Safri Duo: Difference between revisions
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==Classic years== |
==Classic years== |
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Uffe Savery and Morten Friis met in [[1977]] while attending the [[Tivoli gardens|Tivoli Garden]] Boys' Guard, and later, during their time at the [[Royal Danish Conservatory of Music]], formed an experimental duo, called ''Safri Duo'', whose name originated from the first letters of their respective surnames. Several albums were recorded and released through [[Chandos Records]], on which the duo performed pieces by both famous classical (a.o. [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]], [[Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn]], [[Maurice Ravel|Ravel]], whose works were arranged by Savery and Friis for two [[marimba|marimbas]], or for marimba and [[vibraphone]]) and contemporary composers (a.o. [[Steve Reich|Reich]], [[Per Nørgård|Nørgård]], [[Jacob ter Veldhuis|Ter Veldhuis]]). Their performances of, especially, Ter Veldhuis' ''Goldrush'', Ravel's ''Alborada del gracioso'' and [[Anders Koppel]]'s ''Toccata for vibraphone and marimba'' are |
Uffe Savery and Morten Friis met in [[1977]] while attending the [[Tivoli gardens|Tivoli Garden]] Boys' Guard, and later, during their time at the [[Royal Danish Conservatory of Music]], formed an experimental duo, called ''Safri Duo'', whose name originated from the first letters of their respective surnames. Several albums were recorded and released through [[Chandos Records]], on which the duo performed pieces by both famous classical (a.o. [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]], [[Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn]], [[Maurice Ravel|Ravel]], whose works were arranged by Savery and Friis for two [[marimba|marimbas]], or for marimba and [[vibraphone]]) and contemporary composers (a.o. [[Steve Reich|Reich]], [[Per Nørgård|Nørgård]], [[Jacob ter Veldhuis|Ter Veldhuis]]). Their performances of, especially, Ter Veldhuis' ''Goldrush'', Ravel's ''Alborada del gracioso'' and [[Anders Koppel]]'s ''Toccata for vibraphone and marimba'' are often labelled as small milestones by fellow percussionists, as well as other musicians or people related to the world of classical music. |
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==A new episode== |
==A new episode== |
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Revision as of 20:32, 24 April 2008
Safri Duo is a Danish percussion duo composed of Uffe Savery (born April 5, 1966) and Morten Friis (born August 21, 1968). Initially classically oriented, by 1999 they were discovered by a label executive working on classical music. After being signed, a track mixing both tribal sound and modern electronica was set to be released in 2000. The result was the tremendously popular "Played-a-live (The Bongo Song)," that became one of the most popular songs in Europe that year.
Classic years
Uffe Savery and Morten Friis met in 1977 while attending the Tivoli Garden Boys' Guard, and later, during their time at the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music, formed an experimental duo, called Safri Duo, whose name originated from the first letters of their respective surnames. Several albums were recorded and released through Chandos Records, on which the duo performed pieces by both famous classical (a.o. Bach, Mendelssohn, Ravel, whose works were arranged by Savery and Friis for two marimbas, or for marimba and vibraphone) and contemporary composers (a.o. Reich, Nørgård, Ter Veldhuis). Their performances of, especially, Ter Veldhuis' Goldrush, Ravel's Alborada del gracioso and Anders Koppel's Toccata for vibraphone and marimba are often labelled as small milestones by fellow percussionists, as well as other musicians or people related to the world of classical music.
A new episode
Earlier in 2000, a track named "The Bongo Song" started appearing on club's playlists. Produced by Michael Parsberg, it soon got airtime on MTV Europe. The mix between the then fashionable tribal drums over trance proved to be a success, and it ended the year as one of the best selling singles in Europe in 2000. This resulted in Safri Duo guesting along with Danish pop group Aqua during the interval of the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 held in Copenhagen. "The Bongo Song" was featured prominently during the 2002 Commonwealth Games held in Manchester, England. The album, named Episode II, hit the market on 4 June 2001, nine tracks long, all featured the same percussion-electronica combination, except Adagio that kept the former classic line of the duo. A reissue added a second remix-only CD and the single Sweet Freedom recorded with Michael McDonald was released on 30 September 2002. Two more tracks from Episode II were released as singles, Samb-Adagio and Baya Baya.
3.0
In 2003 the new album 3.0 was released. It featured Clark Anderson as vocalist on several of the tracks, including All the People in the World, Agogo Mosse and Laarbasses. The single Rise became a huge success and later they released a new version called Rise (Leave Me Alone) which featured Clark Anderson on vocals. In 2004 they released a remix album of 3.0 called 3.5 - International Version. It included the new version of Rise and several other tracks with Clark Anderson as vocalist and, of course, remixes of the already known tracks.
Recent developments
Safri Duo have recently announced on their website that they are working on a new album and will also be on a tour in the near future.