2008/08/22
Lounging with Sven Van Hees
Summer. Sunshine. Balmy weather.
Mellow moments. Quiet beauty.
Lazy afternoons. Breezy sunsets.
Sultry nights.
The good life…
Welcome to the lounge experience as soundtracked by, Antwerp-based producer and DJ, Sven Van Hees (aka Ramon Serrano).
Bio
Born in May 1968, that truly remarkable month that was the apotheosis of the '60's when French students almost succeeded in toppling over an atrophied and authoritarian government, Van Hees cannot help but being a revolutionary and an innovator. But hey, this rebel comes in the guise of an emotive latin lover, flashing a seductive smile and sporting a thin moustache.
Starting out at the tender age of 15 when he hosted a jazz funk radio show for a local Antwerp station, Van Hees followed up with the popular Liaisons Dangereuses radio show, which ran for ten years.
On the strength of this outlet, he was invited to record for local labels like USA Import, Wonka and Atom/Elektron. When the track 'Oempa Loempa' by Aquastep (on Wonka Records) turned into one of Western-Europe's most popular club anthems of 1992, Belgian top-label R&S invited Van Hees to record for them.
'Piano Power' by Remy & Sven (a collaboration with Dutch DJ Remy Unger) kickstarted R&S subsidiary Global Custs and has achieved classic status.
Signing to Arcade/Trust Foundation in Holland in 1996, Van Hees released his debut album, "Svengali", that same year. It proved to be a multifarious affair of club grooves and lounge moods, highly original and quietly advanced. Two singles, 'Freakysthan' and 'Neighbours', both highly sought-after (but hard-to-find due to Trust folding upon the release of the latter track), attested to Van Hees' unique perception of dance culture.
When he released his "Gemini" album in the late summer of 1999, the burgeoning lounge scene could very well use a central focal point to help the nascent style crossover to its potential audience. And "Gemini" did exactly that. It thrilled its many buyers worldwide and woke the media up to the simple fact that there's life after clubbing.
"Gemini" melds light jazz and bossa nova influences with laid-back beats and a startling array of instruments to create a vibe perfect for a lazy day on the beach or a quiet evening at the local velvet-roped lounge.
Contradicting its name, "Tsunami (Inside My Soul)" features gently lapping waves over standup bass and a sultry horn riff. Even the wistful spoken thoughts, possibly stolen from a young film student's first short, can't poison this subliminal groove. "Flute Salad" and "Islamorada Fishing Company" would fit nicely into a Thievery Corporation or Kruder & Dorfmeister mix. "Serrano Anthem (Amor/Amor)" approaches erotica, as the interplay between various sounds seems to bring a woman to a sort of spiritual orgasm. Van Hees instills his music with longing and (sometimes overt) sexuality. To these ends, attempts to be lyrically deep or clever sometimes come off as merely amateurish. But this minor shortcoming should be quickly overlooked. Gemini is much more about mood than message, and the mood will carry the listener away.
"Calypso" is third album is the work of a subdued master. It's totally true to his nature and, although the album acknowledges '70s fusion icons like Quincy Jones and Lonnie Liston Smith, it creates a world completely its own - a singular dreamscape for all of us to wallow around in. Centered around the groove, "Calypso"'s eleven tracks take up the Sven Van Hees story were "Gemini" left it, creating a much-needed private space of leisure and introspection, of inner peace and enticing pleasure. It's like God's very own calypso band has sneaked out of heaven - for five minutes at least - and turned up in Antwerp, in Sven's sampler.
In the summer os 2005 he released his fourth album "Synesthesia" the most intimate view inside this producer's head so far. All eleven tracks have their own "colour", painting a complete picture of a near 64 minutes in audio.
It's also the first that includes guest performances and vocal tracks. Two tracks, the great summery housegrooves (or soulful house) and singles "The sun goes down" and "Eneas", were written and sung by Dutch vocalist/mc Lex Empress. Having met 10 years before in Antwerp they lost sight of each other until early 2003, they got booked together again, and enjoyed two hours of "musical-bliss", Sven dj'ing whilst Lex was singing on top of his records.
Also "Amish gansta rappin" features rhymes from a US rapper that prefers to stay anonymous, and could easily have featured on a Massive Attack album. Belgians finest musicians, Bart Van Huyck(guitar), Johan Vandendriessche (sax, flute), Paul Flush (Hammond, Fender Rhodes) and Peter Schneider (percussion) members of his former "Svengali squad", add the cherry on this delicious cake.
Sven Van Hees currently deejays lounge (jazz, latin, soul, brazil) and house sets and plays live with 'The Svengali Squad' (Dancefusion with jazz, funk and soul - members are Sven Van Hees - beatmaster / Johan Vandendriessche multi-instrumentalist already worked with Toots Thielemans, Wim Mertens and Marc Moulin / Paul Flush - pianist, Hammondist, Fender Rhodes-ist, from Newcastle. On Marc Moulin's "Top Secret" he plays Hammond organ / Steinhardt - guitarist / Peter Schneider - percussionist.)
Discography
- Svengali (1996)
- Gemini (1999)
- Calypso (2002)
- Synesthesia (2005)
- Exotica (2007)
All of them are the perfect soundtrack for the months to come…
It's going to be another long hot summer…
Sven Van Hees feat. Lex Empress - "The sun goes down"
Sven Van Hees - "Coco Skin"
Summer. Sunshine. Balmy weather.Mellow moments. Quiet beauty.
Lazy afternoons. Breezy sunsets.
Sultry nights.
The good life…
Welcome to the lounge experience as soundtracked by, Antwerp-based producer and DJ, Sven Van Hees (aka Ramon Serrano).
Bio
Born in May 1968, that truly remarkable month that was the apotheosis of the '60's when French students almost succeeded in toppling over an atrophied and authoritarian government, Van Hees cannot help but being a revolutionary and an innovator. But hey, this rebel comes in the guise of an emotive latin lover, flashing a seductive smile and sporting a thin moustache.
Starting out at the tender age of 15 when he hosted a jazz funk radio show for a local Antwerp station, Van Hees followed up with the popular Liaisons Dangereuses radio show, which ran for ten years.
On the strength of this outlet, he was invited to record for local labels like USA Import, Wonka and Atom/Elektron. When the track 'Oempa Loempa' by Aquastep (on Wonka Records) turned into one of Western-Europe's most popular club anthems of 1992, Belgian top-label R&S invited Van Hees to record for them.
'Piano Power' by Remy & Sven (a collaboration with Dutch DJ Remy Unger) kickstarted R&S subsidiary Global Custs and has achieved classic status.
Signing to Arcade/Trust Foundation in Holland in 1996, Van Hees released his debut album, "Svengali", that same year. It proved to be a multifarious affair of club grooves and lounge moods, highly original and quietly advanced. Two singles, 'Freakysthan' and 'Neighbours', both highly sought-after (but hard-to-find due to Trust folding upon the release of the latter track), attested to Van Hees' unique perception of dance culture.
When he released his "Gemini" album in the late summer of 1999, the burgeoning lounge scene could very well use a central focal point to help the nascent style crossover to its potential audience. And "Gemini" did exactly that. It thrilled its many buyers worldwide and woke the media up to the simple fact that there's life after clubbing.
"Gemini" melds light jazz and bossa nova influences with laid-back beats and a startling array of instruments to create a vibe perfect for a lazy day on the beach or a quiet evening at the local velvet-roped lounge.
Contradicting its name, "Tsunami (Inside My Soul)" features gently lapping waves over standup bass and a sultry horn riff. Even the wistful spoken thoughts, possibly stolen from a young film student's first short, can't poison this subliminal groove. "Flute Salad" and "Islamorada Fishing Company" would fit nicely into a Thievery Corporation or Kruder & Dorfmeister mix. "Serrano Anthem (Amor/Amor)" approaches erotica, as the interplay between various sounds seems to bring a woman to a sort of spiritual orgasm. Van Hees instills his music with longing and (sometimes overt) sexuality. To these ends, attempts to be lyrically deep or clever sometimes come off as merely amateurish. But this minor shortcoming should be quickly overlooked. Gemini is much more about mood than message, and the mood will carry the listener away.
"Calypso" is third album is the work of a subdued master. It's totally true to his nature and, although the album acknowledges '70s fusion icons like Quincy Jones and Lonnie Liston Smith, it creates a world completely its own - a singular dreamscape for all of us to wallow around in. Centered around the groove, "Calypso"'s eleven tracks take up the Sven Van Hees story were "Gemini" left it, creating a much-needed private space of leisure and introspection, of inner peace and enticing pleasure. It's like God's very own calypso band has sneaked out of heaven - for five minutes at least - and turned up in Antwerp, in Sven's sampler.
In the summer os 2005 he released his fourth album "Synesthesia" the most intimate view inside this producer's head so far. All eleven tracks have their own "colour", painting a complete picture of a near 64 minutes in audio.
It's also the first that includes guest performances and vocal tracks. Two tracks, the great summery housegrooves (or soulful house) and singles "The sun goes down" and "Eneas", were written and sung by Dutch vocalist/mc Lex Empress. Having met 10 years before in Antwerp they lost sight of each other until early 2003, they got booked together again, and enjoyed two hours of "musical-bliss", Sven dj'ing whilst Lex was singing on top of his records.
Also "Amish gansta rappin" features rhymes from a US rapper that prefers to stay anonymous, and could easily have featured on a Massive Attack album. Belgians finest musicians, Bart Van Huyck(guitar), Johan Vandendriessche (sax, flute), Paul Flush (Hammond, Fender Rhodes) and Peter Schneider (percussion) members of his former "Svengali squad", add the cherry on this delicious cake.
Sven Van Hees currently deejays lounge (jazz, latin, soul, brazil) and house sets and plays live with 'The Svengali Squad' (Dancefusion with jazz, funk and soul - members are Sven Van Hees - beatmaster / Johan Vandendriessche multi-instrumentalist already worked with Toots Thielemans, Wim Mertens and Marc Moulin / Paul Flush - pianist, Hammondist, Fender Rhodes-ist, from Newcastle. On Marc Moulin's "Top Secret" he plays Hammond organ / Steinhardt - guitarist / Peter Schneider - percussionist.)
Discography
- Svengali (1996)
- Gemini (1999)
- Calypso (2002)
- Synesthesia (2005)
- Exotica (2007)
All of them are the perfect soundtrack for the months to come…
It's going to be another long hot summer…
Sven Van Hees feat. Lex Empress - "The sun goes down"
Sven Van Hees - "Coco Skin"
Etiquetas: ambient, chill-out, downbeat, easy listening, lounge
by Frederico Dinis [14:09]
