Jean Jacques Smoothie's 2People
In all the coverage this week, a decade on from the New York, Washington and Pennsylvania attacks, one thing has struck me.
Ten years ago Steve Robson, aka Jean Jacques Smoothie, a Cardiff producer, DJ and part of the Plastic Raygun label was releasing 2People, an atmospheric house monster that the Echo label had licensed.
Jean Jacques Smoothie
It would have been a chart hit in its own right, courtesy of the smooth, seductive vocals of the sample and Steve's production, but 9/11 elevated the track into something no-one could have anticipated.
Disasters of sufficient magnitude force producers and editors of music radio to rethink their playlist. It is judged that some tracks are simply inappropriate, and they cast about for tracks suitable to plug that gap. 2People was one of those tracks that Radio 1, Radio 2 and commercial radio turned to.
For six weeks 2People was the most-played track on UK radio.
I caught up with Steve as he's about to release a new version of the track: "It was an amazing time, almost like a dream. When Radio 1 A listed 2People suddenly I was hearing it everywhere. I was in a green grocers on Albany Road in Cardiff when it came on the radio. I was rooted to the spot, my heart pounding. I looked around, expecting all the other shoppers to stop what they were doing and say 'hey, what's this amazing song?' Of course they didn't, they didn't care less but I enjoyed the moment anyway.
"2People definitely caught a mood. 9/11 had just happened and people wanted to feel good. It was an antidote to the horrors that were happening all around. It was at this moment, with all the extra airplay that I knew we'd made the right choice in licensing to a big label. Plastic Raygun would never have been able to cope but Echo had the infrastructure and network to make it a success."
Now Steve is releasing a , this time with the vocals of Cardiff-based American vocalist , who's part of Plastic Raygun staples Dynamo Dresden.
"I'm really happy to see it being re-released on Bargrooves/Defected. This new version is a real collaboration between Plastic Raygun friends. Tara Busch from Dynamo Dresden has laid down a new vocal which I think captures the emotion and feeling of the Minnie Ripperton's original. Sam 's Simpleton Remix kick started the whole return journey.
"Sam and I have been working together on some new Smoothie tunes so keep a watch out. I feel like the of pop: bouncing back!"
Feel free to comment! If you want to have your say, on this or any other ´óÏó´«Ã½ blog, you will need to sign in to your ´óÏó´«Ã½ iD account. If you don't have a ´óÏó´«Ã½ iD account, you can - it'll allow you to contribute to a range of ´óÏó´«Ã½ sites and services using a single login.
Need some assistance? , or get some .
Comments Post your comment