Limahl, the 1990’s, and Production Work
Limahl, the 1990’s, and Production Work
During the 90’s, Limahl teamed up with musician Guy Phethean and formed the production team Jupiter. Working from their ‘Red Spot’ studios in West London, Jupiter became involved in song writing, production and mixing work for many artists, boasting clients such as Kim Appleby, Peter Andre, Tony Di Bart, Kim Wilde and Worlds Apart. The team can proudly boast mixing duties on three UK number one singles!
Videos courtesy of GuyMagicFingers:
Not only did the team work for other artists, but they also produced and released a series of dance tracks within the ‘trance’ genre. Trance is a strain of dance music characterised by a tempo of between 130 and 155 BPM, short melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and down throughout the track. The name is undoubtedly linked to the perceived ability of music to induce an altered state of consciousness, or, in other words, a trance. In other words, quite different to Kajagoogoo!
Under various guises in the mid 1990’s, Limahl released several trance tracks, recording under names such as ‘Barb’ & ‘Club Crew’
By 1994, Limahl and Guy had settled on the recording alias ‘Jupiter’. They recorded a track called ‘Destiny’, released on independent label ‘Pigeon Pie Records’. The track featured female vocalist Sylvia Mason James who had previously worked alongside The Pet Shop Boys and also was the female vocal on Jimmy Nail’s number One hit ‘Aint No Doubt’.
Listen to a sample of that track here, courtesy of www.limahl.com.
http://www.limahl.com/flash/destiny_short.swf
An interesting part of Limahl’s career, and quite different from ‘Never Ending Story’ or ‘Too Shy’, I’m sure that you will agree!
Whoever would have thought it?
Keep checking in on KajaFax, as in the next few days, we have an exclusive and in depth interview with Guy Phethean from Jupiter coming up…
2011 KajaFax
Death Defying Headlines Diary 14
Death Defying Headlines Promo Diary 14
Here is the latest update in the promo diary for the new single, ‘Death Defying Headlines’.
“We would love to play the new Kajagoogoo single, no problem, we’re not too shy!”
Tony Keys
Technical Director – Central FM, Spain
http://www.centralfm.com/
Dutch station ‘Internet Radio Piraat’ approached KajaFax to request details on the track:
“We are willing to play the song to our listeners….send it to us and we will certainly give it some rotation!”
DJ Koen
Internet Radio Piraat, Holland
http://www.internetradiopiraat.net/
“We are featuring Kajagoogoo and the new track on the ‘What’s on’ show, broadcast at 5pm every day this week”
John Hicks, Station Director
Covent Garden Radio
http://www.coventgardenradio.com/
“Of course we would love to play it…..we will add to the playlist from June 2nd”
Ian Starling – Voice FM
http://www.thevoicefm.co.uk
KajaFax appeared in the Leighton Buzzard Observer newspaper with a superb feature about the band and the new single. You can see that story here:
https://kajafax.co.uk/2011/05/24/kajafax-in-leighton-buzzard-observer/
Nick Beggs comments on the work from KajaFax, ‘Thanx for everything you guys are doing. Actually it’s very impressive. Fancy a job? ;-)))‘
The links to purchase the single are pushed out on facebook by Nick Beggs and Stuart Croxford Neale.
The release is featured on the label, Red Dot Music’s website. This is pushed out on facebook by Steve Askew and Glenn Kelly.
http://www.reddotmusic.co.uk/artists/kajagoogoo-DeathDefyingHeadlines.html
SINGLE INFORMATION
You can currently pre-order the single from HMV and 7digital, it’s a mere 79p:
HMV
http://www.hmvdigital.com/artist/kajagoogoo/death-defying-headlines-ep
7digital
http://www.7digital.com/artists/kajagoogoo/death-defying-headlines-ep/
If the dance mix is more your thing (and it is fantastic), you can also download that and they both count towards a chart position:
HMV
http://www.hmvdigital.com/artist/kajagoogoo/death-defying-headlines-the-dance-remixes-ep
7digital
http://www.7digital.com/artists/kajagoogoo/death-defying-headlines-the-dance-remixes-ep/
It’s a really quick and easy process to pre-order the track, 7digital even take PayPal in their payment options!
You can pre-order from iTunes but they only allow this for the full EP. Therefore if you wish to pre-order either full EP from iTunes, you can do this here:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/preorder/death-defying-headlines-ep/id436784345
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/preorder/death-defying-headlines-the/id436784119
If you are an iTunes user but only wish to purchase the single, please wait until June 12th where it is officially released and you will be able to buy this as one track.
Death Defying Headlines is released on Red Dot Music.
Many thanks for all your support so far, it’s appreciated!
2011 KajaFax
KajaFax in Leighton Buzzard Observer
KajaFax in Leighton Buzzard Observer
KajaFax appears in the Leighton Buzzard Observer newspaper today in a fantastic story about the single release of ‘Death Defying Headlines’.
It’s the local newspaper for the band and they were very keen to pick it up and help us tell our story and promote the single. Jez and I both interviewed for the piece and it’s really great to see it down on paper and know that people are reading it today, hopefully coming to look around the site and even pre-order the single.
The feature, click to enlarge:
Many thanks to Jak Phillips at the LBO for getting down the points we raised and writing a superb story for us. He’s nailed the facts and I really appreciate that.
Many thanks also to Nick Beggs for sending the story over to me this morning along with a hearty ‘well done’.
2011 KajaFax
KajaFax Needs Your Help! Absolute 80s
KajaFax Needs Your Help! Absolute 80s!
We’re thick and fast with the promotion for ‘Death Defying Headlines’ and one of our biggest goals is to get the single played on ‘Absolute 80s’ radio station.
It’s a huge station, has a massive listener base and is the ideal relevant platform from which to really boost our chances of a chart position in June.
How can you help?
Absolute 80s have a ‘request a track’ part in their website. Simple fill that in and request the track. That’s it!
If we all do this, we could make a real difference. All requests are guaranteed to be read and if enough of it want it, maybe they’ll play it?
So, all you need to do right now is click this link:
http://absolute80s.com/contact-us/
Email the studio, fill in all the fields and in your message just ask to hear the new Kajagoogoo single, Death Defying Headlines.
Please be sure to enter your email subject as Absolute 80s Song Request.
If you’re on Facebook, go to their wall and ask for the song there:
http://www.facebook.com/Absolute80s
If this track gets a chart position in June, we can all be responsible for that, do your part today and take one minute to email the station!
Thank You!
2011 KajaFax
Steve Askew, Liz Lenten and Baby Boomerang
Steve Askew and ‘Baby Boomerang’
by theraggedtiger
Back in 1992 after his work on Kajagoogoo and Smalltown Elephants, Steve Askew was again thinking about new projects. He had previously formed a band called ‘Christmas Island’, producing a showcase video in New York, which in turn resulted in producer Simon Phillips arranging some productive demo sessions. This line-up however, was not to last.
It was 1992 that saw the formation of Steve’s new band ‘Baby Boomerang’ featuring Paul Turley (Drums/Keyboards) and Liz Lenten (Vocals). Like Steve, Paul Turley had already tasted the commercial end of the industry as a part of ‘Classix Nouveau’, as well as being a member of Smalltown Elephants. Vocalist Liz Lenten also had a wealth of industry experience and had previously provided vocals for many other musicians, as well as been signed as an artist in her own right. The band recorded some demo tracks, with EastWest Records providing funding for the fledgling project.
The Baby Boomerang project was relatively short lived however, and the group soon disbanded. The costs involved with recording did however prompt Steve to develop his own studios, enabling him to work more freely. Protec Music was formed in 1994.
KajaFax caught up with vocalist Liz Lenten to ask about Baby Boomerang, her band Auburn, and her life in music!
Good Evening Liz, it’s great to speak to you.
It’s nice to be invited Steve, thank you…
May I ask, how did ‘Baby Boomerang’ come to be? Did you know Steve Askew prior to forming the band, or as a result of being in the band?
I used to run a studio in Tottenham, London and knew Steve (Askew) and Paul (Turley) from there – he used to come in and record and rehearse. He asked me to do the vocals for the Baby Boomerang project one day and it sounded fun….so we did it!
It does sound fun! How long was the band active? What did you achieve in that time….were any recordings made?
We did record some tracks….they were very ‘Bolanesque’ and were total nonsense lyrically…but they sounded good! Not sure what happened with it all after that to be honest – it’s a while ago!
You were offered some kind of deal with EastWest records? How did that come to be?
I wasn’t signed as a part of the band, but Steve and Paul may well have been. I vaguely recall that EastWest paid for the recording sessions as a developmental idea
How did the band come to an end?
Well, we didn’t have a falling out or anything – I think it just fizzled out. That was the year that we moved studio premises, so I was pretty tied up with that at the time…
I know that Paul Turley also drummed with ‘Classix Nouveau’. What experiences had you had with other bands prior to ‘Baby Boomerang’
I have had a busy past! I was signed to various labels but nothing ever came of it. I have sung with lots of people including Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody from Whitesnake. Danny Schogger produced some of my solo stuff for me.
That’s the producer known for his work with George Michael?
Yeah, and Hot Chocolate, Nick Heyward….Chris De Burgh…..a few famous names! I also worked with the lovely Pete Brown (Cream). I set up my own label, Scarlet Records through Pinnacle (a blast from the past!) and started releasing my own material under my band’s name, Auburn.
Auburn was great fun… we did lots of Radio and sessions. We toured Europe with the lovely Sophie Ellis-Bextor a few years ago as support. That was great, the whole family on a tour bus! Toddler and all!
I also worked with other artists through the label and as manager. Pusha, Shane MacGowan & the Popes, Criptic, Poppyseed to name but a few…
Kajagoogoo fans usually have an interest in other artists associated with the ‘Goo. How has your career developed since the early 1990’s? Who have you worked with or provided vocals for?
Well…over the years, I have sang with loads of bands! Sessions, guesting, that sort of thing. Far too many to name! I feel really lucky to be still working as a singer/songwriter at all. I also teach and love working with kids – I run a few choirs and music workshops. I just completed 3 and a half years as a vocal advisor for the governments national singing campaign ‘Sing Up’ and recently wrote and performed a choral piece with 1000 kids for ‘National Sing Up Day’ which was pretty mad!! And last year, I conducted the London Mozart Players and the Community Chorus for an international festival. That was an amazing experience.
It is never a dull moment! I also have the next Auburn album which is soon to be finished – it’s very exciting to back in that mode!
So, that sort of brings things up to date?
Well, as I mentioned, we have a new ‘Auburn’ album coming out. I took a few years break from Auburn during which we sold the studios in London and moved out to Lincolnshire. Now we are back and in the middle of the new album which should be out next year – all very exciting
Now I manage Eliza Carthy and Max Gilkes. Eliza has a new album released only this week….check it out on her website – she is fantastic.
I still work as a composer/songwriter, vocal coach, and singing teacher, and also work with Shane (MacGowan) from time to time…
Finally Liz, do you ever see Steve (Askew) or follow his work?
Alas no…I lost touch with lots of people when we left London. I would love to see Steve again actually, and hope all is well with him. He was a sweet guy and I remember us all doing a lot of laughing in-between the work! My husband engineered the Baby Boomerang sessions and he remembers it as being a whole load of fun too!
Thanks very much for talking to KajaFax Liz. It’s been great to hear what you have been up to!
Thanks Steve!
Many thanks indeed go to Liz Lenten for this interview. For any KajaFax readers who may want to hear more about Liz and her work with Auburn, Eliza Carthy, or Max Gilkes, please follow the below links!
http://www.scarletmusicservices.co.uk/
2011 KajaFax
Death Defying Headlines Diary 13
Death Defying Headlines Promo Diary 13
Here is the latest update in the promo diary for the new single.
The single continues to make a splash across radio land, our existing supporters are still playing the track and we have some new stations on board today.
The following stations have taken the track to playlist:
Radio Basingstoke
CCR – Canalside Community Radio
“Interested? Yep………..I used to love ‘em!”
Nick Wright, CCR-FM
Covent Garden Radio
Huntingdon Community Radio
Radio Alton
Radio UK International
“Thanks for contacting me. As a huge fan of Kajagoogoo, it was brilliant news”
John Hicks, Radio UK International
The Bay 102.8
The email campaign is firmly underway, our account is struggling to cope with the amount we’re sending out, all fans on the official mailing list should have their email by the end of today!
We’re working night and day to get the message out there, it really is a full time job. However, we can not achieve anything without the single being purchased by the fans.
You can currently pre-order the single from HMV and 7digital:
HMV
http://www.hmvdigital.com/artist/kajagoogoo/death-defying-headlines-ep
7digital
http://www.7digital.com/artists/kajagoogoo/death-defying-headlines-ep/
If the dance mix is more your thing (and it is fantastic), you can also download that and they both count towards a chart position:
HMV
http://www.hmvdigital.com/artist/kajagoogoo/death-defying-headlines-the-dance-remixes-ep
7digital
http://www.7digital.com/artists/kajagoogoo/death-defying-headlines-the-dance-remixes-ep/
It’s a really quick and easy process to pre-order the track, 7digital even take PayPal in their payment options!
You can pre-order from iTunes but they only allow this for the full EP. Therefore if you wish to pre-order either full EP from iTunes, you can do this here:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/preorder/death-defying-headlines-ep/id436784345
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/preorder/death-defying-headlines-the/id436784119
If you are an iTunes user but only wish to purchase the single, please wait until June 12th where it is officially released and you will be able to buy this as one track.
Many thanks for all your support so far, it’s appreciated!
Death Defying Headlines is released on Red Dot Music
2011 KajaFax
Death Defying Headlines Diary 12
Death Defying Headlines Promo Diary 12
Here is the latest entry in the promo diary for the new single:
The following radio stations have all playlisted the track:
Bishop FM
Dune FM
Home Radio
Lionheart Radio
SFM
Tribal FM
We’re currently in the process of sending a mailshot to the entire official Kajagoogoo mailing list. We’re hoping for good results from this, targetting existing fans of the band.
Of course, all our efforts are fruitless without fans buying the single and we urge you to do that to get the band’s name out there again.
You can currently pre-order the single from HMV and 7digital:
HMV
http://www.hmvdigital.com/artist/kajagoogoo/death-defying-headlines-ep
7digital
http://www.7digital.com/artists/kajagoogoo/death-defying-headlines-ep/
If the dance mix is more your thing (and it is fantastic), you can also download that and they both count towards a chart position:
HMV
http://www.hmvdigital.com/artist/kajagoogoo/death-defying-headlines-the-dance-remixes-ep
7digital
http://www.7digital.com/artists/kajagoogoo/death-defying-headlines-the-dance-remixes-ep/
It’s a really quick and easy process to pre-order the track, 7digital even take PayPal in their payment options!
You can pre-order from iTunes but they only allow this for the full EP. Therefore if you wish to pre-order either full EP from iTunes, you can do this here:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/preorder/death-defying-headlines-ep/id436784345
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/preorder/death-defying-headlines-the/id436784119
If you an iTunes user but only wish to purchase the single, please wait until June 12th where it is officially released and you will be able to buy this as one track.
Many thanks to everyone who has supported the single and already pre-ordered it.
A huge thanks to all the radio DJs who are playing this all across the UK and giving us a real chance in achieving our aim.
2011 KajaFax
Death Defying Headlines Diary 11
Death Defying Headlines Promo Diary 11
Here is the latest update in the promo diary for the new single:
North Cotswold Community Radio said:
“I would be more than happy to receive AND include the latest release from Kajagoogoo. I present a show on Friday Nights called Classic Cuts – it is based around music from the early 70’s to mid 90’s. I always remember “Too Shy” filling the dance floor whenever I played it all those years ago. I may even feature it in a ‘Now & Then’ spot. I will make sure it gets good air time”
ACE FM said:
“Thanks for the email and YES, we would love to feature the new Kaja single on air – I was a big fan when they were BIG in the 80’s…I’ll get it on air as soon as possible”
Nevis Radio said:
“Yes…please count us in to help promote Kajagoogoo and their new tune…”
MikeLive! Radio said:
“Sure, we would love to play the track…I really enjoyed the Bands Reunited programme and I’m glad it (eventually) resulted in the band re-forming”
Leisure FM confirm their support of the track, playlisting with immediate effect.
Manx Radio requested the track for playlist review.
KajaFax emailed over 100 newspapers with the offer of a story on the single.
And of course the big news of the moment is the single being available for pre-order on HMV and 7digital, very exciting news! More on that here:
https://kajafax.co.uk/2011/05/20/death-defying-headlines-now-on-hmv-and-7digital/
Or simply scroll down a little….!
We really need your support now to start pre-ordering the track and start helping us push the message out there.
2011 KajaFax
Death Defying Headlines Now on HMV and 7digital
Death Defying Headlines Now Live on HMV and 7digital
It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for, both sites are now listing the single for pre-order and everything is working perfectly.
Let’s get this single bought in big numbers and get the band back into the UK charts, it all starts right now!
To Pre-order Death Defying Headlines:
HMV
http://www.hmvdigital.com/artist/kajagoogoo/death-defying-headlines-ep
7digital
http://www.7digital.com/artists/kajagoogoo/death-defying-headlines-ep/
To Pre-order Death Defying Headlines Dance Mix:
HMV
http://www.hmvdigital.com/artist/kajagoogoo/death-defying-headlines-the-dance-remixes-ep
7digital
http://www.7digital.com/artists/kajagoogoo/death-defying-headlines-the-dance-remixes-ep/
With 7digital, you can also pay with PayPal.
If you’re not sure what we mean by pre-ordering, or anything else about the release, please read on for the facts about what this is all about and why we’ve done it, in our full story question round up.
How did this single release come about?
We at KajaFax were constantly receiving comments and emails from fans asking us when the band were going to release something. We took that demand to the band, they listened.
So who is promoting the single?
We are, all of us, the fans! KajaFax submitted a detailed plan to the band to prove we had the capability to do the single justice on their behalf.
So what do KajaFax make out of this?
Financially, nothing. We’re doing this out of enthusiasm and a love for the band.
Pre-ordering, what is it and why do it?
When you pre-order something, you pay for it now and receive it later. Every pre-ordered single is crucial for us, they all add up to the actual release week to count towards a chart position. We’re doing it this way to increase our chances of a achieving exactly that, a chart position.
So we get weeks of sales all in one go?
Essentially, yes. The chart is made up of file downloads rather than sales. Once we have our pre-order period, all of those sales are then downloaded in the release week. That week is when we hope we’ve done enough to achieve a chart position.
When is that week?
The single becomes downloadable on June 12th 2011. Every pre-order is downloaded then and people can still buy it and instantly download it in that week. Sunday 19th June 2011 is the chart date of when we hope to see this single make a position.
What do I do next?
Pre-order the single NOW! and spread the word as far as you can! It’s only 79p, cheaper than pretty much anything else you can buy! Even asking your friends to buy one as a contribution would be incredible.
Can I buy the dance mix or the EP instead?
Yes, the single from the dance mix counts as a valid sale towards the chart. If you buy the full EP, this also counts as a valid sales towards the chart for the single.
Can we really get this track into the charts, I mean REALLY?
That’s in our hands, REALLY! Sales figures vary weekly, there is no hard and fast figure to give. If we can secure sales of around 4000-5000, we can hit the Top 40. That’s achievable, we have five weeks. The biggest secret to making this happen are the golden words:
DON’T LEAVE BUYING IT TO SOMEBODY ELSE!!
So there we have it, hopefully everyone understands the reason for pre-ordering and is all ready to get busy buying the track!
2011 KajaFax
Amazon List Death Defying Headlines
Amazon List Death Defying Headlines as Pre-Order
Amazon are now showing the single as being available for Pre-Order, as an added bonus they have listed it for only 69p.
Note! At this point with Amazon, you will not be charged. The single will be added to your basket and it can then be quickly purchased and downloaded from June 12th.
Click an image below for your single choice to be added to basket.
Death Defying Headlines:
Death Defying Headlines – Dance Mix:
2011 KajaFax
kajafax.co.uk 