Blue Boy (DJ)
Encyclopedia
Blue Boy is a pseudonym
for the Scottish
DJ
, Alexis 'Lex' Blackmore. He is best known for "Remember Me", an international dance
hit
in 1997. Blackmore first worked as a DJ in Glasgow and London, touring with the British
techno
outfit The Shamen
in 1992. After having worked under various guises, Blackmore established the Blue Boy name in 1995 with the single
, "Ascension", followed by the four-track EP
, Scattered Emotions.
, Mushroom Jazz
Volume One, a remix
album by Mark Farina
. Jive Records
picked up the track for a single release. The radio edit of the track was remixed by production
team Sure Is Pure, and released on their Pharm label imprint. The single peaked at #8 in the UK Singles Chart
in February 1997. The single also went to number two on the American dance charts .
The track is built around two samples from "Woman of the Ghetto", a 1969 soul song
by Marlena Shaw
. The original song is polemic to legislators delivered by a woman from a black American ghetto. Near the end is the line: "Remember me? I'm the one who had your babies", in reference to black maids raising white children for little pay in America. This sample is repeated throughout "Remember Me", as is a sample of a scat
portion of the refrain.
Catalogue number CDPHARM1
Europe CD
European release on Jive Records
(catalogue number 051628-2).
began including a cover of the song regularly in their live sets. A studio version was released later that year as a b-side to the Sundown Syndrome single. This cover has become quite popular in Australia, reaching number 78 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2009
.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
for the Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, Alexis 'Lex' Blackmore. He is best known for "Remember Me", an international dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in 1997. Blackmore first worked as a DJ in Glasgow and London, touring with the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
outfit The Shamen
The Shamen
The Shamen were an experimental electronic music band, from 1985–1999, initially formed in Aberdeen, Scotland, as a psychedelic-influenced indie rock act. The founding members are Colin Angus , Derek McKenzie and Keith McKenzie...
in 1992. After having worked under various guises, Blackmore established the Blue Boy name in 1995 with the 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...
, "Ascension", followed by the four-track EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Scattered Emotions.
Remember Me
In 1997, Blue Boy had his first (and only) major hit single with "Remember Me". The track surfaced on the compilation albumCompilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Mushroom Jazz
Mushroom Jazz
Mushroom Jazz is a series of musical compilations by DJ Mark Farina. Originating in 1992 these were released on cassette tape, then since 1997 have been commercial CD and vinyl releases. Farina combines elements of downtempo, hip hop, jazz and R&B, French, Latin, beatmatching and mixing songs...
Volume One, a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
album by Mark Farina
Mark Farina
Mark Farina is a disc jockey and musician, known for his Chicago house, acid jazz and downtempo works. Notable releases include Mood and the Mushroom Jazz series , and recently known also from house compilations El Divinio...
. Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
picked up the track for a single release. The radio edit of the track was remixed by production
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
team Sure Is Pure, and released on their Pharm label imprint. The single peaked at #8 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The 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 ...
in February 1997. The single also went to number two on the American dance charts .
The track is built around two samples from "Woman of the Ghetto", a 1969 soul song
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
by Marlena Shaw
Marlena Shaw
Marlena Shaw is an American singer. Shaw began her singing career in the 1960s and is still singing today. Her music has often been sampled in hip hop music, and used in television commercials.-Biography:She was first introduced to music by her uncle Jimmy Burgess, a jazz trumpet player...
. The original song is polemic to legislators delivered by a woman from a black American ghetto. Near the end is the line: "Remember me? I'm the one who had your babies", in reference to black maids raising white children for little pay in America. This sample is repeated throughout "Remember Me", as is a sample of a scat
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
portion of the refrain.
Track listing
UK CDCatalogue number CDPHARM1
- "Remember Me (Sure Is Pure 7" edit)" – 3:50
- "Remember Me (original 12")" – 7:04
- "Remember Me (Sure Is Pure 12" remix)" – 10:46
- "Remember Me (Cavern 3 remix)" – 10:11
- "Remember Me (Rae and ChristianRae & ChristianRae & Christian were Grand Central Records' founder Mark Rae and fellow producer and DJ Steve Christian. Their music is broadly classed as Hip-Hop / soulful dance music and features such vocalists as The Jungle Brothers, Jeru The Damaja and The Pharcyde as well as contributions from Bobby Womack...
remix)" – 6:57
Europe CD
European release on Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
(catalogue number 051628-2).
- "Remember Me (Sure Is Pure 7" edit)" – 3:49
- "Remember Me (original 7" edit)" – 3:54
- "Remember Me (Deep Zone club mix)" – 7:30
- "Remember Me (Dub Zone)" – 8:30
- "Remember Me (Sure Is Pure 12" remix)" – 10:46
- "Remember Me (original 12" mix)" – 7:04
- "Remember Me (Sub Dub)" – 8:13
Cover Versions
In early 2009, the Australian psychedelic rock band Tame ImpalaTame Impala
Tame Impala are a psychedelic rock band from Perth, Australia. They are signed to Modular Records. The band came to prominence in 2010 with the release of their first debut album, Innerspeaker. Their name refers to the impala, a medium sized antelope...
began including a cover of the song regularly in their live sets. A studio version was released later that year as a b-side to the Sundown Syndrome single. This cover has become quite popular in Australia, reaching number 78 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2009
Triple J Hottest 100, 2009
The 2009 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on Australia Day 26 January 2010. It is the seventeenth countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as chosen by the listeners of Australian radio station Triple J....
.