Everyone has passions outside of work. Mine is to listen to-, collecting- and researching upbeat music, play it as loud as you can get, and as plenty of it as humanly possible. Since my teenage years I am enthusiastic about the Hi-NRG genre.
Over the years I wondered if there is something wrong with me? Almost stereotyping myself. Finance and Hi-NRG/EDM (Electronic Dance Music)? “mmmm, frown?” The answer is a loud “NO!”. Do the two actually go together? “YES!”. We live in a free world in which we can enjoy, appreciate, and express our freedoms. This is made even more valuable stemming from ever-changing technology (in my lifetime: seven-single, cassette (,or tapes), 12′ club mix, CD, DVD, YouTube, and today, streaming).
Who said that a background in finance does not mesh well with EDM/Hi-NRG? The now CEO of top Investment Bank, Goldman Sachs, David Solomon is a bank executive by day and previously would moonlight in “DJ ‘ng” and remixing club and HI-NRG.
Over the last few years, as I have been building my Spotify collection(s) and playlists, old hits are revived. Traditional classical music too are being re-digitized into fast beat rhythms. Over approx. 5-years, I collected some twenty thousand-plus song-titles and compilations. I have come to new realizations supplemented by absolutely unremarkable musician-movies, such Elvis, Bohemian Rhapsody, etc. Thanks to Spotify I am able to learn more about music (all genres, not only my favourite), and developing a greater appreciation for artists’ backgrounds. Boy, it is a competitive industry. And more so, resulting from technology, reducing costs, and increasing abuse of copyright infringement(s). Its tough fighting for a place in the sun competing for the same “eyeballs and ears.”
I commenced with research raising self-tasked-questions about musicians’ origins where Electronic Dance Music, clubbing and Hi-NRG came from (originated from). Which is which, what led to the one, and then to the other? How did Hi-NRG evolve? what was the very first few compilations that morphed the disco scene of the 1970’s into a timeless genre?
I was intrigued by trying to identify the most re-mixed versions of classics from the 1980’s to today. Great musicians, composers, producers all sharing a passion for having- and continue to create impressive music that remains timeless. As technology evolved, more talent and innovation developed. Yet it remains a fine art, notwithstanding the support from technology. Exceptional listening skill, vision, composing and bringing to life new creations. It takes a motherload of time to produce one minute of song, lyrics, sound effects, etc., let alone restyling or re-mixing. When you remix, it is not as easy as it may sound nor produce. I am convinced the question in the many musicians’ mind, always remain, “what do I want the re-mixed-, or “pimped-up”, end product to sound like, where can one improve parts by adding smart styling, etc.? You know, that sort of thinking. What is the similarity with finance?
In a similar fashion, listening to “the ask, the problem, the challenge”, I can visualise what the analytics may reflect on, in a single picture, the proverbial future-state vision. I then work backwards and adjust assumptions, adjust scope, and expand assumptions.
Some of my most famous artists include, amongst others:
Hi-NRG
| Artist | Styx | Evelyn Thomas | Corey Hart | New Order | Kraftwerk | Trans-X (Pascal Languirand) |
| Popular Song Remixed | Mr. Roboto | High Energy | I wear my Sunglasses | Blue Monday | Das Model (The Model) | Living on Video |
| Approx.# of Remixes since 1980's (leveraging Spotify, #-count is an approximation based on Spotify account data) | 142 | 70 | 102 | 325 | 155 - Das Model 82 - The Model Total 237 | 358 |
| Other Information | Considered the creator of the first HI-NRG song | Inducted into The Canadian Music Hall of Fame. | Blue Monday" is also remastered with music instruments from the 1930/40's | Inspired by Karftwerk "Trans Europe Express".LOV served as inspiration for Videodrome by Thobias Bernstrup | ||
| Link to Youtube Video |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| History of Hi-NRG |  | |||||
| Artists that played a pivital role in developing Hi-NRG |  | |||||
| Other information sources on artists tabled above |  |  |  |  |  |  |
