Jam & Spoon
Encyclopedia
Jam & Spoon was an electronic
dance
duo from Frankfurt
, Germany
, that consisted of composers and producers
Rolf Ellmer
(aka Jam El Mar - classically trained composer) and Markus Löffel
(a DJ, stage name: Mark Spoon). They also worked under the pseudonyms Tokyo Ghetto Pussy
, Storm
and Big Room. Under these pseudonyms, the credits on the album
s are listed as Trancy Spacer and Spacy Trancer.
with the 1992 song
"Stella". It was widely played, remix
ed and bootlegged
in the dance club community for years after its release. The pair also remix
ed the singles
"The Age of Love
" and "Go
". Their first international and commercial success came in 1994, with the singles "Right In the Night
" "Find Me" and "Angel". These tracks featured vocals by the singer, Plavka Lonich
. The albums Tripomatic Fairytales 2001 and Tripomatic Fairytales 2002 were released in 1994, followed by Disco 2001 (1995) as Tokyo Ghetto Pussy
, Kaleidoscope (1997), Stormjunkie (2000) as Storm
, and finally Tripomatic Fairytales 3003 (2005).
In 2000 they remixed "The Chase," a 1979 Giorgio Moroder
track. Credited to 'Giorgio Moroder vs. Jam & Spoon', the song reached number 1
on the US
Billboard
Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart
. In June 2002, "Be.Angeled" peaked at #4 on that chart.
Markus Löffel died of a heart attack
in his Berlin flat, on 11 January 2006 at the age of 39.
In September 2006, a two compact disc
set entitled Remixes & Club Classics was released to celebrate Mark Spoon. It is the first compilation
of the duo's collected works, and featured an exclusive track "Be.Angeled - Tribute to Mark Spoon", performed live at the 2006 Love Parade in Berlin.
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...
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...
duo from Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, 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...
, that consisted of composers and producers
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...
Rolf Ellmer
Rolf Ellmer
Rolf Ellmer , also known by the names Jam El Mar and Trancy Spacer, is a classically trained musician and composer and has become one of Germany's most known house and trance producers....
(aka Jam El Mar - classically trained composer) and Markus Löffel
Markus Löffel
Markus Löffel , also known as Mark Spoon and Spacy Trancer, was a disc jockey, musician and record producer from Frankfurt am Main, Germany. His stage surname was a direct translation: Löffel is the German word for spoon...
(a DJ, stage name: Mark Spoon). They also worked under the pseudonyms Tokyo Ghetto Pussy
Tokyo Ghetto Pussy
Tokyo Ghetto Pussy was a German musical project by Rolf Ellmer and Markus Löffel of Jam & Spoon, under the pseudonyms Trancy Spacer and Spacy Trancer...
, Storm
Storm (German band)
Storm were a German trance production duo, who achieved most of their success in the 1990s. The duo was Markus Löffel and Rolf Ellmer, who also used the pseudonyms of Dance 2 Trance, Jam & Spoon and Tokyo Ghetto Pussy....
and Big Room. Under these pseudonyms, the credits on 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...
s are listed as Trancy Spacer and Spacy Trancer.
Biography
Jam & Spoon's first album, BreaksUnit1, was released in 1991. They had their first hitHit 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...
with the 1992 song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
"Stella". It was widely played, 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 ....
ed and bootlegged
White label
White label records are vinyl records with adhesive plain white labels affixed. Test pressings, usually with Test Pressing written on the label, with catalogue number, artist and recording time or date, are produced in small quantities to evaluate the quality of the disc production...
in the dance club community for years after its release. The pair also 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 ....
ed the singles
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...
"The Age of Love
The Age of Love (Age of Love single)
"Age of Love" is the 1990 self-titled single of the Age of Love. It is notable as an early popular example of trance music.Released in 1990, itn was produced by Bruno Sanchioni and Giuseppe Cherchia , with vocals by Karen Mulder "The Age of Love" was originally released by the Belgian label Diki...
" and "Go
Go (Moby song)
"Go" is a song by American electronica musician Moby, released as the first single from his self-titled album. The single was a success in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number ten on the UK Singles Chart....
". Their first international and commercial success came in 1994, with the singles "Right In the Night
Right in the Night
"Right in the Night " is a song by German trance duo Jam & Spoon. It was released in 1993 on the German label Dance Pool....
" "Find Me" and "Angel". These tracks featured vocals by the singer, Plavka Lonich
Plavka
Plavka Lonich is a Californian singer of Croatian and Peruvian origin who lives in London. She mostly performs under the name "Plavka"....
. The albums Tripomatic Fairytales 2001 and Tripomatic Fairytales 2002 were released in 1994, followed by Disco 2001 (1995) as Tokyo Ghetto Pussy
Tokyo Ghetto Pussy
Tokyo Ghetto Pussy was a German musical project by Rolf Ellmer and Markus Löffel of Jam & Spoon, under the pseudonyms Trancy Spacer and Spacy Trancer...
, Kaleidoscope (1997), Stormjunkie (2000) as Storm
Storm (German band)
Storm were a German trance production duo, who achieved most of their success in the 1990s. The duo was Markus Löffel and Rolf Ellmer, who also used the pseudonyms of Dance 2 Trance, Jam & Spoon and Tokyo Ghetto Pussy....
, and finally Tripomatic Fairytales 3003 (2005).
In 2000 they remixed "The Chase," a 1979 Giorgio Moroder
Giorgio Moroder
Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
track. Credited to 'Giorgio Moroder vs. Jam & Spoon', the song reached number 1
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
on the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. In June 2002, "Be.Angeled" peaked at #4 on that chart.
Markus Löffel died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in his Berlin flat, on 11 January 2006 at the age of 39.
In September 2006, a two compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
set entitled Remixes & Club Classics was released to celebrate Mark Spoon. It is the first compilation
Compilation 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...
of the duo's collected works, and featured an exclusive track "Be.Angeled - Tribute to Mark Spoon", performed live at the 2006 Love Parade in Berlin.
Albums
- Breaks Unit 1 (1991)
- Tripomatic Fairytales 2001 (1993) - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#71 - Tripomatic Fairytales 2002 (1993)
- Kaleidoscope (1997)
- Tripomatic Fairytales 3003 (2004)
- Remixes & Club Classics (2006)
Singles
- "Tales from a Danceographic Ocean" (1992) - 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 ...
#49 - "The Complete Stella" (remix) (1992) - UK #66
- "Right In The NightRight in the Night"Right in the Night " is a song by German trance duo Jam & Spoon. It was released in 1993 on the German label Dance Pool....
(Fall in Love with Music)" (1993) - UK #31 - "Find Me (Odyssey to Anyoona)Find Me (Odyssey to Anyoona)"Find Me " is a single released by German based DJ duo Jam & Spoon in 1994, it peaked at #22 in the UK charts as well as in Australia and the vocals are provided by Plavka....
" (reissue) (1995) - UK #22, NZ #34, ITA #5 - "Right in the Night (Fall in Love with Music)" (reissue) (1995) - UK #10, NZ #9, ITA #4
- "Angel (Ladadi O-Heyo)" (1995) - UK #26, ITA #4
- "Kaleidoscope Skies" / "I Pull My Gun..." (1997) - UK #48
- "El Baile" (1997)
- "Don't Call It Love" (1997)
- "Be Angeled" featuring Rea (2001) - UK #31
- "Cynical Heart" featuring Jim KerrJim KerrJames "Jim" Kerr is a Scottish musician and singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Simple Minds who achieved five UK #1 albums and a #1 single "Ballad of the Streets EP". He released his first solo album, Lostboy! AKA Jim Kerr, on the 27 May 2010.- Simple Minds :Kerr attended...
(2004) - "Set Me Free (Empty Rooms)" feat. Rea Garvey (2004)
- "Vata" / "Mary Jane" (2004)
- "Butterfly Sign" (2004)
- "Be Angeled" featuring Rea - Tribute to Mark Spoon (Loveparade-mix 2006) (2006)
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart