I wouldn't call Sunny chilled dance, certainly not compared to todays tropical house and future bass songs.

 

Chilled dance in the mid 00s would be more like Give It Away by Deepest Blue. The majority of dance in the mid 00s definitely wasn't chilled imo! In fact I don't think there was much chilled dance in the charts between 2002 and 2013 and the rise of deep house. 2001 was definitely the biggest year for chilled dance in the 00s.

All 3 Narcotic Thrust singles from I Like It > When The Dawn Breaks > Waiting For You were fantastic, the first two being BRILLIANT.

Gunther was my jam back in the day too along with his duet with Samantha Fox on her classic Touch Me.

And that JX track was also a bop of mine at the time, had forgotten about it though but am pumping it again now.

All 3 Narcotic Thrust singles from I Like It > When The Dawn Breaks > Waiting For You were fantastic, the first two being BRILLIANT.

Gunther was my jam back in the day too along with his duet with Samantha Fox on her classic Touch Me.

And that JX track was also a bop of mine at the time, had forgotten about it though but am pumping it again now.

 

Yes you seem to be the only one on here who already knew JX - Restless, it really is a hidden gem :dance:

Yes you seem to be the only one on here who already knew JX - Restless, it really is a hidden gem :dance:

 

I knew it...I bought it! JX was a genius.

I knew it...I bought it! JX was a genius.

 

It definitely should have done better in the charts (would have easily been top 10 if it was made and released a few years earlier), but I suppose that was because proper trance like it was on its way out. For me its up there with the aforementioned mid 2004 iconic house song that will soon be appearing as a dance number 1 as the best dance track of 2004.

Edited February 6, 20178 yr by The Wise Sultan

danG will have to send you the identities of the next four, chart runs and dates etc. I am quite certain one of the most iconic and best house tracks of the 00s is in our next four (and it is certainly one of my favourites), its getting near that time. :dance: That one would start a trend for the sort of production in that track for the next two years.

I've sent the next four to him now.

 

I don't think what you're talking about is in the next four, in fact out of the four only one of them made the UK top 10 and none made the UK top 5.

I've sent the next four to him now.

 

I don't think what you're talking about is in the next four, in fact out of the four only one of them made the UK top 10 and none made the UK top 5.

 

Oops....I accidentally deleted the list myself, can you send it to me again. I have been getting my info from the chart archive for a while, but it would be nice to have the list to see what is coming up en el futuro for the thread.

 

I really thought that particular song was in the next four. Oh well, a brilliant trance song (one of the last trance songs to make dance number 1 too) that I remember well (and actually liked at the time) will be there.

It definitely should have done better in the charts (would have easily been top 10 if it was made and released a few years earlier), but I suppose that was because proper trance like it was on its way out. For me its up there with the aforementioned mid 2004 iconic house song that will soon be appearing as a dance number 1 as the best dance track of 2004.

 

If you're talking about what I think you're talking about then I agree, it was my overall 2nd favourite song of 2004 and favourite dance song by some stretch.

 

(And also features prominently on an album that was very recently #1...)

That has to be one of my least favourite Dance #1s, it doesn't have a lot going for it and is a lot less energetic than 'Somebody To Love'. Surprised it actually went top 10.

 

It might not be that energetic, but Sunny is buzzing with energy compared to the likes of Jonas Blue's songs today. :lol:

If you're talking about what I think you're talking about then I agree, it was my overall 2nd favourite song of 2004 and favourite dance song by some stretch.

 

(And also features prominently on an album that was very recently #1...)

 

I do like one at the end of 2004 that took a while to become a top 10 hit (almost a streaming era type chart run :lol: ), it is fun sounding and defining of its time, that would probably be my third favourite dance song of 2004.

Edited February 6, 20178 yr by The Wise Sultan

The next one is brilliant, and I remember it quite a bit from the time too. Also the end of an era as it is definitely the last time anything like this sort of track would make the charts. Lenny is due to post it.

The next one is brilliant, and I remember it quite a bit from the time too. Also the end of an era as it is definitely the last time anything like this sort of track would make the charts. Lenny is due to post it.

I'll be getting on with those this week - just had a very busy week :)

 

First one is definitely not the easiest of tracks to start off with!

Edited February 12, 20178 yr by Lenny

Gladiator featuring Izzy - Now We Are Free

 

 

Date 23rd May 2004

2 Weeks

Official Chart Run 19-32-43-58 (4 weeks)

 

 

'Now We Are Free' was originally sung by Lisa Gerard and was used prominently in the 2000 blockbuster movie 'Gladiator' which starred Russell Crowe as powerful Roman general Maximus. Four years later it was turned into a trance track, hitting the UK Top 20 before falling down the chart with pace. Despite that, it managed 2 weeks at the top of the dance chart.

 

The vocalist Isobel Cooper (credited as Izzy) is a British classical singer who isn't synonymous with the dance genre. Her debut album 'Libera Me' was a number 1 hit in the UK Classical Album Chart for three weeks. She now offers vocal workshops and singing activities in the Reading area.

 

Gladiator is credited as the main artist due to the track's association with the film. Neither Gladiator or Izzy have hit the UK Top 75 Singles since.

 

Quite a unique trance track to hit the charts, it was on fairly heavy rotation on Radio 1 at the time of coming out. Potentially it may have been the inspiration of Sweden's 2009 Eurovision entry 'La Voix' by Malena Ernman.

Great tune closing CD1 of NOW 58

It was on a lot on The Box too at the time.... I did really like it, even if I thought it sounded a bit sad.

 

It is a bit like The Opera Song (Brave New World) from early 2003 of course (in that it is trance with opera vocals), and this was clearly inspired by that song (although the first of this combination to be a hit was Saltwater by Chicane in 1999)

 

As I said it is the end of an era, it was coming to the end for this sort of song in the charts.

Edited February 12, 20178 yr by The Wise Sultan

It's a lot more subtle sounding than 'Brave New World (The Opera Song)' but I see where you're coming from.

 

I have to say, I'm not too fussed on 'Now We Are Free', I find it pretty dull.

Dance number 1 at number 32, think this is the last time such a low position for dance number 1 happens until November 2009 when a song is dance number 1 at number 37 on one of its weeks.

 

2004 had little dance songs in the top 40 in general compared to the previous years, there are more in 2005 than 2004 making top 40 but of course only 1 dance song making number 1 that year (and another kind of dance song making number 1 that doesn't make this thread)

Edited February 12, 20178 yr by The Wise Sultan

Btw has anyone on here ever heard this track before that made number 22 in late February 2004, which was quite good a placing for a proper trance track by this stage. Never heard it but it is quite the trance tune, definitely up there the best of the genre :dance:

 

 

Yes, Radio 1 playlisted it.

I love 'Now We Are Free', partly because I played the original on the Gladiator soundtrack I have many many times before I knew this trance version existed, it does exactly what I need trance to do for me, evoke some emotional imagery and make it more powerful and given the direct connection to a film I love is already right there in the track it ends up sounding pretty awesome.

 

At a push I do prefer the non-dance version because the chanting feels a bit more momentous there but this is still something I'm glad exists. Did not think it'd appear in this thread though, I thought it'd be charting too low for that.

Yes I also love that Gladiator song. I remember Radio 1 added it and removed it the following week from their playlist.

 

Its a shame dance was undercharting that era but the output was better than nowadays, as well as more variety.