Chris Cowie
Encyclopedia
Chris Cowie is a producer
and DJ from Aberdeen
, Scotland
. Growing up on a council estate Cowie has gained mainstream and underground
fame through his music and his DJ and Live performances. He launched the highly acclaimed and influential record labels Hook Recordings and Bellboy Records in 1991. Cowie is still performing and composing music today.
in Aberdeen where he described his childhood as "normal." Cowie didn't particularly enjoy his early school years, saying "I couldn't wait to leave and near the end of my secondary school year I turned up occasionally. Instead of school I went to the library
or the art gallery
".
music ranging from cutting edge dance to indie electronic. A particularly successful and prolific period for Cowie was when he launched two dance labels in 1992: Hook Recordings and Bellboy Records. The now defunct labels achieved worldwide fame and were among the most successful and influential dance labels to come out of the UK
scene. Today the labels' sound continue to influence and inspire a new generation of producers
and musicians. A large part of the labels sound must be credited to Cowie. Around seventy five percent of the labels' output were a Chris Cowie production under one of his many aliases. Cowie has released in the region of one hundred and fifty separate recordings during a fifteen year period. With such a prolific output Cowie decided early on in his career to create aliases to combat audience fatigue. He created around fifteen aliases, two of which were highly successful: Vegas Soul and X-Cabs.
es and the DJ mix album Exposure 1. Tracks Cowie has recorded under this alias include the highly successful Euro hit "Neuro" (of which a new version is released every year) and the subliminal "Infectious", which are featured on a multitude of vinyl releases and compilation albums. His remixes include Joshua Ryan's "Don't Look Back", Transa
's "Prophase", and Sandra Collins
's "Flutterby". His most successful remix was ATB's "Don't Stop" which reached Number 3 in the UK charts. His unique sound under this alias is still inspiring a new generation of electronic producers today more than thirteen years after its inception.
voted 8th best album of the year in Muzik magazine. Cowies Vegas Soul moniker was championed by a broad range of DJs and music lovers including John Peel
, Laurent Garnier
, Carl Cox
, and Danny Tennaglia. Chris Cowie once said " The success and the unique sound of Hook Recordings is down to the music I make for Bellboy under aliases such as Vegas Soul. The sound and vibe of Hook generally stems from Bellboy. When I work with an artist or write my own track for Hook the sound is basically a more accessible Bellboy type deal which in turn has been influenced by the early soulful techno stuff."
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...
and DJ from Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Growing up on a council estate Cowie has gained mainstream and underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
fame through his music and his DJ and Live performances. He launched the highly acclaimed and influential record labels Hook Recordings and Bellboy Records in 1991. Cowie is still performing and composing music today.
Background
The son of Brian and Ruth Cowie, he has two older brothers, Martin and Brian Jr. He grew up in the council estate of TorryTorry
-Setting and historical development:Torry, lying on the south bank of the River Dee, was once a Royal Burgh in its own right, having been erected a burgh of barony in 1495. It was incorporated into Aberdeen in 1891, after the construction of the Victoria Bridge, itself made possible by the 1871...
in Aberdeen where he described his childhood as "normal." Cowie didn't particularly enjoy his early school years, saying "I couldn't wait to leave and near the end of my secondary school year I turned up occasionally. Instead of school I went to the library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
or the art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
".
Career
Cowie achieved mainstream and underground success through his own brand of eclecticEclecticism in music
Eclecticism is used to describe a composer's conscious use of styles alien to his nature, or from one or more historical styles. The term is also used pejoratively to describe music whose composer, thought to be lacking originality, appears to have freely drawn on other models .-Sources:* Kennedy,...
music ranging from cutting edge dance to indie electronic. A particularly successful and prolific period for Cowie was when he launched two dance labels in 1992: Hook Recordings and Bellboy Records. The now defunct labels achieved worldwide fame and were among the most successful and influential dance labels to come out of the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
scene. Today the labels' sound continue to influence and inspire a new generation of 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...
and musicians. A large part of the labels sound must be credited to Cowie. Around seventy five percent of the labels' output were a Chris Cowie production under one of his many aliases. Cowie has released in the region of one hundred and fifty separate recordings during a fifteen year period. With such a prolific output Cowie decided early on in his career to create aliases to combat audience fatigue. He created around fifteen aliases, two of which were highly successful: Vegas Soul and X-Cabs.
As X-Cabs
Under this name, Cowie has recorded many original tracks and a solo Album entitled "Chemistry", as well as several remixRemix
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 ....
es and the DJ mix album Exposure 1. Tracks Cowie has recorded under this alias include the highly successful Euro hit "Neuro" (of which a new version is released every year) and the subliminal "Infectious", which are featured on a multitude of vinyl releases and compilation albums. His remixes include Joshua Ryan's "Don't Look Back", Transa
Transa
Transa is a British EDM production/DJ unit, composed of the brothers Dave and Brenden Webster. They have produced mostly trance music over their career, but have slipped into the realm of progressive house on occasion....
's "Prophase", and Sandra Collins
Sandra Collins
Sandra Collins is an American DJ.She got her start on the West Coast of the U.S. in Phoenix, Arizona and into residencies in Los Angeles, and eventually moved towards trance. She used American producers to give herself a unique sound...
's "Flutterby". His most successful remix was ATB's "Don't Stop" which reached Number 3 in the UK charts. His unique sound under this alias is still inspiring a new generation of electronic producers today more than thirteen years after its inception.
As Vegas Soul
Cowie released a number of 12" singles under this alias. 22 of these singles including new material were released on the critically acclaimed double CD Best BehaviourBest Behaviour
"Best Behaviour" is a song by British hip hop group N-Dubz. The song was produced by Dappy and Fazer and co-written by Tulisa, Mr Hudson, Tony Dixon, Fazer and Dappy. It was released on 17 October 2010 as the second single from N-Dubz's third studio album, Love.Live.Life. Musically, the song is a...
voted 8th best album of the year in Muzik magazine. Cowies Vegas Soul moniker was championed by a broad range of DJs and music lovers including John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, Laurent Garnier
Laurent Garnier
Laurent Garnier , is a French techno music producer and DJ. Garnier began DJ-ing in Manchester during the late 1980s. By the following decade, he had a broad stylistic range, able to span deep house, Detroit techno, trance and jazz...
, Carl Cox
Carl Cox
Carl Cox is a British techno and house music DJ.-Biography:Cox grew up in Oldham, Lancashire, before attending Glastonbury High Boys secondary modern school on Glastonbury Road in Morden. Cox began his career as a hardcore and rave DJ in the mid 1980s...
, and Danny Tennaglia. Chris Cowie once said " The success and the unique sound of Hook Recordings is down to the music I make for Bellboy under aliases such as Vegas Soul. The sound and vibe of Hook generally stems from Bellboy. When I work with an artist or write my own track for Hook the sound is basically a more accessible Bellboy type deal which in turn has been influenced by the early soulful techno stuff."