THE SMALLEST BIG BAND IN THE WORLD?
Don Johnson Big Band are a fiercely independent major group, a true crossover artist breaking radio and genre barriers while receiving rave reviews from the press. Not bad for what - with only four members who originally met in school - might be the world's smallest big band, in a country where English-language hip-hop has never been a dominant chart force.
A number of years ago, this group used to be an uncompromising underground favorite. Their debut "Support de Microphones" (2000) remains one of the biggest-selling self-released albums in Finland. They signed to Universal Music in March 2003 and released their second album "Breaking Daylight" in May 2003. A furore ensued: the album shot straight to no. 1, went nearly double-platinum, contained a major hit single in "One MC, One Delay" and received two Emma Awards (the Finnish equivalent for Grammies).
And now, with three years gone and countless gigs played, the band returns with their eagerly awaited third album, simply called "Don Johnson Big Band". The self-titled masterpiece is set to continue the success of its predecessor, and the early signs couldn't be better: both the first single and the album itself immediately secured themselves the no. 1 spot at the charts.
The sound of Don Johnson Big Band has always been a fascinating blend, hip-hop being one of the main ingredients. The new album sees the band take a quantum leap forward: it's an effortless-sounding work of pure excellence. The listener will recognize many familiar traces of jazz, house, dub and country, but there is much more melody than ever, and the band breaks completely new ground with the acoustic ballad "Island Girl".
"Don Johnson Big Band" is the group's most ambitious and audacious work to date. Eighteen months in the making, the album was recorded in locations stretching all the way from Helsinki, Finland by way of Tavira, Portugal to Nashville, USA. The mastering work was undertaken by the legendary Howie Weinberg at Masterdisk, NYC, and the end result is masterful, period.
It's only a matter of time before the rest of the world regards Don Johnson Big Band as the hottest band to come from one of the coldest countries in the world.
Official website: www.donjohnsonbigband.com
Song samples, videos, news, photos, articles and more...
Official webshop: shop.donjohnsonbigband.com
Order CDs, LPs, singles, T-shirts, posters and more...
New album micro-site: www.djbbdjbb.com
A studio diary, interviews, pictures and more...
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