Van Helden was born in Boston on February 17, 1970 to a Dutch-Indonesian father and a French-Lebanese mother, but travelled around the world as a child spending time in the Netherlands, Turkey and Italy, as his father was a member of the US Air Force. At the age of thirteen, he bought a drum machine and started DJing two years later.
He returned to Boston in 1988 but also moonlighted as a DJ in Boston clubs. He attended Boston University. He quit his legal review job in 1989 to work as a remixer/producer for Mega-Mixx Productions DJ Remix Service (co-founded by his long time manager, Neil Petricone) where he reworked and re-edited a number of club records for the DJ-only service, including Shawn Christopher's "Another Sleepless Night." He also took up an occupancy at 'The Loft', Boston's leading nightclub.
Mega-Mixx's success was short lived. Mismanagement brought the company to a halt in early 1991. Later that year, he and Petricone, along with founding A&R coordinator, Tony Zeoli, launched X-Mix Productions, a similar DJ Remix service, which still exists today (http://www.xmix.com). Catching the attention of legendary Strictly Rhythm and Nervous Records A&R guru, Glady Pizarro, in 1992 Van Helden released his first official single "Stay On My Mind" under the psuedonym Deep Creed, through Nervous Records.
He released "Move It To the Left" (credited to Sultans of Swing) in 1992 on the Strictly Rhythm label, which became a moderate club hit. His first track to make the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart was "Witch Doktor" which made the top 5 in 1994.
The success of "Witch Doktor" led to opportunities to remix acts such as The Real McCoy ("Another Night", New Order ("Bizarre Love Triangle"), Blondie ("Atomic), Capella ("U Got To Know"), Lightning Seeds ("Jackie Lucky"), Deep Forest ("Marta's Song"), Jimmy Somerville ("Heartbeat"), Deee-Lite ("Dewdrops In The Garden") and Faithless ("Insomnia"). However, it was the "Professional Widow" remix that established him and became a dance hit around the world as well as a number one hit in the UK. Unfortunately, Van Helden did not receive a penny for this mix as he presented it uncommissioned, and thus was not entitled to compensation. However, it led to work remixing The Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, Britney Spears and Puff Daddy as well as Daft Punk and the Sneaker Pimps, and adding to his reputation as one of the world's top house musicians.
Within dance music circles, Van Helden is widely credited for the introduction of the U.K. bred Speed Garage sound to the U.S. club scene with incredible set of remixes. The sound, identifiable by its deep bass subtones, long melodic breaks, and devestatingly hard hitting beats are exemplified in the following remixes beginning in 1995 with Jimmy Somerville "Heartbeat"; CJ Bolland's "Sugar Is Sweeter"; Faithless "Insomnia"; Tori Amos "Professional Widow"; Apollo 440 "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Dub"; and Sneaker Pimps "Spin, Spin, Sugar."
"Cha Cha" was another top ten dance hit from his first album Old School Junkies released in 1996, along with "The Funk Phenomena". A greatest hits album appeared the next year followed by a breakbeat album later in 1997. "U Don't Know Me," a collaboration with vocalist Duane Harden from the album, "2 Futur 4 U," was a number two hit on the Billboard dance chart, a Number one in the UK and a top 20 single on the pop charts in Australia and Canada.
In 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, Armand Van Helden explained, "You Don't Know Me was a perfect example of putting 2 simple things together, the beats from Jaydee's Plastic Dreams and a disco loop from Carrie Lucas."
Van Helden released the Killing Puritans album in 2000 which contained the dance hit "Koochy". His single "Why Can't You Spend Some Time" made the number 34 in the UK in 2001. His New York: A Mix Odyssey album released in 2004 produced two hits:
* "Hear my Name" reached number 7 on the Billboard dance chart, was top 30 on world and internet charts, made number 34 in the UK, and reached the top 40 in Australia; and
* "My My My" reached number 4 on the world internet charts, number 5 in the Belgian and Dutch charts, number 6 in Australia, number 15 in the UK and top 30 in the world dance charts.
In 2010 Van Helden teamed with A-Trak to form the duo Duck Sauce. They had an international smash hit with "Barbra Streisand," which used an ingenious sample from Boney M.
Summertime
Armand van Helden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lyrics to Armand van Helden's Summertime capture the essence of a carefree summer day, with the singer reminiscing about driving around town with friends, listening to music and enjoying the sun. The opening line, "Summertime, and the living's easy," sets the mood for the rest of the song, with the singer reveling in the joys of summer.
The second verse of the song takes a more reflective turn, as the singer looks back on previous summers spent with loved ones who have since passed away. The line "Sometimes I think about it's inevitable / That every life will end, but summer love goes on forever" speaks to the bittersweet nature of the season, with its fleeting joys and inevitable goodbyes.
Overall, Summertime is a nostalgic ode to the joys of summer, with its relaxed, carefree atmosphere and endless possibilities for adventure and fun.
Line by Line Meaning
summertime
The season of summer has arrived.
ain't nothin' like summertime
There is nothing quite like the experience of summer.
just lettin' love flow in the summertime
Allowing oneself to be open to love and its possibility during summer.
out on the beach
Enjoying oneself on a sandy shoreline of a body of water.
or cruisin' down the street
Driving leisurely on the roadways during the season of summer.
windows rolled down
Rolling down the windows of a vehicle to allow the cool summer breeze to flow inside.
music up loud
Listening to loud music during trips, particularly while driving during summertime.
and you're feelin' alright
Feeling good and happy during the summertime due to its enjoyable experiences.
don't forget the nights
Memorably enjoyable time spans of our summer nights should not be forgotten.
those Barbary summer nights
Basking in the heat of summer nights on the North African coast.
we can dance until daylight
One can enjoy dancing through the night with a significant other during the summer season, since its days are longer.
or go and catch a flick, yeah
Optionally, one can watch a film by going to a summer movie theatre as a nice alternate activity.
doesn't matter what you do
No matter what activity or event one chooses, summertime can make it an enjoyable experience.
'cause I'm in love with you
The individual singing this song is in love with someone else during this summertime.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ARMAND VAN HELDEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JustinLauzon1
So good. Man this album is legendary
@quarkgluonplasma3614
This album is a milestone.
@user-ol1kw7sk4w
хорошо что неизвестен. это шедевр
@ristepkt
Zна се ко је био први...Борча рула најкривље