Arkarna
Encyclopedia
Arkarna are an English
electronica
/rock band, comprising vocalist and programmer Ollie Jacobs, guitarist Matt Hart, drummer Tim Owen and bass player/keyboardist David Landers. Past members included James Barnett and guitarist Lalo Creme (son of former 10cc
and Godley and Creme member Lol Creme
).
, Arkarna were seen to be attempting to duplicate the transatlantic success of peers like The Prodigy
and the Chemical Brothers. Jacobs (programmer
and vocalist) had worked as an engineer and producer in his father's London studios, Rollover, from the age of 14. By the time he started the group, Jacobs had mixed for Dreadzone
, Leftfield
and Deep Forest
.
Acoustic guitarist and backing vocalist James Barnett, formerly a member of Lunarci, recorded for Big Life Records and regularly appeared on the Megadog club scene. Lalo Creme, the final member to join the group, is the son of Lol Creme, of Godley and Creme fame. After playing guitar for a series of Trevor Horn
sessions, Creme was directed to Rollover Studios where Jacobs and Barnett were in the process of crystallizing their musical ideas.
The trio were signed to WEA Records
by Clive Black and Raz Gold in June 1995, but had to wait over a year and a half before the release of their debut single
"House on Fire" and the album
, Fresh Meat
.
. Another song from Fresh Meat, "So Little Time", was to feature as the theme song for the similarly titled television series So Little Time
starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
. Arkarna's second release titled The Family Album produced the singles "Skin" and "Rehab".
and soon went on to mix the platinum selling album, Leftism
for Leftfield
. He soon started writing his own songs, and became the frontman of Arkarna. During which time Jacobs continued to write and was soon involved with East 17
and Take That
plus he made a brief appearance on Top of the Pops
with Rozalla
.
Jacobs has also collaborated with Trevor Horn
, Art of Noise, Barry Manilow
, The Prodigy
, Skunk Anansie
, Madonna
and William Orbit
. More recently Jacobs has mixed the track "Pop your Cork" for the Stanton Warriors feat. Twista
and has collaborated with Dave Hedger
under the name West London Deep.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
/rock band, comprising vocalist and programmer Ollie Jacobs, guitarist Matt Hart, drummer Tim Owen and bass player/keyboardist David Landers. Past members included James Barnett and guitarist Lalo Creme (son of former 10cc
10cc
10cc are an English art rock band who achieved their greatest commercial success in the 1970s. The band initially consisted of four musicians -- Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, and Lol Creme -- who had written and recorded together for some three years, before assuming the "10cc" name...
and Godley and Creme member Lol Creme
Lol Crème
Lol Creme is an English musician and music video director, best known for his work in 10cc. He sings, plays guitar and keyboards.-Biography:...
).
History
Formed by Ollie Jacobs in England in the mid 1990s, and debuting in 1997 with the album Fresh MeatFresh Meat
Fresh Meat is the public debut album of the English band Arkarna. It was released in the United States on August 26, 1997. It's moderate success was proven by two of the songs getting frequent radio air time, "House on Fire" and "Eat Me", the former of which appeared on the Batman & Robin soundtrack...
, Arkarna were seen to be attempting to duplicate the transatlantic success of peers like The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
and the Chemical Brothers. Jacobs (programmer
Synthesizer programmer
In video game music, a synthesizer programmer - or a manipulator - helps a composer by choosing the right instruments to play the music inside the video game....
and vocalist) had worked as an engineer and producer in his father's London studios, Rollover, from the age of 14. By the time he started the group, Jacobs had mixed for Dreadzone
Dreadzone
Dreadzone are a British band whose music is an eclectic fusion of dub, reggae, techno, folk and rock. They have so far produced six studio albums and two live albums.-Career:...
, Leftfield
Leftfield
Leftfield are a British duo of electronica artists and record producers, namely Paul Daley and Neil Barnes, who formed in 1990 in London, England...
and Deep Forest
Deep Forest
Deep Forest is a musical group consisting of two French musicians, Michel Sanchez and Eric Mouquet. They compose a style of world music, sometimes called ethnic electronica, mixing ethnic with electronic sounds and dance beats or chillout beats...
.
Acoustic guitarist and backing vocalist James Barnett, formerly a member of Lunarci, recorded for Big Life Records and regularly appeared on the Megadog club scene. Lalo Creme, the final member to join the group, is the son of Lol Creme, of Godley and Creme fame. After playing guitar for a series of Trevor Horn
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
sessions, Creme was directed to Rollover Studios where Jacobs and Barnett were in the process of crystallizing their musical ideas.
The trio were signed to WEA Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
by Clive Black and Raz Gold in June 1995, but had to wait over a year and a half before the release of their debut single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"House on Fire" and the album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Fresh Meat
Fresh Meat
Fresh Meat is the public debut album of the English band Arkarna. It was released in the United States on August 26, 1997. It's moderate success was proven by two of the songs getting frequent radio air time, "House on Fire" and "Eat Me", the former of which appeared on the Batman & Robin soundtrack...
.
Music
Some of Arkarna's more popular songs are "House on Fire" and "Eat Me", both of which appeared on Arkarna's debut album Fresh Meat. "House on Fire" is also well known as it appeared on the Batman & Robin soundtrackBatman & Robin (soundtrack)
Batman & Robin: Music from and Inspired by the 'Batman & Robin' Motion Picture is the soundtrack album to the motion picture Batman & Robin .-Background:...
. Another song from Fresh Meat, "So Little Time", was to feature as the theme song for the similarly titled television series So Little Time
So Little Time
So Little Time is an American sitcom starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen that aired on Fox Family. The first half of the series aired from June 2, 2001 to August 15, 2001. The series then went on a four-month hiatus, due to network management changes...
starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen are American actresses and entrepreneurs.Both have appeared in television and films since infancy. Since then, they have continued their celebrity through numerous television programs, films, interviews, as well as commercial endorsements...
. Arkarna's second release titled The Family Album produced the singles "Skin" and "Rehab".
Ollie Jacobs
Jacobs started out doing remixes for Frankie Goes To Hollywood ("Relax")Relax (song)
"Relax" is the debut single by British dance group Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in the UK by ZTT Records in 1983. The song was later included on the album Welcome to the Pleasuredome ....
and soon went on to mix the platinum selling album, Leftism
Leftism (album)
Leftism is the first album by electronica musicians Leftfield, released in 1995. It was shortlisted for the 1995 Mercury Music Prize but lost-out to Portishead's Dummy...
for Leftfield
Leftfield
Leftfield are a British duo of electronica artists and record producers, namely Paul Daley and Neil Barnes, who formed in 1990 in London, England...
. He soon started writing his own songs, and became the frontman of Arkarna. During which time Jacobs continued to write and was soon involved with East 17
East 17
East 17 are a pop boy band comprising Tony Mortimer, John Hendy and Terry Coldwell. Tony Mortimer is the group's frontman and primary songwriter. Formed in Walthamstow, London in 1991, the group have achieved eighteen Top 20 singles and four Top 10 albums, and were one of the UK's most popular boy...
and Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
plus he made a brief appearance on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
with Rozalla
Rozalla
Rozalla is a dance music performer, born to a Zambian mother and a Zimbabwean father...
.
Jacobs has also collaborated with Trevor Horn
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
, Art of Noise, Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
, The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
, Skunk Anansie
Skunk Anansie
Skunk Anansie is an English rock band whose members include Skin , Cass , Ace and Mark Richardson .Skunk Anansie formed in March 1994, disbanded in 2001 and reformed in 2009...
, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
and William Orbit
William Orbit
William Orbit is an English musician, composer and record producer, perhaps best known to most for his work on Madonna's album Ray of Light. He has also co-produced several unreleased Madonna songs originally recorded for other albums...
. More recently Jacobs has mixed the track "Pop your Cork" for the Stanton Warriors feat. Twista
Stanton Warriors
Stanton Warriors are the breakbeat duo Dominic Butler and Mark Yardley. They are a DJ and producer team. Originally from the West Country, the pair now play sets at nightclubs such as Fabric and Ciros in the UK, and travel the globe with international work in Europe, Canada, America and Australia...
and has collaborated with Dave Hedger
Dave Hedger
Dave Hedger, from England, is a house DJ, producer and remixer. He began his musical career as a studio engineer in the late 1980s, working with house music pioneers such as David Holmes and Rocky & Diesel...
under the name West London Deep.
Singles
- "House on Fire" [12"] (1996)
- "Eat Me" (1997)
- "House on Fire" (1997) - #33 UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
- "So Little Time" (1997) #46 UK
- "The Future's Overrated" (1997)
- "Skin" (2000)
- "Rehab" (2001)