WestBam
b. Maximilian Lenz, 4 March 1965, Mnster, Germany. His stage name is the abbreviation for "Westfalia Bambaataa", a humorous designation used by friends in acknowledgement of his idol Afrika Bambaataa. Judged by many to be the king of the Balearic beat, West Bam was a prime mover in the early days of acid house. DJing since 1983, he had indulged in industrial/experimental music before he was led to Detroit techno via house (he had, in fact, organised Berlin's first "House Party"). He established his own Low Spirit record label in the late 80s (having released his first record in 1985), titled after his club night. This imprint housed songs such as Grace Darling's "Dreams". His own genre classics include "Alarm Clock", later sampled by Andrew Weatherall for his remix of My Bloody Valentine's "Glider", and "Monkey See Monkey Do" from 1989. By 1994 he claimed to have over 100 productions to his name. The West Bam remix schedule was equally hectic, and included Deskee's "Let There Be House" and Flower Ltd's "Swinging Thing", before more of his own material such as "The Roof Is On Fire" (for Swanyard Records in 1990). His 1994 single, "Celebration Generation" (which included a Justin Robertson remix) saw him return to pure techno. It was followed by the similarly emphatic "Bam Bam Bam" (remixed by Moby and jungle artist Jack Frost). His work in the late 90s has been more experimental, with tracks such as "Terminator" and "Sonic Empire" exhibiting a notable electro influence. West Bam's philosophy on the importance of dance music is crystal clear: "Nothing reflects our time so exactly as electronic dance music. It's the first real international music."
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Albums
Top Tracks
- Sonic Empire
- Beatbox Rocker
- Elektronische Tanzmusik
- Hard Times
- Sunshine - Westbam Electro Remix
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