singles including "Call Me", "Atomic" and "Heart of Glass" and became noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles incorporating elements of disco, pop, rap, and reggae, while retaining a basic style as a New Wave band.
Blondie broke up after the release of their sixth studio album The Hunter in 1982. Deborah Harry continued to pursue a solo career with varied results after taking a few years off to care for partner Chris Stein, who was diagnosed with pemphigus, a rare autoimmune disease of the skin.
The band reformed in 1997, achieving renewed success and a number one single in the United Kingdom with "Maria" in 1999. The group toured and performed throughout the world during the following years, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Blondie has sold 40 million records worldwide and is still active today. Their ninth studio album, Panic of Girls, was released in 2011.
Blonde (1) 256 views 0 favorites Blonde are an English deep house production duo from Bristol, consisting of Jacob Manson and Adam Englefield. They are signed to Parlophone.
Blonde premiered the track "It's You" via Englefield's dance music YouTube channel Eton Messy in July 2013. In May 2014, Blonde released their debut single "Foolish", which features vocals from Ryan Ashley. In July 2014, they released their second single "Higher Ground", which features vocals from Charli Taft. They came to prominence in the UK after BBC Radio 1 playlisted their single "I Loved You", which the station named their track of the day in October 2014 and was heavily praised by Radio 1 DJ Greg James on his dance anthems programme. "I Loved You", which features reggae and pop singer Melissa Steel, and received favourable coverage in Clash and Heat magazines. The song entered the UK Singles Chart at number seven and the Scottish Singles Chart at number ten.
Blonde released a fourth single, "All Cried Out", featuring vocals from Glee actor Alex Newell; it reached number four in the UK. The duo's fifth single, "Feel Good (It's Alright)", features Karen Harding.
When it came into 2016, they collaborated with returning record producer and star to the music industry Craig David on the song "Nothing Like This". It was part of David's collaborative period which included artists such as Big Narstie, Katy B and Kaytranada and is also a single off of his sixth studio album, entitled Following My Intuition.
Blonde also featured as well as co-written Imani Williams's debut single, entitled "Don't Need No Money", alongside rising house record producer and DJ Sigala. Together, they took part in first ever major featured project as independent musicians. Imani got the inspiration of the track after she exploded into the music industry with Sigala on his 2016 single "Say You Do", alongside drum and bass music producer DJ Fresh.
They also co-wrote the Rudimental and Ed Sheeran song "Lay It All on Me" with Johnny Harris and James Newman. The song was originally conceived in a session between Blonde, Harris and Newman before being pitched to Rudimental. Ed Sheeran was later brought in on the track and re-wrote the break of the song.
Blitzen Trapper (1) 290 views 0 favorites Blitzen Trapper's music went through various genres with each record, bouncing from indie folk to art rock to experimental folk before settling into a rich, dusty brand of Neil Young-inspired alt-country. The band formed in 2000 in Portland, Oregon, with songwriter Eric Earley leading a lineup that also included Erik Menteer (guitar, keyboard), Brian Adrian Koch (drums, vocals), Michael Van Pelt (bass), Drew Laughery (keyboard), and Marty Marquis (keyboard, vocals). Before signing a record contract in 2007, the band released three albums on its own dime: an eponymous effort in 2003, Field Rexx in 2005, and the highly acclaimed Wild Mountain Nation in 2007. The latter album landed the group a record deal with Sub Pop.
With Sub Pop's help, the group hit a creative peak with 2008's Furr, a collection of 13 songs that found Blitzen Trapper boiling down its many influences into a cohesive, unique Americana sound. The Black River Killer EP followed in 2009, and the group spent part of that year working on a new full-length release, which arrived one year later in the form of Destroyer of the Void. When it came time to record the band's third Sub Pop release, American Goldwing, Blitzen Trapper opened the studio doors to outside collaborators for the first time, with Tchad Blake mixing the record and Gregg Williams co-producing. Musically, though, the guys kept things entirely within the family, reaching back to their '70s country and Southern rock influences without losing their contemporary appeal. The band released the albums Destroyer of the Void in 2010 and American Goldwing in 2011 — both to critical acclaim. Fans were pleased to hear that the band was due to release its seventh studio album, VII, toward the latter stages of 2013.
Blinkie (1) 379 views 0 favorites Blinkie has been making music since the age of 15, and shows no signs of holding back now. With a rich portfolio of music, the producer and DJ does not limit himself to just one genre or sound. Inspired by the greats - Quincy Jones, Rick Ruben and Kanye West – Blinkie has a passion for music that transcends conventions and rules.
Blinkie’s work is intelligent, creatively free and unrestrained – this shows in his manner and approach to life. With a variety of skills which extend beyond that of your typical producer, there is no hiding the impact he has on those around him. Working on both the underground and commercial scene, Blinkie enjoys discovering and working with talents from all areas of the industry.
His latest release ‘Don’t Give Up (On Love)’ has taken the dance scene by storm, with firm support already achieved from the likes of BBC Radio 1, Kiss FM, Capital, Capital Extra and more.
Recent works also include J Warner’s ‘Chill Chase’ featuring Wretch 32 and ‘Mr Officer’ from songstress Tanika. Both have received critical acclaim for the strong political and social messages they convey, and tribute paid to the beats that bring to life the lyrical journeys of the artists. Blinkie thrives on creative sessions, good energy and free thinking. His music truly illustrates this.
A passionate artist, Blinkie has been labelled as ‘one to watch’ by DJs and bloggers on the scene.
Blink 182 (2) 395 views 0 favorites Blink-182 is an American rock band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 28 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992. With original drummer Scott Raynor they released their debut album Cheshire Cat in 1994 and achieved moderate success with its follow-up, 1997's Dude Ranch, which went on to sell over one million copies. Raynor was replaced by Barker midway through a 1998 tour.
The band achieved greater success with 1999's multi-platinum selling Enema of the State, which reached number 9 on the Billboard 200 on the strength of the singles "What's My Age Again?" and "All the Small Things", the latter of which became the highest-charting song of their career by reaching number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Blink-182 gained popularity for their irreverent sense of humor, and the follow-up album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001) reached number 1 in the United States, Canada, and Germany. The eponymously-titled Blink-182 followed in 2003 and marked a stylistic shift for the group, infusing experimental elements into their usual pop punk formula, resulting in a more mature sound.
DeLonge left Blink-182 in early 2005, sending the band into indefinite hiatus. He went on to form Angels & Airwaves while Hoppus and Barker formed +44. Hoppus also pursued a career as a television host while Barker continued working in music as a producer and solo artist. Blink-182 reunited in February 2009 and their sixth studio album, Neighborhoods, was released in September 2011.
Blind Melon (1) 294 views 0 favorites Blind Melon is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, active from 1990 to 1999 and 2006 onward. Best remembered for their 1993 single "No Rain", the group enjoyed critical and commercial success in the early 1990s with their neo-psychedelic take on alternative rock.
After releasing two charting albums on Capitol Records and touring extensively, the band was halted in 1995 by the fatal overdose of lead vocalist Shannon Hoon, going on hiatus until officially disbanding four years later. They reformed with new vocalist Travis Warren in 2006, yielding a third album. Warren departed two years later, but again rejoined in 2010, allowing the group to return to performing and recording.
Blasterjaxx (7) 1023 views 0 favorites Thom Jongkind and Idir Makhlaf, better known as producer/deejay duo Blasterjaxx in the music industry, are anything but the same. While one is often prominent and empowering, the other prefers staying quietly in the background - a fairly high contrast in character. However, there is one significant reason for the phenomenal connection between these two personalities: their passion and love of music. Mid 2010, Thom Jongkind - then operating by the name of Scalix - decided to set up a DJ duo named Blasterjaxx together with another producer at the time. Thom quickly noticed that huge steps were taken in the field of productions and that the range towards their audience was constantly increasing. Nevertheless, the personal chemistry between both producers started decreasing. Thus, it was Thom who focused more and more on music, while the other producer started having other priorities. Shortly after, they mutually agreed on ending their collaboration as a duo and decided that Thom would continue with the Blasterjaxx label. Because Thom believed that Blasterjaxx would only be complete as a duo, he started looking for possibilities of a new, and this time around, perfect collaboration. In the meantime, Thom had been charmed by Idir Makhlaf for a while, who at the time was operating by the name of Macosta. Only after a few collaborations it was already clear how well they hit off; a new Blasterjaxx duo was born with - what subsequently appeared - an unparalleled amount of talent and potential. Together they plan on taking over the world with their unique sound, which is best described as a crossover between electro-house, big room and latin. Their producing talents did not stay unnoticed. Due to diverse high listings in charts they got many fans, both home and abroad, in a short period of time. Their success kept on growing from the very beginning, especially on production-level and in the field of releases and artist support. This all resulted in various high listings on different music platforms in 2010, as well as their tracks being released by leading music labels, including: Defected Records, Universal, Dirty Dutch and G-Rex. In terms of support they were able to rely on prominent names such as: Sidney Samson, Gregor Salto, Franky Rizardo, Vato Gonzalez and many others. Another clever entrant in 2011 was their bootleg of the worldwide hit Hello. This unofficial remix has, once again, received support from both domestic and international circuits and has been downloaded and listened to for over a million times in total. In 2012, Blasterjaxx was able to show their true nature and proved to be everything but an ephemera. Together with D-Rashid they produced the Reborn EP with two tracks: Reborn and Where We Go. An EP-name with a story behind it, for this EP is in fact symbolic for Blasterjaxx' renewed sound, which they want to introduce and conquer the worldwide audience with. A rebirth that eventually turned out to be a bombshell, because none other than Laidback Luke was eager to sign the tracks at his own label: Mixmash Records. It was only clear how much damage the tracks would be dealing after they were released in December. Where We Go reached #98 in the Beatport Electro Charts Top 100 after only one day, and after only one week, both tracks respectively reached #14 (Where We Go) and #16 (Reborn). The EP even took first place in the Beatport Top 100 Releases! A huge success complemented by the support of magnitudes like: Tiësto, Laidback Luke, Diplo, Steve Aoki, Dada Life, Robbie Rivera and more! Despite numerous hits, releases and novelties, this is yet the beginning of Blasterjaxx. The right question to ask is not if they will break through, but when they will break through! Keep ears and eyes open people, because Blasterjaxx is the future! Represented by Syndicate the Agency worldwide except The Netherlands and The Americas
Black Tambourine (1) 307 views 0 favorites Black Tambourine were one of the earliest Slumberland groups, consisting of members of Whorl and Velocity Girl, plus their pal Pam Berry on vocals. Conceived as an explicitly pop band at a time when pop bands were pretty rare in America, Black Tambourine wore their influences on their sleeves: The Jesus & Mary Chain, of course, but also folks like Phil Spector, Smokey Robinson, Love, The Ramones, Shop Assistants, The Pastels, 14 Iced Bears, Orange Juice and the list goes on Though they only played a handful of gigs in their brief career, their two singles on Slumberland and Audrey's Diary wielded a large influence, and were key artifacts in the birth of US indie pop. This compilation includes all the songs from both of those singles, plus two cuts from compilations and a previously unheard demo song. Liner notes from Jennifer Silver of Swingset Records round-out this important record - check it out!
Black Box (1) 317 views 0 favorites Black Box was an Italian house music group popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The members of the group included a trio made up of a club DJ (Daniele Davoli), a classically trained clarinet teacher (Valerio Semplici), and a keyboard and electronic music "wiz" (Mirko Limoni). The three created an image for the Black Box act using French fashion model Katrin Quinol as its album/singles cover art and supposed lead singer in all of the group's music videos.
Davoli, Semplici, and Limoni had previously formed a group called Groove Groove Melody, producing dance music under names such as Starlight (who had a UK Top 10 hit in August 1989 with "Numero Uno" and Wood Allen. They went on to record music under many other aliases, most notably the alias Mixmaster, which scored a UK #9 hit in November 1989 with the song "Grand Piano".
In 1989, the trio teamed up with French Caribbean model Katrin Quinol (b. Catherine Quinol) and formed the group Black Box. By early 1990, Martha Wash was engaged to perform vocals on a number of tracks which, Wash was apparently told, were for club consumption and were not for mass-release. One would be "Everybody Everybody", which would become one of their two top-ten hits in North America. The album Dreamland was released in May 1990. Katrin did not contribute musically to any of the tracks on the album, she was considered the group's "image".
The first single "Ride on Time" was an international hit, making Top 10 in many countries and No. 1 in the UK, soon becoming the UK's best-selling single of 1989. The song heavily sampled "Love Sensation" by Loleatta Holloway, a 1980 disco hit. The Black Box title is derived from the lyrics "Cause you're right on time".
Dan Hartman, writer and producer of "Love Sensation", was not sought for permission to sample his song, and soon after the international success of "Ride on Time," questions arose as to the true vocalist on the song. Legal proceedings ruled that Loleatta Holloway was the actual singer on "Ride on Time" (albeit by means of the "Love Sensation" vocal samples) and Black Box surrendered a large percentage of the royalties from the song to Hartman and Holloway. The song eventually did make it onto the Dreamland album when it was released later in 1990 as well as the Hits and Mixes compilation, and numerous other compilations. A new version of the track with vocals by Heather Small appeared solely as a single. Subsequent releases, as well as the album tracks, also featured a then-uncredited Martha Wash as vocalist. Katrin Quinol lip-synched the vocals in "live" performances and in the music videos for Black Box. Martha Wash sued Black Box, RCA Records and then C+C Music Factory for performing vocals on their respective songs and not receiving due credit. These legal actions led to the legal recognition of vocalists who perform songs for other artists, including samplings. Wash received full vocal credit upon the single release of "Strike It Up", but the music video still featured Katrin Quinol lip-synching the lyrics.
A megamix featuring cuts already released and entitled "The Total Mix" performed well in the charts towards the end of 1990. Various minor hits followed in the UK throughout the decade. In America, they are best remembered for their early '90s singles "Everybody Everybody", "I Don't Know Anybody Else", and "Strike It Up", their biggest hit in the United States, where all three of their hits are still heard on rhythmic radio and in clubs on a fairly regular basis to this day.
Black Box remain one of the few piano-house groups to achieve mainstream success in the USA. Dreamland earned a gold disc in both the UK and the US and achieved double-platinum status in Canada and Australia, where it spent eight weeks at #1 during early 1991. Along the way, it also spawned six massive hit singles, both on the mainstream charts and in the clubs.
Bjork (1) 373 views 0 favorites Björk Guðmundsdóttir born 21 November 1965), known simply as Björk, is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her musical style is eclectic and she has achieved recognition in rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical, and folk.
Björk's 1990s singles "It's Oh So Quiet", "Army of Me" and "Hyperballad" charted in the UK Top 10. Her record label, One Little Indian, reported that by 2003 she had sold more than 15 million albums worldwide. She has acquired a high level of critical acclaim. She has won four BRIT Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, one MOJO Award, three UK Music Video Awards, and, in 2010, the Polar Music Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, in recognition for her "deeply personal music and lyrics, her precise arrangements and her unique voice".
Björk has also been nominated for twelve Grammy Awards, one Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. She won the Best Actress Award at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival for her performance in Dancer in the Dark. She was ranked thirty-sixth in VH1's "The 100 Greatest Women in Rock and Roll", eighth in MTV's "22 Greatest Voices in Music", and sixtieth in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Singers of All Time".
Bingo Players (2) 337 views 0 favorites Bingo Players is a prominent Dutch Dance and Electro House DJ and production duo, made up of Paul Bäumer and Maarten Hoogstraten. They are best known for their hit song "Cry (Just a Little)" which charted in the Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom. The song samples "Piano In The Dark" By Brenda Russell, which was originally written by Scott Cutler, Brenda Russell and Jeff Hull. Bingo Players were ranked number 66 in DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs list for 2012.
In 2011, Bingo Players had an original hit called "Rattle" that was a hit in Netherlands, France, Sweden and Denmark. Later on Bingo collaborated with Far★East Movement for a revamped "Get Up (Rattle)" that became a number one song in the United Kingdom. This new version has become an even bigger hit for the band. It also appeared on the 2013 version of Far East Movement's album Dirty Bass.
Binary Finary (1) 409 views 0 favorites Binary Finary are a British trance act originally comprising Matt Laws and Stuart Matheson, who were later joined by Sasha Vatoff who acts as DJ and live performer. They are best known for the dance hit single "1998", especially for the Paul Van Dyk and Gouryella remixes, which charted in many countries. The song was remixed numerous times under the title of the year the remix was produced ("1999" and "2000" etc.), many of which were popular. In the UK, "1998" reached a peak position of #24 in the UK Singles Chart whereas "1999" just missed the Top 10, stalling at #11.
On 1 May 2006, they released a collection of 16 tracks written over their eight years sabbatical under the general title The Lost Tracks. This album is available only for download.
Binary Finary are also featured in a Shiny Toy Guns song, When Did This Storm Begin?
Binary Finary - 1998 was covered by Indie Group Peace (band) song, 1998 (Delicious)
Stuart also appeared in the Bafta nominated Channel 4 reality TV series called Faking it (Series 4, 2002) in the episode from 'Web Surfer To Wave Surfer'.
On New Year's Eve 2009/2010 at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne at Sensation (event), they launched the 'Binary Finary LIVE' show, using original material and re-makes of classic dance tracks.
In 2009 Stuart officially joined the US based electronica group 'Spanking Machine'.
In 2009 Stuart remixed Aria Award Winning Bertie Blackman, on her track 'Byrds of Prey'.
On 26 April 2010, Binary Finary re-released a '2010' remix package of their track '1998' through Armada Music.
On 30 September 2013, Binary Finary re-released a '15th Anniversary Edition' remix package of their track '1998' through Armada Music.