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.
When I Hear Music
Armand van Helden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You got the music, heres my chance
Went to the disco, couldn't belive my eyes
I looked on the dance floor, saw so many guys
I asked myself, could this really be
Whether it is or not, I'm going to see
The guys look really fine, they almost blew my mind
The guys looked really good, just like I knew they would
And I'm gonna get a man if I get a chance
Here's my chance
The night is still young and I'm gonna have some fun
And I'm in a trance, all I want to do is d
Ance
Watch me dance
Everybody's having fun, and the musics number one
And the lights shining bright, theres a party here tonight
It stated getting late, the night was really great
When I hear music, give me a chance, heres your chance
When I hear music, I wanna dance
You got the music, I'm gonna dance
"When I Hear Music" is an upbeat and infectious dance tune by Armand Van Helden from his 1999 album, "2 Future 4 U." The song is about a woman who goes to a disco and is mesmerized by the music and the guys on the dance floor. She is determined to get a man and dance the night away. The lyrics describe the excitement and energy of the nightclub scene and the joy that music can bring.
The song begins with the catchy chorus, "When I hear music, it makes me dance. You got the music, here's my chance." The woman in the song is eager to dance and is hoping to catch the eye of one of the guys on the dance floor. She is overwhelmed by the number of guys and wonders if it's really happening. But she doesn't waste any time and decides to take her chance.
As the night goes on, the woman is having a great time dancing and enjoying the music. She describes the guys as "looking really fine" and "just like I knew they would." The music is the number one thing on everyone's mind and the party is in full swing. The woman is in a trance and all she wants to do is dance.
The song ends with the message that the night was great and that the woman will always dance when she hears music. The song is a testament to the power of music to transport us to another place and bring joy and happiness to our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
When I hear music, it makes me dance
The sound of music is so appealing that it prompts me to start dancing immediately.
You got the music, heres my chance
Since you have the music, I see this as an opportunity for me to dance and have a good time.
Went to the disco, couldn't belive my eyes
I was surprised when I walked into the nightclub.
I looked on the dance floor, saw so many guys
I saw a lot of men on the dance floor.
I asked myself, could this really be
I wondered if what I was seeing was real or if I was just imagining it.
Whether it is or not, I'm going to see
Regardless of whether or not the situation is real or a figment of my imagination, I'm going to experience it first-hand.
The guys look really fine, they almost blew my mind
The men on the dance floor looked very attractive; they were almost too much for me to handle emotionally.
The guys looked really good, just like I knew they would
I had expectations that the men would be attractive, and they met those expectations.
And I'm gonna get a man if I get a chance
If given the opportunity, I'm going to try to find a man to connect with romantically.
The night is still young and I'm gonna have some fun
Since it's still early in the evening, I plan to continue enjoying myself and having a good time.
And I'm in a trance, all I want to do is d Ance
The music has put me in a hypnotic state, and all I can think about is dancing.
Watch me dance
Observe as I show off my dancing skills.
Everybody's having fun, and the musics number one
Everyone is enjoying themselves, and the music is the primary reason why they're having such a good time.
And the lights shining bright, theres a party here tonight
The lights are bright and festive, indicating that there is a lively party happening right now.
It stated getting late, the night was really great
As the evening progressed, it became later, but the experience was still very good.
When I hear music, give me a chance, heres your chance
If music is playing, I want the opportunity to dance, and I'm providing that chance for you too.
When I hear music, I wanna dance
Whenever I hear music, I'm immediately motivated to start dancing.
You got the music, I'm gonna dance
Since you have the music, I'm going to take full advantage of the situation and dance as much as I can.
Writer(s): Tony Butler
Contributed by Christian W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Marja Hoolwerf
I'm 72 years old but this track is still lifting me up and dance through my room ❣
joseph houblon
i am 68 and i am flying to the moon
Sam Wehr
I’m 18 and let me tell ya, the effects are the same.
Nuno Alexandre
A Master Piece !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lindsey Carribean
You have great taste !
Caterina Agnello
Respect
Terry OConnor
I am immortal and doomed to live for eternity but this track is still lifting me up and dance through my room ❣️
Colm O'Connell
Pure pure banger!!!!
Marge719
Haha
Massimiliano Aurelio
you know a producer is good when the song still works as well 20 years later