Daft Punk was a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved early popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining elements of house music with funk, disco, techno, rock and synth-pop. They are regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music.
Sugarland is an American country music duo founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The duo consists of singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush. They were founded in 2002, at which point Kristen Hall was also a member. All three had experience in folk rock: Nettles had recorded in the groups Soul Miner's Daughter and Jennifer Nettles Band, Bush had recorded two albums as one-half of the duo Billy Pilgrim, and Hall had recorded two solo albums. After Hall left in 2006, Nettles and Bush continued as a duo.
Mirwais Ahmadzaï, known mononymously as Mirwais, is a French electronic dance music record producer and songwriter, born in Lausanne, Switzerland to an Afghan father and an Italian mother. A former member of the now-defunct 1980s group Taxi Girl, he is perhaps best-known for his work with American artist Madonna, whom he first met in the late 1990s. After submitting a demo of his work to her label, Maverick Records, Mirwais eventually teamed-up with the singer in 1999 to create Music (2000), a global smash record for Madonna; the album, as well as its title track single, peaked at No. 1 or within the Top 10 on the charts of several countries and territories, including the UK, US, Canada and Australia.
Music is the eighth studio album by American singer Madonna, released on September 18, 2000, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records. Following the success of her previous album Ray of Light (1998), Madonna found herself in a music scene increasingly influenced by a younger generation of singers such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. This led her to seek a distinctive sound that would set her apart in the evolving musical landscape. Her collaborations with Mirwais Ahmadzaï and William Orbit resulted in a more experimental direction for the album. Music incorporates many different genres into its overall dance-pop and electronica vibe, taking influences from funk, house, rock, country and folk. With the album embracing a western motif, Madonna reimagined her image in the role of a cowgirl.
American Life is the ninth studio album by American singer Madonna. It was released on April 21, 2003, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records. The album, produced by the singer and Mirwais Ahmadzaï, features references to many parts of American culture. The album is a concept album, with themes panning the American Dream and materialism. These themes reject the reputation Madonna held in the 1980s, earned by her 1984 Billboard Hot 100 number-two hit, "Material Girl". American Life is a folktronica and eurotechno album, influenced by acoustic music.
"Nothing Fails" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her ninth studio album, American Life (2003). Written by Madonna, Guy Sigsworth and Jem Griffiths, and produced by the singer along with Mirwais Ahmadzaï and Mark "Spike" Stent, it was released as the third single from the album on October 27, 2003. Originally demoed as "Silly Thing", "Nothing Fails" is a love song which has acoustic guitar chords and a gospel choir appearance. Lyrically, the song discusses a lover who is the one, and how their meeting was not just chance. A number of remixes were done, including one on Madonna's remix album Remixed & Revisited (2003).
"Love Profusion" is a song by American singer and songwriter Madonna for her ninth studio album, American Life (2003). Written and produced by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï, it was released as the fourth and final single from the album on December 8, 2003, by Maverick Records. "Love Profusion" was first premiered during the release of the album on AOL. It later received a number of remixes, which were also released alongside the single. The song contains rhythm from a four piece bass drum, with acoustic guitar riffs and Madonna's voice backed by a male vocal during the chorus. Ahmadzaï used the stutter edit to create a new groove. Dedicated to Madonna's then-husband, Guy Ritchie, the song's lyrics deal with Madonna's confusion regarding American culture.
"Hollywood" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna. The song was written and produced by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï for her ninth studio album, American Life (2003). On May 27, 2003, it was released as the second single from the album by Maverick Records. It later appeared on the greatest hits album, Celebration (2009). "Hollywood" is a folk rock, synth-pop, electro-folk, electropop and psychedelic folk song that lyrically discusses American culture and greed, focusing on Hollywood, California, as a place of pop stars and illusory dreams. Ahmadzaï did the main programming for the track and kept the track as simple as possible, without using too many instruments.
Soapkills or Soap Kills is an indie electro-pop band based in Lebanon. The group was formed in October 1997 when Zeid Hamdan and Yasmine Hamdan, both born in Beirut in 1976 but not related, decided to explore and combine their interest in classical Arabic song and electronic music.
Heligoland is the fifth studio album by English electronic music duo Massive Attack, released on 8 February 2010 by Virgin Records. Named after a German archipelago, it was their first studio album in seven years, following 100th Window (2003). It's the first album to feature Daddy G since Mezzanine (1998), therefore making it the first album by the band to be recorded as a duo. It also features recurring guest vocalists Horace Andy and Damon Albarn along with Martina Topley-Bird, Guy Garvey, Tunde Adebimpe and Hope Sandoval. It has been certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
Maxime Morin, is a Montreal-based Canadian multi-instrumentalist, better known for his work in electronic music under the name DJ Champion, or simply Champion.
"Pop the Glock" is a single by French-American recording artist Uffie. The re-released single was released as a 12" vinyl on November 30, 2009. "Pop the Glock" was Uffie's first single and an international underground hit. It was originally released in early 2006 by Ed Banger Records on the Pop the Glock/Ready to Uff EP.
Mi Plan is the fourth studio album and the first Spanish-language album by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado. It was released independently on September 11, 2009 by Furtado’s own record label Nelstar Entertainment with distribution by Universal Music Latino. This marks Furtado’s first independently released album. Recording sessions for the album took place from 2008 to 2009. The album was produced primarily by Furtado with other contributions made by James Bryan, Lester Mendez, Salaam Remi, The Demolition Crew, Julieta Venegas and Brian West. Furtado described the songs on the album to be "simple love songs".
Y.A.S. is an electronic music duo, formed in 2007 in Paris, France, and consists of Mirwais Ahmadzaï (keyboard/guitar) and Yasmine Hamdan (vocals).
David Treahearn is an English record producer, programmer, recording and mix engineer based in Richmond Upon Thames, England.
Robert Haggett was a British record producer, songwriter and mix engineer. He has worked with some of the world's most successful artists including Madonna, Gwen Stefani, The Black Eyed Peas, Björk, James Morrison and Depeche Mode.
"Impressive Instant" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 2000 studio album Music. Originally intended to be the fourth single of the album, the release was cancelled due to a disagreement between Madonna and her recording company. Finally Warner Bros. released it in the United States as a promotional single on September 18, 2001. Written and produced by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï, the track is bright and uplifting in its content and composition. It was the first song that Madonna and Ahmadzaï worked on and recorded. Ahmadzaï had to work separately on his laptop to generate the sound elements which Madonna wanted in the song, since it was difficult to generate the music in the recording studio. "Impressive Instant" has been described as a club-savvy acid techno, pop-trance, electropop and electro house stomper containing futuristic keyboard lines, with Madonna's vocals being distorted and robotic. Backed by laser noises and synths, the song's lyrics deal with love at first sight, and contains somewhat absurd, nonsensical lyrics.
"Nobody Knows Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna. The song was written and produced by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï for her ninth studio album American Life (2003). It was released as a promotional single in the United States on October 15, 2003, with a remixed version appearing on the remix compilation Remixed & Revisited (2003). "Nobody Knows Me" carries on the main theme of American Life, with its usage of negative tones on the songs. It is a dance and electronic song, with vocoder effects, spacey synths and a bubbly bass, and lyrically, Madonna rejects tabloid culture's "social disease", denouncing both TV and magazines.
Yasmine Hani Hamdan is a Lebanese singer and songwriter, now based in Paris.
Production is the second studio album by French record producer and songwriter Mirwais, released on 20 April 2000 through Naïve in Europe.
