Sven Maes
Encyclopedia
Sven Maes (ˈsfɛn ˈmaːs) also known as Svenson, is a Belgian
DJ and trance music producer
. His work, especially in partnership with fellow Belgian Johan Gielen, have produced some of trance music's biggest hits. He has been successful as a solo artist and also as a partner in several collaborative efforts.
and he was approached by Geert Blanchart, who competed in short track speed skating at the 1994 Winter Olympics
. Blanchart, in turn, introduced Sven to a friend of his. That friend was Olivier Adams and was already established in the music industry and was known for their synthesizer
work with the acid band Lords of Acid
.
It was the interest of Olivier Adams that helped Sven keep moving in a successful direction with his music. The use of Adam's recording studio
helped Sven by allowing him to tape several tracks under a few aliases.
feat. Sarah McLachlan's "Silence
" is the duo's biggest hit, their remix of Delerium's "After All
" was also very successful. It made its way onto several compilations like the Euphoria
series of compilations.
It was when their contract with Antler-Subway expired that the rapid successes came one after the other. The duo hooked up with Dutch dance organizer ID&T
and started to produce for them. The first track was the epic "The Beauty of Silence
". This was soon followed by "Twisted" and "We Know What You Did".
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
DJ and trance music producer
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...
. His work, especially in partnership with fellow Belgian Johan Gielen, have produced some of trance music's biggest hits. He has been successful as a solo artist and also as a partner in several collaborative efforts.
Early years
At the age of eighteen Sven played in an eccentric group of musicians that performed under the name "Mea Culpa". It was during one of their performances at a Belgian contest for rock bands that he was noticed. The yearly event is called Humo's Rock RallyHumo's Rock Rally
Humo's Rock Rally is a Belgian contest for rock bands, organized every second year since 1978. It is organized by the Belgian magazine HUMO.Every band that has not yet released an official recording, may enter the Rock Rally, by submitting a demo to HUMO. Humo then selects 100 bands to compete in...
and he was approached by Geert Blanchart, who competed in short track speed skating at the 1994 Winter Olympics
Short track speed skating at the 1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympic Games Short Track results-500m:-1,000m:This unique race was one of the most unusual in the short history of short track speed skating. The bronze medal was won by an athlete that was not even in the final race. Derrick Campbell of Canada was obstructed by the Briton Nicky...
. Blanchart, in turn, introduced Sven to a friend of his. That friend was Olivier Adams and was already established in the music industry and was known for their synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
work with the acid band Lords of Acid
Lords of Acid
Lords of Acid is a Belgian-American post-industrial/techno band, led by musician Praga Khan. They debuted with the controversial new beat single "I Sit on Acid" in 1988...
.
It was the interest of Olivier Adams that helped Sven keep moving in a successful direction with his music. The use of Adam's recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
helped Sven by allowing him to tape several tracks under a few aliases.
Mainstream success
Adams too was the one that introduced Sven to Antler-Subway Records. This is the time that Sven met Johan Gielen. The two paired up to produce tracks as Bodyheat and Airscape. A significant portion of Sven's composing and production work was done with Johan Gielen. They worked together as Svenson & Gielen for more than a few years. The Airscape remix of DeleriumDelerium
Delerium is a band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act, Front Line Assembly...
feat. Sarah McLachlan's "Silence
Silence (song)
"Silence" is a song by the Canadian electronic music group Delerium. It was co-written by Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan, who is featured as the vocalist on the track....
" is the duo's biggest hit, their remix of Delerium's "After All
After All (Delerium song)
"After All" is a song by Canadian electronic music group Delerium, with vocals provided by Swiss singer Jaël. It was the first single released from the album Chimera.-Overview:...
" was also very successful. It made its way onto several compilations like the Euphoria
Euphoria (compilations)
Euphoria is a series of dance music compilations that debuted on the Telstar Records label in early 1999. During the first year, Euphoria focused primarily on Trance music until mid-2000 when Euphoria release the first Chill-out album in the series and the first Hard House album in late...
series of compilations.
It was when their contract with Antler-Subway expired that the rapid successes came one after the other. The duo hooked up with Dutch dance organizer ID&T
ID&T
ID&T is a Dutch entertainment and medium enterprise that was founded in the early 1990s.ID&T stands for the initials of three founders of the company, Irfan, Duncan and Theo, all residents of Amsterdam...
and started to produce for them. The first track was the epic "The Beauty of Silence
The Beauty of Silence
The Beauty of Silence is an uplifting trance track that was composed and produced by Sven Maes and Johan Gielen. The song was a huge hit in Japan and was the title track for a compilation of singles released by Avex...
". This was soon followed by "Twisted" and "We Know What You Did".
Singles (Solo)
- 1995 - 'One Way to Live (Is to Party)' (as E-Raver)
- 1996 - 'Do-Re-Mi' (as Joy Toys)
- 1996 - 'Blue World Dream' (as Sea Squad)
- 1996 - 'Nocturna' (as Vince G. Jefferson)
- 1997 - 'Chorus of Whales' (as Voyageur)
- 1997 - 'Let Me Take You On A Trip'
- 1998 - 'Acceleration'
- 1998 - 'Jesus Is Here' (as E-Raver)
- 2000 - 'Break The Silence'
- 2000 - 'Clubbin' On Sunshine'
- 2003 - 'Sunlight Theory'
- 2004 - 'Inside Outside/The Devil's LSD'
- 2005 - 'Wicked Life'
- 2008 - 'Keeping It Real'
- 2008 - 'Lover (I Want You)' [feat. John RobinsonJohn Robinson-Academics:*John Martin Robinson , English Officer of Arms and historian*John Alan Robinson , philosopher and mathematician*John Thomas Romney Robinson , Irish astronomer and physicist*John T. Robinson, paleontologist...
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