finetune artist: Ian Van Dahl

Bizarrely, Ian Van Dahl is not the name of a person but the name of a project that involves two Belgian producers, Christophe Chantzis and Erik Vanspauwen and a female vocalist Annemie Coenen, who fronts the act and co-writes the songs. The Ian Van Dahl sound is a typical Euro-dance hybrid of club electronics and emotive pop vocals soaring over an up-tempo and determinedly uplifting composition. The style emerged when the trance phenomenon that occurred in UK and European clubs during 1998 and 1999 crossed over onto commercial radio and the pop charts. "Castles In The Sky" was originally performed by singer Marsha, but was re-recorded when Coenen joined Chantzis and Vanspauwen. Released on the UK DJ Dave Pearce's label, Nu Life Recordings, the track crossed over from the clubs to become a massive pop hit in 2000, reaching number 3 in the UK singles chart and the Top 10 elsewhere in Europe and in Canada. With its mournful chord progressions and thumping tempo, the track endured in the clubs and prompted a raft or very similar sounding singles from other Euro-dance production teams, employing a sexy diva to compliment their slick, saccharine dance tracks.

Listen to Ian Van Dahl at Finetune.