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| Archives - 01/01/2006 - Artist of the Week: BT |
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From an Emotional Technology Bio:
Initially known as the pioneer of trance music, BT has arrived as one of the most cutting-edge artists and producers for a multitude of musical styles. Whether he's crafting perfect pop hooks with *NSYNC, composing intricate scores with eighty-piece orchestras for films like The Fast and the Furious, collaborating with Sting on a track from his forthcoming album, or remixing emotional and languid epics for Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Madonna or Seal, BT consistently balances creative and memorable songwriting, sonic innovation, and the latest technology for a cutting-edge, yet organic sound.
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His new album, Emotional Technology, is the latest milestone in his sonic trek and electronic innovation. "It's a huge leap forward for me," says BT, "I've grown as an artist, a vocalist and a producer, which is all reflected in the new album. Not only did I sing on six tracks, I also experimented more with traditional and aleatoric/contemporary string writing, and break-step beats, and learned more about coding for proprietary sound-design systems such as Kyma."
BT felt compelled to sing on Emotional Technology as it is the most personal and intimate statement of his impressive career, which now spans over ten years. One listen to the album's first single, 'Simply Being Loved (Somnambulist),' gives a great perspective of the intense and dramatic musical and stylistic growth of BT as an artist.
BT, born Brian Transeau, grew up outside Washington D.C. where the first evidence of his musical talent manifested as mastery of composers such as Chopin and Bach by age six. A great break in musical direction came when he heard electronic music as an adolescent. "This is what my heroes Debussy, Stravinsky and the like were looking for. Technology-based music is the only idiom that packs such infinite sonic possibilities. After being introduced to artists like Cabaret Voltaire and Depeche Mode, I turned my back on classical music for quite awhile."
BT's sense of individualism also inspired his scholastic decisions. He dropped out of the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston in 1990 to shop his electronic music in Los Angeles. Many doors were slammed in his face because few understood his new unique sound, but he refused to compromise his vision. He returned to the D.C. area and launched Deep Dish Records with long-time high school friends, and recent Grammy award winners, Deep Dish.
Within the year, BT's first releases garnished the attention of English dance pioneer, Sasha, who gave BT his first taste of stardom and the rewards of dance culture. "The first venue he took me to was a barn in Brighton, England," BT recalls, "It was the most amazing party. Three thousand people were sweating and crying over my songs like 'Embrace The Future.' I had found my people."
BT's mix of epic and classically inspired journeys and beats quickly took on the name Trance, and became one of the most popular and dominant electronic music genres played in clubs from London to Tokyo and New York. BT's talent and persistence had finally paid off and he later released his epic albums, IMA, ESCM, and the wildly diverse Movement In Still Life, featuring the hit single, 'Never Gonna Come Back Down.'
BT has also gained the reputation as a talented and versatile film score composer. He scored movies such as the blockbuster hit The Fast and the Furious, Doug Liman's Go, Under Suspicion, starring Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman, and he's currently working on the highly anticipated Monster starring Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci.
"To marry melody, harmony and memorable songwriting with the most bleeding-edge technology possible is my passion. These are the things that excite me."
From a Nettwerk Press Release:
BT has been a major force in pushing the boundaries of electronic music from his early collaborations with Deep Dish in the early 90's, right up to his first Nettwerk release, "Movement in Still Life", released last year. With pioneering production techniques, BT's initial inklings leaned towards a more atmospheric, celestial brand of progressive house featured on his debut record "IMA" and the sophomoric release "ESCM". Both elevated him to the coveted role of electronic music icon and helped to pioneer and refine the sound that has become dance music for the masses. Unpredictably eclectic and consistently class, "Movement in Still Life" pushed BT into the lexicon of innovators in electronic music that are able to amazingly span across both mainstream and underground culture simultaneously.
In the barren landscape of repetitive and mindless commercial dance music BT's powerful sonic collages gleams as a beacon of light in the darkness.
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Somnambulist
Blue Skies (featuring Tori Amos)
Orbitus Teranium
Flaming June
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Remember (featuring Jan Johnston)
Love, Peace & Grease
Never Gonna Come Back Down (featuring M. Doughty)
Dreaming (featuring Kirsty Hawkshaw)
Godspeed
Mercury and Solace
Superfabulous (featuring Rose McGowan and Scott McCloud)
Force of Gravity (featuring JC Chasez)
Communicate (featuring Jan Johnston)
Namastai (with Paul van Dyk)
The Promethean Groove (as Kaistar)
Sarach McLachlan - I Love You (BT Mix)
Fibonacci Sequence
The Hip Hop Phenomenon (Tsunami One/BT)
Anomaly-Calling Your Name (featuring Jan Johnston) (as Libra presents: Taylor)
Kimosabe
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