Blank & Jones
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Blank & Jones | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Cologne, Germany |
| Genre(s) | Trance |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Website | Official Website |
| Members | |
| Jan Pieter Blank (aka Piet Blank) Rene Runge (aka DJ Jaspa Jones) |
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Blank & Jones is a German Trance act, consisting of the members Jan Pieter Blank (born June 15, 1971), René Runge (born June 27, 1968), better known as DJ Jaspa Jones and the producer Andy Kaufhold ( N*D*K) (born December 17, 1969).
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[edit] History
Blank & Jones is a trance duo based in Cologne, Germany, consisting of Piet Blank (Jan Pieter Blank) and DJ Jaspa Jones (Rene Runge), with help from producer Andy Kaufhold. They have released eight albums and more than 16 singles since their first single release "Sunrise" in 1997. They also continue to DJ a couple of radio shows in Germany.
In 1997, Blank & Jones made their first step toward producing tracks of their own with their debut single "Sunrise". 13 of their singles made it into the German Top 50, and three into the Top 20. Each and every album hit the Top 50, including two which climbed into the Top 10. They also scored a spectacular triple whammy by occupying the Top 10 album, single and compilation charts with albums like Substance, Desire and The Mix respectively.
BLANK & JONES have teamed up with number of top international stars during their career to date including the mastermind Robert Smith from The Cure, Anne Clark, Sarah McLachlan and Claudia Brücken from (Propaganda) who have all been immortalized on BLANK & JONES tracks, giving them a certain credibility way beyond the boundaries of dance music. Further evidence of their versatility can be seen in their contributions to the Café del Mar compilation series and their own chill-out albums, Relax and Relax (Edition 2).
The release of the single "A Forest" and the accompanying album Monument in the USA last year also laid the foundations for BLANK & JONES to create a solid fan-base across the Atlantic.
Having released seven albums, 3 mix albums (The Mix 1-3) and 15 singles has encouraged BLANK & JONES and their longstanding production colleague Andy Kaufhold to collate their finest material on one release, The Singles. Comprising the best tracks and greatest successes of BLANK & JONES plus two brand new tracks, recorded exclusively for this album.
| “ | We felt the time had come to put all our singles together on one CD, we prefer to see it as one step along the way, rather than a mere retrospective. A little breather before we move on to pastures new. | ” |
Piet and Jaspa explain.
Over 20 tracks were in the reckoning for The Singles collection, most of them penned by BLANK & JONES themselves. From the first single "Sunrise" via chart smashes such as "Desire", "DJ Culture" and "Beyond Time" all the way to entrancing collaborations with the like of Elles DeGraaf on "Mind of the Wonderful", Claudia Brücken on "Unknown Treasure" and Steve Kilbey (The Church) on "Revealed", the album is packed with original material including the cover-version of "A Forest" featuring Robert Smith of The Cure on vocals.
An absolute must-have for fans is the all new WMC Retouch of "Nightfly", directly from the Miami Winter Music Conference (WMC), where BLANK & JONES headlined in March of this year. The track eventually made its way onto the album, having been premiered to rave reactions at the dance convention. The album also features two completely new tracks "Somebody" and the single "Catch" which is based on Kosheen’s 1998 tune, vocals of which is produced once again by the fantastic Elles DeGraaf.
Tracks have been remastered but not remixed, which was elucidated by Piet and Jaspa:
| “ | Our aim was to retain the flair of each original track. We wanted them to sound just as they did when we made them, but clearer, in the same way as one restores a painting. You don’t paint it from scratch, you just bring out the colours again. | ” |
The album was also released in Limited Edition format, in which The Singles are complemented by an additional DVD, bringing together all BLANK & JONES videos on one disc for the first time. The BLANK & JONES clips are something worth seeing, with an artistic quality rarely seen in such a genre. BLANK & JONES’ dramatic credentials are matched by their sense of humor. Numerous famous names have featured in their videos, including Estella Warren and Til Schweiger in "Beyond Time", the latter having also directed the clip.
The DVD was produced and designed by Thomas Jahn, renowned scriptwriter and director of "Knocking on Heaven’s Door" and also the man responsible for "The Hardest Heart", "Mind of the Wonderful", "Perfect Silence" and "Desire".
The video for the latest single "Catch" was directed by Conchita Soares and Toni Froschhammer which features the thespian talents of TV actress Nadine. The piece was not only presented on the music channels, but it also was shown at short film festivals over the summer.
Year after year, millions of ravers around the globe feel the heat of their sensational sets at major events like Mayday, Nature One and Love Parade as well as in clubs all over the world. BLANK & JONES mix DJ and live, making the most of today’s technology. BLANK & JONES’ roots are firmly placed in DJ culture which in their own words is:
| “ | We do everything digitally, on the basis of Final Scratch, which allows us to use our own edits and mixes, nothing comes straight from tape. Every set we play is unique, not only sound-wise but also in terms of what we play and how we play it. Roughly 60% of our set consists of our own repertoire, as where better to present our own material than via the DJ decks. | ” |
BLANK & JONES are global players in the best sense of the word, with a worldwide reputation to match. They are more than welcome guests at the major festivals and raves in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Russia. At the beginning of the year, they played to 15,000 fans in St. Petersburg! They also travel further afield on a regular basis, to Canada, Mexico, South America and Australia.
2005 saw BLANK & JONES spend a lot of time in the USA, where "A Forest" proved to be a big success. Electronic music is growing and growing Stateside, so BLANK & JONES will return to LA, San Diego, San Francisco and many more cities in North America this year. Overwhelmingly positive reactions to "Catch" on the initial installment of the BLANK & JONES tour mean that the American fans can hardly wait for The Singles to be released. This will be the third BLANK & JONES US album.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- In Da Mix (1999)
- DJ Culture (Limited edition with 2 CDs. Disc 2 includes bonus tracks and The Nightfly video) (2000)
- Nightclubbing (Limited edition with 2 CDs including ambient tracks) (2001)
- Substance (Limited with 2 CDs and bonus tracks) (2002)
- Relax (Limited edition in a different package) (2003)
- Monument (Limited edition with 2 CDs including bonus tracks) (2004)
- Relax Edition 2 (2 CDs) (Limited edition includes bonus tracks) (2005)
- The Singles (Limited edition includes DVD with singles clips and some bonus) (2006)
- Relax Edition 3 (2 CDs) (2007)
- The Logic of Pleasure (2008)
[edit] Singles
- Sound Of Machines 2006 (2006)
- Catch (Vocals by Elles de Graaf) (2006)
- Revealed (with Steve Kilbey) (2005) (#3 Guatemalan Charts)
- Perfect Silence (Feat. Bobo) (2004)
- Mind Of The Wonderful (Feat. Elles de Graaf) (2004)
- Summer Sun (2003) (Released only in Vinyls)
- A Forest (Feat. Roberth Smith) (2003)
- The Hardest Heart (feat. Anne Clark) (2002)
- Suburban Hell (2002) (Released only in Vinyls)
- Watching The Waves (2002)
- Desire (2002)
- Nightclubbing (2001)
- DJs, Fans & Freaks (D.F.F.) (2001) (UK #45)
- Beyond Time (2001) (UK #53)
- Sound of Machines (Released in Italy and Netherlands as Single) (2000)
- DJ Culture (2000)
- The Nightfly (2000) (UK #55)
- After Love (1999) (UK #57)
- Cream (1999) (UK #24 and #1 in Dance Charts)
- Flying To The Moon (1998)
- Heartbeat (1998)
- Sunrise (1997)
[edit] Remixes
- Pet Shop Boys - Love comes quickly (Blank & Jones 2003 mix)
- RMB - ReReality (Blank & Jones Remix)
- Wolfsheim - Wundervoll (Blank & Jones Remix)
- Evolution feat. Jayn Hanna - Walking on Fire (Blank & Jones Remix)
- Chicane - Love on the Run (Blank & Jones Dub Remix)
- Chicane - Love on the Run (Blank & Jones Remix)
- Pet Shop Boys - Home & Dry (Blank & Jones Dub)
- Pet Shop Boys - Home & Dry (Blank & Jones Mix)
- Perpetuous Dreamer - The Sound of Goodbye (Blank & Jones Mix)
- Fragma - You are Alive (Blank & Jones Remix)
- Die Ärzte - Rock'n Roll Übermensch (Blank & Jones Mix)
- Liquid Love - Sweet Harmony (Blank & Jones Mix)
- Mauro Picotto - Iguana (Blank & Jones Remix)
- Storm - Love is here to stay (Blank & Jones Mix)
- Basic Connection - Angel (Don't Cry) (Blank & Jones Remix)
- Sash! - La Primavera (Blank & Jones Mix)
- Syntone - Heal My World (Blank & Jones Mix)
- Dario G - Sunmachine (Blank & Jones Mix)
- Humate - Love Stimulation (Blank & Jones Mix)
- United Deejays - Too Much Rain (Blank & Jones vs. Gorgeous Mix)
- Dune - Electric heaven (Blank & Jones Club Cut)
- Yello vs Hardfloor - Vicious Games (Blank & Jones Mix)
[edit] Compilations - DJ Mixes
- Peaktime 5 (2 CDs**) (2005) (Released in Australia) **CD 2 Is the album DJ Culture
- The Mix volume 3 (2 CDs) (2004)
- The Mix volume 2 (2 CDs) (2003)
- The Mix volume 1 (2 CDs) (2002)
- Trance Mix USA vol. 2 (2001) (Released in US)
