Bang! (hardcore)
Encyclopedia
Bang! are a British Happy Hardcore
group from the late 1990s originally consisting of producer Nick Arnold, Tom Orton and female vocalist Donna Grassie. Nick Arnold and Tom Orton had previously been a members of the band Smart E's, who reached 2 in the UK in 1992 with their cover of the theme tune to Sesame Street
entitled Sesame's Treat. After the release of "Cloudy Daze" which featured Donna, Tom Orton brought Jo James to the attention of Nick after a contact of Tom's, Jo's husband, presented to him a demo of his wife singing.
After "Cloudy Daze", Tom left Bang! to work with other artists including Jack Speed and Kriminal, and Nick and Jo went on to have enormous success with "Shooting Star", and then a whole catalogue of vocal hardcore anthems almost all of which written entirely by Nick. Their underground bouncy singles were regularly featured on the Bonkers
compilation series.
"Shooting Star" was also featured on the first issue of the Dancemania Speed
series and later included on the first greatest hits album of the series
and the 2003 happyhardcore-focused compilation of the series
. Also three remixes of their songs, "Shooting Star (Ham's Mix)", "Break of Dawn (Brisk Mix)", "Cloudy Daze (Original Bang! Mix)", were included on the 2001 happy hardcore compilation album Happy Ravers
.
Nick and Jo were so prolific with their output, that they released under a number of different acts including "Stealth", "Oblivvion" and "Blaze!". Finally, in February 2005, with a whole collection of new remixes, Bang! released their debut album, not surprisingly entitled "Shooting Star".
Their single Shooting Star was covered by trance act Flip & Fill
in 2002, who took it to number 3 in the UK charts.
Jo James eventually quit the band but worked with the aforementioned Flip & Fill on their 2003 single I Wanna Dance With Somebody; a cover version of the old Whitney Houston
track.
Bang! continues to release under the Warped Science label owned by DJ Storm and Euphony.
Happy hardcore
Happy hardcore, also known as happycore, is a genre of music typified by a very fast tempo , often coupled with solo vocals and sentimental lyrics. Its characteristically 4/4 beat "happy" sound distinguishes it from most other forms of hardcore techno, which tend to be "darker". It is typically in...
group from the late 1990s originally consisting of producer Nick Arnold, Tom Orton and female vocalist Donna Grassie. Nick Arnold and Tom Orton had previously been a members of the band Smart E's, who reached 2 in the UK in 1992 with their cover of the theme tune to Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
entitled Sesame's Treat. After the release of "Cloudy Daze" which featured Donna, Tom Orton brought Jo James to the attention of Nick after a contact of Tom's, Jo's husband, presented to him a demo of his wife singing.
After "Cloudy Daze", Tom left Bang! to work with other artists including Jack Speed and Kriminal, and Nick and Jo went on to have enormous success with "Shooting Star", and then a whole catalogue of vocal hardcore anthems almost all of which written entirely by Nick. Their underground bouncy singles were regularly featured on the Bonkers
Bonkers (compilation)
The Bonkers series was one of the leading happy hardcore compilation series in the UK. The first release was in 1996 on record label React , it was available on 2xCD, 2xTC and 4xLP formats...
compilation series.
"Shooting Star" was also featured on the first issue of the Dancemania Speed
Dancemania Speed
Dancemania Speed is a sub-series of Toshiba EMI's Dancemania compilation series. This series features faster, further remixed versions of recordings from previously released Dancemania albums or faster remixed covers of various famous songs...
series and later included on the first greatest hits album of the series
Dancemania Speed Best 2001
Dancemania Speed Best 2001 Hyper Nonstop Megamix, or simply Dancemania Speed Best 2001, is a greatest hits compilation album of Dancemanias Speed series, released by EMI Music Japan in 2000...
and the 2003 happyhardcore-focused compilation of the series
Best of Hardcore
Dancemania Speed Presents : Best of Hardcore, or simply Best of Hardcore, is a compilation album of Dancemanias Speed sub-series, released by Toshiba EMI in the early 2003....
. Also three remixes of their songs, "Shooting Star (Ham's Mix)", "Break of Dawn (Brisk Mix)", "Cloudy Daze (Original Bang! Mix)", were included on the 2001 happy hardcore compilation album Happy Ravers
Dancemania Speed Presents Happy Ravers
Dancemania Speed Presents Happy Ravers is a compilation album of Dancemanias Speed series, released by EMI Music Japan in the early 2001...
.
Nick and Jo were so prolific with their output, that they released under a number of different acts including "Stealth", "Oblivvion" and "Blaze!". Finally, in February 2005, with a whole collection of new remixes, Bang! released their debut album, not surprisingly entitled "Shooting Star".
Their single Shooting Star was covered by trance act Flip & Fill
Flip & Fill
Flip & Fill are a Manchester, England based electronic dance music duo, consisting of the producers/remixers, DJs Graham Turner and Mark Hall. They are signed to the All Around The World record label.-Career:...
in 2002, who took it to number 3 in the UK charts.
Jo James eventually quit the band but worked with the aforementioned Flip & Fill on their 2003 single I Wanna Dance With Somebody; a cover version of the old Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
track.
Bang! continues to release under the Warped Science label owned by DJ Storm and Euphony.
External links
- Bang!'s Homepage
- Bang!'s discography
- Blaze!'s discography (alternate release name)
- Nimrod!'s discography (alternate release name)
- Stealth's discography (alternate release name)