Hansa Records
Overview
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
founded in the 1960s based in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The label's most successful act commercially was West German based band Boney M. with million-selling hits like "Rivers of Babylon
Rivers of Babylon
"Rivers of Babylon" is a rastafarian song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians in 1970. The Melodians' original versions of the song appeared in the sound track to the 1972 movie The Harder They Come and the 1999 Nicolas Cage movie...
", "Brown Girl in the Ring
Brown Girl in the Ring (song)
"Brown Girl in the Ring" is a traditional children's song in the West Indies. It was originally featured in the game of the same name.Brown Girl in the Ring is a children's ring game thought to have originated in Jamaica....
" and "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord". David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
mastered Low and recorded Heroes at their studio
Hansa Tonstudio
Das Hansa Tonstudio is a recording studio located on Köthener Strasse in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, Germany. Amongst English-performing musical acts it used to be known as 'Hansa Studio By the Wall', 'Hansa by the Wall', or 'The Great Hall by the Wall' in reference to the fact that it was...
in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
. After a decline in sales both domestically and internationally in the mid 80s, Hansa was eventually purchased by BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
, who merged them with several other labels like Ariola Records
Ariola Records
Ariola Records is a German record label. As of the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of BMG which in turn has since become a part of the international media conglomerate Sony Music Entertainment...
to form BMG Berlin Musik GmbH/BMG-Ariola, later to become part of international conglomerate Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Sony BMG Music Entertainment was a recorded music company, which was a 50–50 joint venture between the Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann AG...
.
- KentKent (band)Kent is a Swedish alternative rock band founded in Eskilstuna in 1990, with the name Coca-Cola Kids, later Jones & Giftet , and Havsänglar...
: RödRöd- Personnel :*Produced by Kent & Joshua*Recorded in Meistersaal, Berlin; Psykbunkern/Park Studio, Stockholm; The Bowery Hotel, New York; Hyltinge Church, Sparreholm and different living rooms*Track 4, 7, 8, 11: Mixed by Simon Nordberg... - The ActionThe ActionThe Action were an English band of the 1960s. They were part of the mod subculture, and played soul music-influenced pop music.-Career:The band were formed as The Boys in August 1963, in Kentish Town, North West London. After Peter Watson joined them as an additional guitarist in 1965, they changed...
- AlphavilleAlphaville (band)Alphaville is a German synthpop group which gained popularity in the 1980s. The founding members were Marian Gold , Bernhard Lloyd , and Frank Mertens Alphaville is a German synthpop group which gained popularity in the 1980s. The founding members were Marian Gold (real name Hartwig Schierbaum,...
- AnekaAnekaAneka is a Scottish singer.In 1981 she hit number one in the UK Singles Chart with her song, "Japanese Boy". She was well known for the Oriental image she adopted for the song...
- AngletraxAngletraxAngletrax was a British new wave-punk group that existed in the late 1970s, who were signed to Germany's Hansa Records label.The members were: Martin Heath , Wendy Herman , Lin Jammet , Jerry Minge , Dan Who ....
- Boney M.
- Bonnie TylerBonnie TylerBonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
: BitterblueBitterblueBitterblue is the eighth studio album by Bonnie Tyler, released in 1991. Its title track was released as a single and peaked at #2 in Norway...
(1991), Angel HeartAngel Heart (Bonnie Tyler album)Angel Heart is the ninth album by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler released in 1992. It featured a duet with Scottish singer Frankie Miller called Save Your Love.- Track listing :# "Fools Lullaby" —3:52...
(1992), Silhouette In RedSilhouette in RedSilhouette in Red is the tenth studio album recorded by Bonnie Tyler, released in Scandinavia, Europe, and South Africa in 1993, and Japan and Brazil in 1994....
(1993) - C.
