Laserdance

Laserdance
Origin Netherlands
Genres Synthpop, Italo disco, Spacesynth
Instruments Synthesizer, drum machines
Years active 1984–1995, 2000
Labels Break Records, Hotsound Records, ZYX Music,
Past members Erik van Vliet (1984–1995, 2000)
Michiel van der Kuy (1984–1995)
Julius Wijnmalen (2000)

Laserdance (often hyphenated as Laser Dance) was a Dutch italo disco studio project that had consisting of musicians Erik van Vliet, Michiel van der Kuy and later Julius Wijnmalen.[1] The studio project has been categorized as part of subgenre known as spacesynth and has been considered as a major influence for the subgenre and has remained popular around the Europe in the mid-1980s.[2] All of Laserdance tracks are known to feature basic analog synthesizers, drum machines and vocoders.[3] The name of the studio project comes from the first single with the same name published in 1984.[4] Numerous hit singles from Laserdance include Goody's Return, Humanoid Invasion, Power Run, Fear and Shotgun (Into The Night).

Composer Michiel van der Kuy and producer Erik van Vliet are known to be key members of the studio project, while other members such as Ruud van Es, Rob van Eijk and Julius Wijnmalen, the composer of the recent studio album Strikes Back from 2000, have been involved as well. The very first single of Laserdance has been published in 1984 and the first album Future Generation was released in 1987 with successful sales for the studio project and generated a lot of interest towards the spacesynth genre.[1]

History

Producer Erik van Vliet started studio project under the title "Laser Dance" in 1984 by releasing the first single with the same name on Break Records label and later on Hotsound Productions.[4][5] Erik van Vliet and Fonny de Wulf (the producer of Rofo) produced the single,[2] that is based upon the song with the same name by Sponooch from 1979. Michiel van der Kuy himself joined the studio project and became the composer of the project by composing the second single Goody's Return in 1984.[5]

The first Laserdance album titled Future Generation was released by Hotsound Records in 1987 and was considered big success with approximately 150 000 copies being sold.[1] Between 1987 and 1995, Laserdance was producing new studio album every year with numerous singles and few compilation albums being released in-between. Notably, the fifth studio album Ambiente from 1991 contains only an ambient tracks, while the seventh album Hypermagic from 1993 is the only Laserdance album to being released separately on Dolby Surround.[6]

The declining era of italo disco in early 1990s was affecting on Laserdance in terms of sales as the ninth studio album The Guardian of Forever in 1996 mixes the spacesynth with more house and trance tracks, which aren't composed by Michiel van der Kuy himself but rather other artists.[2] This received cold feedback from fans and the studio project was stopped for few years.[1] However, Erik van Vliet was planning to bring Laserdance back, while Michiel van der Kuy was working as producer of Alice Deejay and his own music project Rygar. Erik hired Julius Wijnmalen to be composer of the recent studio album called Strikes Back that was released on ZYX Music label in 2000.

After the recent album, anything about Laserdance's state hasn't been known or confirmed, although Michiel van der Kuy confirmed to have no plans for continuing on Laserdance[3] and has moved on to work with his new music project called Rygar.[5]

In April 2016, Erik van Vliet and Michiel van der Kuy confirmed in social media that a new record is soon to be released. The first track from the album was premiered on Radio Stad den Haag in Netherlands on April 17, 2016.

Discography

Studio albums

Name Release Date
Future Generation
  • 1987
Around the Planet
  • 1988
Discovery Trip
  • 1989
Changing Times
  • 1990
Ambiente
  • 1991
Technological Mind
  • 1992
Hypermagic
  • 1993
Fire on Earth
  • 1994
The Guardian of Forever
  • 1996
Strikes Back
  • 2000

Compilation albums

Name Release Date
The Maxi-CD Collection Of Laserdance
  • 1991
The Best Of Laserdance
  • 1992
Laserdance Orchestra vol. 1
  • 1994
Laserdance Orchestra vol. 2
  • 1994
The 12 Mixes
  • 1995
Greatest Hits & Remixes
  • 2015

Singles

  • "Laser Dance" (1984)
  • "Goody's Return" (12") (1984)
  • "Humanoid Invasion" (1986)
  • "Power Run" (1987)
  • "Fear (Remix) / Battle Cry (Remix)" (1987)
  • "You & Me" (1988)
  • "Shotgun (Into The Night)" (1988)
  • "Laserdance ('88 Remix)" (1988)
  • "Cosmo Tron" (1989)
  • "The Challenge" (1990)
  • "Technoid" (1992)

Megamixes

  • "Megamix Vol. 1" (1988)
  • "Megamix Vol. 2" (1989)
  • "Megamix Vol. 3 " (1990)
  • "Megamix Vol. 4" (1991)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Laserdance". Spacesynth.net. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Biography of Michiel van der Kuy". Spacesynth.de. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Interview with Michiel Van Der Kuy". Space Sound Records. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Laser Dance* – Laser Dance". Discogs. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 "Interview with Michiel van der Kuy". Spacesynth.net. 22 May 1999. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "Laserdance – Hypermagic". Discogs. Retrieved 20 August 2014.

External links

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