I got a few fun tracks together for you, just in time for New Years Eve! I'm heading to the Salty Seahorse to have some fun and erase parts of the last decade that I would rather not remember. But there is a lot to celebrate and I hope everyone has a healthy and happy celebration. See you in 2010!
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01. Lame - You've Got the Night 02. Bandeaux - Black and White 03. Monte Kristo - Lady Valentine 04. Mya and the Mirror - Hesitation 05. Digital Emotion - Go Go Yellow Screen 06. Mr. Master - Dog in the Night 07. B.W.H. - Livin' Up 08. Clio - Faces 09. Ken Scott - The Voice I Feel Inside 10. Ryan Simmons - Lucky Guy 11. David Davil - Men of My Generation 12. Starflight - Dance to the Beat 13. Thai Break - Flowers in the Rain 14. Finzy Kontini - Cha Cha Cha
Sorry for the delay in getting this one out. But I hope it is worth the wait. Some fun tracks on here some of them have been featured recently but I had to get them down for those of my friends too lazy to check in regularly. Maybe it will help cure those Monday blues.
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I Guess You Will Do (instrumental) - The Happy Boys
The Happy Boys have been a longtime creative pursuit of mine. I have resisted the urge until now to use Italobot to showcase some of my own work as I don't exactly want to use the blog as a tool of megalomania. But this is a track that I think fans of Italo might enjoy.
"I Guess You Will Do" is the last track we recorded for the album after I moved back to San Francisco from New York. Its an homage to Giorgio Moroder's work in the 80s. I have included the instrumental as a download but if you are intrigued to here more of the Happy Boys music you can download the album "Big Hit" on iTunes or CDBaby.
A few years ago we did some music videos one in Los Angeles and one in New York. They were a lot of fun to film and we met some wonderful people in the process. Below you may enjoy our song "La Dolce Vita" and my solo effort as Giani Velcreaux singing "All I Want to Know."
Italobot Podcast 05 : Forgives the Sommelier 01. Dance - Betty Miranda 02. Johnny Johnny - Lala 03. So You Aren't Fall in Love - Mark Tower 04. Just a Story - Mike Rogers 05. It Isn't Changed - Michael Maltese 06. Africa - Anthony 07. I Want an Illusion - Squash Gang 08. Love Games - Robert Camero 09. Computerized Love (vocoder version) - Tango 10. Souvenir - Saxophone
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Sorry its a little sloppy. I had it all nice and smooth but the computer program went kaput and I had to start over. Enjoy the songs.
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Italobot podcast 04 : Little Cella's First Italo 01. Stop Fantasy - Plus Two - 02. Play the Game - Cool Runners 03. Glow of Love - change 04. Cybernetic Love - Casco 05. I'm Ready - Kano 06. Collision - sphinx 07. Shari Vari - Number of Names 08. Love Again (remix) - Savage
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Just a quick mix of some great tunes dedicated to my newborn baby girl. Enjoy!
Italobot Podcast 03 - Rides a Boat to the BBQ 01. Buona Sera Ciao Ciao - Mauro 02. What My Heart Want to Say - Roger Meno 03. Cause You Are Young - C.C. Catch 04. I Want (remix) - Anneclaire 05. Serenade - Shah 06. Magic Symphony - Blue System 07. Shy Like an Angel - New Romantique 08. Toledo Girl - Cosa Rosa 09. Vamos a la Playa - Righeira 10. Voulez Vous Dancer - Ricchi e Poveri 11. Pile Ou Face - Corynne Charby
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Here is the next installment of the Italobot podcast. I just put some fun songs on here that I had to get out of my system. A little bit of Italo and a little bit of Euro-Pop for a fun day in the sun with some friends. Hope you enjoy.
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Here are some tracks that will make your clothes smell like cigarettes. I really got into the feel of the early 80s sound on this set and tried to honor that funk and steamy disco vibe. Sorry for the delay getting this out, you know how it goes...The next one won't take so long. But it will probably be sillier.
Italobot Podcast 02: Goes to a Steamy Bar 01. Tonight's the Night - Morris (1985) 02. Mistery Of The Night - Nadia Cassini (1980) 03. Go On Do It - Victor (1984) 04. Maurice McGee - Do I Do (1983) 05. Vendetta A Parigi - Gino Palatino (1982) 06. J'ai jamais dit ça - Mino (1981) 07. Give Me - Range (1981) 08. Marc Harris - Airport (1982) 09. Don't You Want My Love - Vera (1982) 10. The Hustle (Rap Version) - Talko (1983) 11. Ciao Ciao Gigolo - Lenroy (1987)
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Italobot podcast 01 : Giani on the Riviera 01. Tropique - Muriel Dacq 02. Fotonovela - Ivan 03. I'm In Love - Patty Johnson 04. Bolero - Fancy 05. Touch in the Night - Silent Circle 06. Dolce Vita - Ryan Paris 07. Hey Hey Guy - Ken Laszlo 08. Happy Song - Happy's Gang 09. I Want You - Gary Low 10. Lancelot - Valerie Dore
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The first installment of the italobot podcast featuring our very own Giani Velcreaux (that's me). I hope to start getting more mixes up here from different folks so subscribe to italobot.com on Itunes or via blogger.
Interview & translation: Christian Reder (www.chrecas.de) I'm interested in relatively eccentric things...
Together with the users of two Internet-forums for fans of 80s-music this new "Special" about SILICON DREAM developed. The fans asked questions to Klaus Munzert, who was the formative character of the Synthie-Pop-Project SILICON DREAM at the end of the 80s and the early 90s. Then, on March, 27th, 2007 it was so far and we met the music-producer from Munich for a conversation to talk about his musical project as well as his other activities...
Hello Klaus Munzert! What are you doing today?
Yes, Hello! I still produce music and work for other artists as a producer. In addition, I'm working for a record company in the scope "artists and repertoire", that means I'm searching for new artists and hits.
The project SILICON DREAM had a lot of hits in the 80s and early 90s. What was SILICON DREAM and who was it?
SILICON DREAM were Angelo and Danny as dancers and me as the singer. I also was the producer of this project together with Daniel in a studio here in Munich.
What was the idea behind the project?
Silicon Dream virtually developed in the cellar in a studio. I was playing around with a sampler which was completely new at that time. This technology was brand new. Before these samplers were available you had to go to expensive studios and I didn't have the money for this. Than, aforesaid samplers arisen and you could make music very simple with computers but also with real instruments. Our music based on the model of Kraftwerk and also Depeche Mode.
What was the inspiration for the figure of "Marcello", which you have epitomized?
Basically it brought fun to me to dressing me up. Nevertheless, the people who known me recognized me also with make-up. It was a big fun for me to dress me up and not go on stage normally. The figure "Marcello" was because I am a big fan of Marcello Mastroianni. This is anyhow "Rock'n Roll", because in a manner of speaking the whole life is a play.
What was the meaning of the name "Silicon Dream"?
The meaning of the name is really simple: On the one side we have "Silicon". That means technology or progress. On the other side we have "Dream". That means feelings and emotion. Simply a union of technology and emotions.
Which technology for recording the music and which instruments did you use for this project?
First and foremost I've used my "EMU 3". That was a sampler. In addition we've worked with "Logic" at that time - and also today. The technology for the recordings was very simple. We played the music on our keyboards. I remember that I've sung the songs late at night about 3:00 or 4:00 A.M.
What do you think today, which kind of music it was? For NDW the style of SILICON DREAM came to late - to soon for Dance Floor.
Afterwards they called it "Europop" or "Eurodance". For me it was simply Dancemusic with lyrics.
To some extent, there were uniformities to the music of bands like "16 Bit" or "OFF". Were there any other commonalities between SILICON DREAM and the aforesaid bands?
At that time the creators of both bands and I have also got to know us, and I was on tour in France together with "16 Bit". This was really very pleasant and very amusing. The common characteristic was that we have done all music for the discos.
What were the influences for the music of SILICON DREAM? Were there musical models?
It is always difficult to explain which influence there was. There was no direct influence. What belongs to the groove we were - just like "16 Bit" and "OFF" - influenced by bands like "Kraftwerk", "Depeche Mode" and "Frankie Goes To Hollywood". At that time I've still worked for Frankie. But basically it was music according to instinct, and which was intended simply for the discos and for dancing. The influence is always that what you carry with yourself. Everybody has such a kind of "Harddisc" in the head, and then it simply flows sometime out. There are things which you hear about all the years and process then. But first and foremost the music of SILICON DREAM was already a mixture of electronic music and Italo Disco. The contents of the songs also simply arose in such a way. There is artist, they have first a text or a melody. With us it was a kind of a "One Man Show" like at Singer/Songwriters, where the idea of a melody comes sometime together with the idea for lyrics. Then I have played with single text lines and then this simply flowed out of me. There was of course also an amount of things which did not become so great then. But then we went with the good songs to the studio at the end.
You've just noted it: You have worked for "Frankie Goes To Hollywood"...
Yes, although I was not musically working for the band. I was the label manager for ZTT Records and Island Records at that time, worked for U2 and all the other great artists. During the day I was busy with marketing-works, for example the organisation of TV- and Live-performances. At night I've worked in the studio with my own music.
The album "Time Machine" was released in 1988. It was the first and only album. After that there were some more singles but no other album. Why?
Honestly said, I don't know this any more. I suppose that the interest for the group had decreased. Then there were new musical directions and styles, and the whole Italo Disco thing was regressive a little bit. At that time I have also already worked very much with pleasure in the studio and have done for example the project "K2" and many other things. There was a lot of work for me and sometime the air was out with SILICON DREAM - I had this feeling at that time. However, then this was also a time thing, because the day has only 24 hours.
You just mentioned it: You was also contained in the project "K2", which had a hit with "Der Berg ruft" in the 90s. What were your terms of reference?
My terms of reference are easy to describe because I've done nearly everything alone (laughs). The accentuation is on "nearly". I've written the song, wrote the lyrics, composed and produced it. At that time I've looked for musicians who should sing the song - and thank god I've found them. Then the title became one of the biggest hits which I ever had. The "Golden Record" is still in the living room of my house. The title got successful over the discos, exactly like the songs of SILICON DREAM.
SILICON DREAM was not only a studio project. You also played live...
Yes, that's right. Whereas "live" with such a electronic music means, that we were on stage with our sampler and computers but the singing was live. We've made a Disco-Tour through Germany, France and Belgium at that time. That was a great experience.
Was the release of the CD "Greatest Hits '87 - '95" planned and published by you or was it the thing of the record company in 1995?
The record company asked me at that time, if I would have a problem with the CD release. I had no problems with it.
Who have the rights of the music by SILICON DREAM? How big is the chance for a re-relese of the album "Time Machine"?
I've got the rights. That's funny because I had a request for a re-release by a record company from Russia, yesterday. Somehow there are a few fans who are interested in a new release of this album. Now, I will see if we can make a new edition of it or what we can do with the songs. Of course, every single fan is important but nobody knows if there are only a few people who wants to have this CD again...
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