INSTEP Magzine

1. 'The Flame'
Cheap Trick
'The Flame' is a hit power ballad by Cheap Trick, released in 1988. The success of the song brought the group out of a mini-slump and back into music industry prominence.
The song was initially released on the album Lap of Luxury and reached number 1 on the American Billboard Hot 100 in 1988 when issued as a single. It also reached number 1 in Australia.

The song's lyrics can be heard as a longing for a lost lover, or as a statement between two people who truly love each other. They're saying that they will always be there for each other through all the ups and downs of life and their love will never end

The band themselves hired outside songwriters to write 'The Flame', Bob Mitchell, and Nick Graham. This not only caused some unrest in their camp when it gave them their only number one, but it also made the band feel useless. Zander once stated in an acoustic concert, "A lot of you may not like this song, but after all, it's our number one song".

2. 'Joe Li Taxi'
Vanessa Paradis
Vanessa Paradis was discovered on the TV show L'Ecole Des Fans in 1980 and recorded her first single 'La Magie des surprises-parties' in 1985.

Although it was not a hit, it paved the way for the song with which she would become internationally famous - 'Joe Le Taxi' in 1987, while she was still only 14 years old. It was number 1 in France for 14 weeks and, unusually for a song sung in French, was released in the UK the following year, where it reached number 3.

'Joe Le Taxi' is a cute, upbeat number with gorgeous vocals by Paradis - making it hard to imagine that she was only a teenager when the song was recorded! For all those old-schoolers out there, this song really is a must to download.


3. 'Come' Lemon Jelly An electronica duo based in England, Lemon Jelly consists of Nick Franglen and Fred Deakin. Franglen and Deakin initially released three limited-circulation EPs, The Bath (1998), The Yellow (1999), and The Midnight (2000), which were then collected into a widely-released album in 2000, Lemonjelly.KY, which was both a critical and a commercial success. Their second album (and self-proclaimed first studio album), Lost Horizons, was released in 2002, and was another success. The album featured the singles 'Space Walk' and 'Nice Weather For Ducks' and was nominated for the 2003 'Mercury Music Prize' and a 'BRIT Award' for the 'Best Dance Act' category in 2004. The song 'Come' is from their debut album, Lemon Jelly.KY and is an eight minute-long track which is spacey and electronically sensuous…truly an awesome chill-out number.

4. 'Fire' Ferry Corsten feat. Simon Le Bon Ferry Corsten is an early pioneer and producer of trance, in addition to being a world-renowned DJ and remixer. Corsten started to work as a musician in 1991, producing underground hardcore tracks but later expanding into club-house and trance music. 'Fire' by Ferry Corsten is a trance song that was released as a single in 2005 , as well as appearing on Ferry Corsten's 2006 album L.E.F. Interestingly, it features vocals by Simon Le Bon (of the popular 80's band Duran Duran) sampled from the 1990 song 'Serious'. A compilation of eight different remixes, also called "Fire", was released in 2006. 'Fire' by Corsten - interspersed by Le Bon's vocals is a great Saturday night number. Fast and pacey, 'Fire' is one trance song you can actually dance to!

5. 'Boss Tabla' Talvin Singh Talvin Singh is a creator of an innovative fusion of Indian bhangra music and drum'n'bass electronica. In the late '80s Singh began picking up work as a musician, with a diverse cast of artists including Sun Ra, Björk, Future Sound of London, Siouxsie, the Banshees and the Indigo Girls, among others. By late 1995, Singh founded Anokha, the club night at East London where drum'n'bass DJs and Asian punk bands went head to head with the amped-up sounds of his tabla and percussion. He also worked as a remixer before issuing his proper solo debut OK in late 1998. In 1999 he won the Mercury Music Award. It is Singh's particular marriage of traditional Indian sounds and cutting edge dance that makes his victory such an achievement. The single 'Boss tabla' by Talvin Singh is a breezy, ethereal piece of electronic soul you can sway along to like a kid and still respect like an adult. The Gently melancholic string arrangements, traditional Indian instruments, faded guitars, and primal beats make up the songs sound. Mixing both the serene and the chaotic, Singh is both a product of his own experience and a leader in his genre.
The opening of the track is yielding and inviting with the break of some brilliant tabla beats. But as the song builds in intensity, the droning vocals and edgy guitars stir increasing physical impulses. Singh's interests are more dance-floor than background music which is evident in most of his songs/mixes. Most club tracks don't feature chanting, flutes, and sitars, but Singh's work is expanding the genre to include more Global intrest. The perfectly transient, otherworldly feel of the song is just the thing for a relaxing evening yet loaded with the right substance for a night of bump 'n' grind and boogie woogie. It's sparse and involved at the same time and guaranteed to blow your mind in a completely harmless way.