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Interviews
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Interviews with artists, DJ's, promotors.
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Bang!
Author: silver |
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| Bang! |  | Q: So Nick, what's the deal here, your Bang!, Blaze!, Stealth!, Tom Dick and Harry what's with all the names?
LOL, well originally when we started Bang! we did so much material that it would have taken us ages to put it out, so it was Next Gens suggestion that we have a new name and release under that but not connect it with Bang!. I suppose some people guessed but I do see posts where people are surprised and don't realise that the Stealth and Oblivvion tunes are myself and Jo. I also liked that we started a fresh act and had great success with these tunes in their own right. It's nice to have a successful name and build on it, but it's great to start again from fresh and have success under another name, proves your tunes work well.
Q: You have a new album out, tell us all about it...
I called it an album, but it's more a compilation of the last few years of tracks. Unfortunately, artists don't release compilations, they release albums, so hence it had to be "the album". I rarely license to CD's and eventually, it becomes non viable to press up vinyl as demand fades away, so it was a chance to put all the material on CD once and for all. I've also lost a number of DATs with old material on and that's a real shame, so it made sense to compile them all and put them out.
Q: The tracks are new remixes on the album, what was the reasoning behind that?
Quite simply, I own them all. The past releases on Next Generation and Blatant Beats I don't own so unless Next Generation release a Bang! album with all those mixes on, then there would be no Bang! album at all. Those mixes have also been around for a long time and you can pick them all up on lots of compilations over the years, so i made sense for me to refresh them all and release them. If I never had them remixed then I would never own a hardcore version, and to get them done and not offer them to everyone to enjoy as well would be out of the question.
Q: Your have been working with DJ Storm and Euphony quite alot and featured on their labels, what's it like working with the guys?
I love the way they work. Unlike me, they're laid back and unphased by pretty much anything. They deliver when they say they will, and they've helped me out with a couple of other projects that I'm really grateful for. Aside from that I'm extremely lucky to have had them remix on the album because I love their "sound". My ultimate favourite mix they've done for me has to be "Sail Away", it's what I call a real "pogo stick-er", it's just a non stop bounce-a-thon from start to finish!
Q: Alot of people don't realize that different singers sing different songs, so who exactly is Bang! and all these different singers?
Well the vast majority is Jo James, however originally it was Donna Grassie who did "Sunshine on a cloudy day" (Cloudy Daze). Donna was fantastic and I really enjoyed working with her, but she did the "Sunshine" track with me in about 1994/1995 and we lost contact. When we finally released it on Next Generation and needed a follow up, I had such a good relationship with Jo James that offered her "Shooting Star" and we went on to work together on various projects for a long time. Jo has since then gone on to bigger and beter things with AATW and decided to leave Bang!, so I found Indi to sing "Lost in space". Unfortunately, Indi met a great guy who lives in South Africa so she'll no longer live in the UK which makes working together impossible. I'm now looking for a new Bang! vocalist to take up the challenge of past material and new material so we can do some live shows.
Q: Shooting Star (the track)... super success... what's it like have a track still going strong after so many years.
The debt I owe to this song is phenominal. The common thread throughout it's successs, no matter what remix or version, has been the actual song itself. I can remember actually writing it and no way did I realise just how successful this would eventually become. Flip 'n' Fill covered the song itself and I went to watch them record Top Of The Pops here in the UK, and to stand at the back of the TV studio and see your song being performed by someone else for TV was one of the highlights of my career. I'm very proud of STR and I know everyone groans when they hear another remix is due out, but it's usually because producers really want to have a go at putting their slant on the song and I love to hear how many different ways we can twist "Shooting Star". The ultimate twisting has to be Luna C's mix on the album which is fantastic.
Q: Your a songwriter and not a producer, for everyone out there, what's the difference?
This is true and I've never pretended to be a producer. I've found my strength and that's songwriting, so I stick with it. The songwriter is the person that sits down with a piece of paper a pen and sometimes an instrument and writes the track in it's most basic form. Lyrics, melody, chords and structure. I like to put together a very basic demo of how the song sounds, then all that information goes to a producer who will then put it into a version that will appeal to a group of people. In Bang!'s case the hardcore fans.
The songwriter is the very first person in the chain that has the idea, and it goes on to a producer, record company, marketing, distribution and finally the music buyer. The entire ethic of Bang! is a great song and I thoroughly enjoy writing, what I hope to be, great songs. I trust my songs to great producers to create the vibe that will make them appeal to everyone.
Q: ... So you write tracks that could be made into any genre, what other genres have you dabbled in?
I've dabbled in Trip hop, electro, guitar based indi, contemporary, ballads and trance. I have to try all sorts of genr駸 because it helps to get new ideas for songs. My favourite though has to be hardcore, that's why after almost 15 years I'm still around hoping to contribute to the scene.
Q: How many releases have you got out there?
I genuinely have no idea. Sesame's Treet went worldwide and was released in loads of places but if it's seperate titles then I suppose around 40-ish. I'm not as prolific as some writers but that's mainly because I'm never happy with the final song and keep changing it. Even "Shooting Star" I have two faults that I'd love to put right, but unfortunately, once it's out there, you can't change it.
Q: Your even featured in video games we hear? What games and how did that come about?
This was a total surprise for me. I was just at home one day and a piece of paper buzzed out of the fax machine from the MCPS for a license request from Konami. I was absolutely thrilled because I'd tried writing computer game music before but was crap at it. So I was going to get on a proper arcade machine, albeit in the far east and I'd probably never get to see or play it, it was fantastic. Then a little while later another fax came through with a license request for a PSX version of the game. Eventually it came out and Silver kindly bought me a copy in Japan as it was only released there, and sent it to me. I've since managed to play it on the original arcade machine in San Fransisco whilst on holiday and of course on the PSX.
Q: What do you listen to when your not listening to hardcore / dance music?
There isn't much I don't like, but I can't get to grips with thrash or metal, I can understand why it appeals, but it's not really my thing. At the moment I've just bought the Green Day album because "Boulevard of borken dreams" is an outstanding song and I'm also into jazz and blues. One of my all time favourite songs is "You taught my heart to sing" written by Sammy Cahn and performed by Kirsten Gustafson and that gets a regular play at home.
Q: What's your favorite TV program?
Oh I'm a sucker for good comedies and at the moment it has to be Little Britain or The Office, too close to call, but of all time, if I have a rare hour to kill I'll watch one episode of Hancocks Half Hour followed by a Steptoe and Son, both classic British comedies from the 50's and 60's.
Q: And finally what has Bang! got to say to all the hardcore supporters around the world?
You gotta live for the music!
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Added: 2005/03/29 Hits: 10895
Votes: 4 Rating: 
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