It started in 1997 with their debut single Sunrise, the first step towards producing their own tracks. Nowadays, one cannot imagine the electronic elite without BLANK & JONES. 13 of their singles made it into the German Top 50, and three into the Top 20. Each and every album hit the Top 50, including two which climbed into the Top 10. They also scored a spectacular triple whammy by occupying the Top Ten album, singles and compilation charts simultaneously with Substance, Desire and The Mix respectively.
BLANK & JONES have teamed up with a number of top international stars in their career to date. The Cure mastermind Robert Smith, Bernard Sumner (New Order), Anne Clark, Sarah McLachlan and Claudia Brücken (Propaganda) have been immortalized on BLANK & JONES tracks, giving them a certain credibility way beyond the boundaries of dance music. Further evidence of their versatility can be seen in their contributions to the Café del Mar compilation series and their own chill-out albums, Relax and Relax (Edition 2). Next up, the people behind the Buddha Bar series have also made enquiries..
The release of the A Forest single and the accompanying album Monument in the USA last year also laid the foundations for BLANK & JONES to create a solid fanbase across the Atlantic.
Seven albums, 3 mix albums (The Mix 1-3) and 15 singles later, BLANK & JONES and their longstanding production colleague Andy Kaufhold have chosen this moment to collate their finest material on one release - The Singles. Comprising the best tracks and greatest successes of BLANK & JONES plus two brand new tracks, recorded exclusively for this album. “We felt the time had come to put all our singles together on one CD, “ Piet and Jaspa explain. “We prefer to see it as one step along the way, rather than a mere retrospective. A little breather before we move on to pastures new.“
Over 20 tracks were in the reckoning for The Singles collection, most of them penned by BLANK & JONES themselves. From the first single Sunrise via chart smashes such as Desire, DJ Culture and Beyond Time all the way to entrancing collaborations with the like of Elles DeGraaf on Mind Of The Wonderful, Claudia Brücken on Unknown Treasure and Steve Kilbey (The Church) on Revealed, the album is packed with original material. One of the few covers is, of course, A Forest with Robert Smith of The Cure on vocals.
An absolute must for fans is the all new WMC Retouch version of Nightfly, direct from the Miami Winter Music Conference (WMC), where BLANK & JONES headlined in March of this year. So new, the track was hot to the touch as it made its way onto the album, having been premiered to rave reactions at the dance convention. BLANK & JONES’ Nightfly WMC Retouch was the talk of the town the following morning on various online sites and blogs.
The album also features two completely new tracks. One is Somebody and the other is Catch, the newest single, based on Kosheen’s 1998 tune. Vocals supplied once again by the fantastic Elles DeGraaf.
BLANK & JONES have taken the utmost care in getting the sound right. Tracks have been remastered but not remixed. “Our aim was to retain the flair of each original track“ Piet and Jaspa elucidate. “We wanted them to sound just as they did when we made them, but clearer, in the same way as one restores a painting. You don’t paint it from scratch, you just bring out the colours again.“ Such loving attention to detail is typical of BLANK & JONES, making them the artists they are today, ready and able to see the bigger picture.
The album is also being released in Limited Edition format, in which The Singles are complemented by an additional DVD, bringing together all BLANK & JONES videos on one disc for the first time. The BLANK & JONES clips are something worth seeing, with a artistic quality rarely seen in such a genre. BLANK & JONES’ dramatic credentials are matched by their sense of humour. Numerous famous names have featured in their videos, including Estella Warren and Til Schweiger in Beyond Time, the latter having also directed the clip.
The DVD was produced and designed by Thomas Jahn, renowned as scriptwriter and director of “Knocking On Heaven’s Door“ and also the man responsible for The Hardest Heart, Mind Of The Wonderful, Perfect Silence and Desire.
The video for the latest single, Catch, was directed by Conchita Soares and Toni Froschhammer and features the thespian talents of TV actress Nadine. The piece will not only be presented on the music channels, but will also be shown at short film festivals over the summer.
BLANK & JONES’ roots are firmly placed in DJ culture. Year after year, millions of ravers around the globe feel the heat of their sensational sets at major events like Mayday, Nature One and Love Parade as well as in clubs all over the world. BLANK & JONES mix DJ and live, making the most of today’s technology. “We do everything digitally, on the basis of Final Scratch, which allows us to use our own edits and mixes, nothing comes straight from tape. Every set we play is unique, not only sound-wise but also in terms of what we play and how we play it. Roughly 60% of our set consists of our own repertoire, as where better to present our own material than via the DJ decks.“
BLANK & JONES are global players in the best sense of the word, with a worldwide reputation to match. They are more than welcome guests at the major festivals and raves in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Russia. At the beginning of the year, they played to 15,000 fans in St. Petersburg! They also travel further afield on a regular basis, to Canada, Mexico, South America and Australia.
2005 saw BLANK & JONES spend a lot of time in the USA, where A Forest proved to be a big success. Electronic music is growing and growing Stateside, so BLANK & JONES will return to LA, San Diego, San Francisco and many more cities in North America this year. Overwhelmingly positive reactions to Catch on the initial installment of the BLANK & JONES tour mean that the American fans can hardly wait for The Singles to be released. This will be the third BLANK & JONES US album.
Not content to rest on their laurels, Piet and Jaspa are already preparing an exciting, new and unusual project. On May 26th, BLANK & JONES will perform together with the Robert Schumann Kammerorchester conducted by Alexander Shelly in the Tonhalle Düsseldorf. The definitive electro-classical crossover extravaganza!
www.blankandjones.com
www.myspace.com/blankandjonesinfo
www.myspace.com/relaxedition
www.blankandjones.com/rlx09
Love from the Start
Blank & Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It`s too much - to take it slow
Running from - I`ve turned away
Chasing my hideaway
There might be so much more than we know
No compromise
Here we go - let`s get a life
I´m gonna find you
No matter where you are
You know I`ve loved you
Right from the start
Head over heels
Straight into your car
You know I`ve loved you
Right from the start
You know I`ve loved you
Right from the start
You know I`ve loved you
Right from the start
Amos said - to get it right
You`d better keep it loose - keep it tight
But I found myself drifting away
My talk was cheap - but now I`m on my way
There might be so much more than we know
No compromise
Here`s what I´ve learned from you
Here we go - let`s get a life
I´m gonna find you
No matter where you are
You know I`ve loved you
Right from the start
Head over heels
Straight into your car
You know I`ve loved you
Right from the start
You know I`ve loved you
Right from the start
You know I`ve loved you
Right from the start
You know I`ve loved you
Right from the start
The lyrics to Blank & Jones's Love from the Start delve deep into the complexities of relationships, both romantic and otherwise. The opening lines, "If I hold you to the light/Should I see right through you?" suggest an attempt to understand a loved one, to perceive their true intentions, but ultimately question the validity of such perception. The following line, "If I question what you are will it bring me any closer to you?" emphasizes the frustration that such questioning can bring, as the singer is left feeling no closer to understanding their loved one.
The chorus, "From Love to War/What we aim for is to keep the illusion/You can take your conscience for a lover/And satisfied there is no other/You can dream," touches on the idea that relationships, even those built on love and trust, can easily turn into battles. The desire to maintain the illusion of a perfect union can often lead to compromised values and a lack of authenticity from both parties. The line "you can take your conscience for a lover" speaks to the idea that personal values and beliefs can sometimes be put aside for the sake of the relationship, ultimately leading to a loss of self.
The final lines, "And if I don't believe in you/Then there's nothing I can do/But throw myself at the walls/And love no-one at all," suggest a struggle to maintain faith in the relationship, even in the face of doubt. The singer recognizes that without belief in the loved one, there is no hope for the relationship, leaving them feeling lost and alone.
Line by Line Meaning
If I hold you to the light
If I examine you closely and scrutinize you
Should I see right through you?
Will I be able to see your true intentions or character?
If I question what you are will it bring me any closer to you?
If I ask you about your nature or identity, will it help me to understand you better?
What we aim for is to keep the illusion
Our goal is to maintain the false picture we've created
You can take your conscience for a lover
You can love and be content with your own morality
And satisfied there is no other
And feel complete without anyone else
You can dream
You can have aspirations or ambitions
Any doubts we had
Any uncertainties or reservations we had
Had better not show
Should remain hidden or unexpressed
What good would they do us
What benefit would they provide for us?
Leaving us nowhere to go?
Trapping us with no escape or options?
Taking a stand for the benefit of man
Dedicating oneself to the betterment of humanity
And angry with pride because God is on our side
Feeling confident and justified in our decisions due to religious beliefs
I could do with some sleep
I am tired and in need of rest
'Cause the rubbish I talk is getting deep
Because the nonsensical things I say are becoming more and more absurd
And if I don't believe in you
And if I lose my faith in you
Then there's nothing I can do
Then I am powerless and helpless in the situation
But throw myself at the walls
But give up and abandon hope in trying to overcome obstacles
And love no-one at all
And isolate oneself from others and remove love from one's life entirely
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@leninave7849
Lyrics:
Easy life letting go
It’s too much to take it slow
Running from I’ve turned away
Chasing my hideaway
There might be so much more
than we know
No compromise
Here’s what I’ve learned from you:
Here we go, let’s get a life
I’m gonna find you
No matter where you are
You know I loved you
Right from the start
Head over heels
Straight into your car
You know I’ve loved you
Right from the start
@JungleDNN
From Russia with love. Great tune!
@frans770
До сих пор не надоедает. Класс, спасибо. 👍
@leninave7849
Lyrics:
Easy life letting go
It’s too much to take it slow
Running from I’ve turned away
Chasing my hideaway
There might be so much more
than we know
No compromise
Here’s what I’ve learned from you:
Here we go, let’s get a life
I’m gonna find you
No matter where you are
You know I loved you
Right from the start
Head over heels
Straight into your car
You know I’ve loved you
Right from the start
@lapiesta
Where's the full version of it?
@MayaBankova
just love, love it - the melody, the male vocal, it's wonderful :)
@freefree9378
From Morocco amazing music with DJ blank Jones..love it
@PhuongLeHomNay
From VietNam with love. This is perfect ! 👍
@silvjagjoka
Blank & Jones honestly never fails ❤️
@rashadmuradov5789
Amazing song!!!
@jarosawzaborowski873
Super relaxing greetings from Poland