Safri Duo

Last updated
Safri Duo
SafriDuo.jpg
Back: Uffe Savery.
Front: Morten Friis, Clark Anderson.
Background information
Origin Copenhagen, Denmark
Genres Electronica
Years active1990–present
MembersUffe Savery
Morten Friis

Safri Duo is a Danish electronic percussion duo composed of Uffe Savery (born 5 April 1966) and Morten Friis (born 21 August 1968). Initially classically oriented, they later made a track mixing both tribal sound and modern electronica. Released in 2000, "Played-A-Live (The Bongo Song)", became one of the most popular songs in Europe in 2001. The single and subsequent album, Episode II each sold one million units worldwide, making Safri Duo the most internationally successful Danish act since Aqua.

Contents

History

Early years

Uffe Savery and Morten Friis met in 1977 while attending the Tivoli Garden Boys' Guard, and later, during their time at the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music, formed an experimental duo, called Safri Duo, whose name originated from the first letters of their respective surnames. Several albums were recorded and released through Chandos Records, on which the duo performed pieces by both famous classical (e.g. Bach, Mendelssohn, Ravel, whose works were arranged by Savery and Friis for two marimbas, or for marimba and vibraphone) and contemporary composers (a.o. Reich, Nørgård, Ter Veldhuis). Their performances of, especially, Ter Veldhuis' Goldrush, Ravel's Alborada del gracioso and Anders Koppel's Toccata for vibraphone and marimba are often labelled as small milestones by fellow percussionists[ citation needed ], as well as other musicians or people related to the world of classical music.

Mainstream success

Earlier in 2000, a track named "The Bongo Song" started appearing on clubs' playlists. Produced by Michael Parsberg, it soon got airtime on MTV Europe. The mix between tribal drums over trance proved to be a success, and it ended the year as one of the best selling singles in Europe in 2000 as well as featuring prominently in the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. This resulted in Safri Duo guesting along with Danish pop group Aqua during the interval of the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 held in Copenhagen. "The Bongo Song" was featured prominently during the 2002 Commonwealth Games held in Manchester, England as well as the soundtrack of FIFA Football 2003. The album, named Episode II , hit the market on 4 June 2001, nine tracks long, all featured the same percussion-electronica combination, except "Adagio" that kept the former classic line of the duo. A reissue added a second remix-only CD and the single "Sweet Freedom" recorded with Michael McDonald was released on 30 September 2002 (also "Everything" appeared in this CD Single as a B-Side). Two more tracks from Episode II were released as singles, "Samb-Adagio" and "Baya Baya". The Bongo Song became the anthem of the world-famous Coco Bongo super club in Cancún, where it is the party opening song every night.

3.0

In 2003 the new album 3.0 was released. It featured Clark Anderson as vocalist on several of the tracks, including "All the People in the World", "Agogo Mosse" and "Laarbasses". The single "Rise" became a huge success[ citation needed ] and later they released a new version called "Rise (Leave Me Alone)" which featured Clark Anderson on vocals. In 2004 they released a remix album of 3.0 called 3.5 – International Version. It included the new version of "Rise" and several other tracks with Clark Anderson as vocalist and remixes of the already known tracks. They also played in the concert of Jean Michel Jarre (AERO Concert) on his famous track Rendez vous 4.

Origins

Safri Duo's latest album Origins was released on 17 November 2008. [1]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions Certifications
DEN
[2] 		AUT
[3] 		BEL
(FL)
[4] 		FIN
[5] 		GER
[6] 		NLD
[7] 		NOR
[8] 		POR
[9] 		SWE
[10] 		SWI
[11]
Turn Up the Volume——————————
Works for Percussion
  • Released: 1994
  • Label: Chandos
  • Formats: CD, LP, cassette
——————————
Percussion Transcriptions
  • Released: 2 February 1995
  • Label: Chandos
  • Formats: CD, LP, cassette
——————————
Lutoslawski, Bartók, Helweg
  • Released: 1995
  • Label: Chandos
  • Formats: CD, LP, cassette
——————————
Goldrush
  • Released: 18 June 1996
  • Label: Chandos
  • Formats: CD, LP, cassette
——————————
Bach to the Future
  • Released: 19 May 1998
  • Label: Chandos
  • Formats: CD, LP, cassette
——————————
Episode II 121137216914492
3.0
  • Released: 29 September 2003
  • Label: Universal
  • Formats: CD, LP, cassette, digital download
2————————73
  • IFPI DEN: Platinum [15]
3.5
  • Released: 20 September 2004
  • Label: Universal
  • Formats: CD, digital download
6—————————
  • IFPI DEN: Gold [16]
Origins
  • Released: 17 November 2008
  • Label: Universal
  • Formats: CD, digital download
14—————————
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
TitleYearPeak chart positions Certifications Album
DEN
[2] 		AUT
[3] 		BEL
(FL)
[4] 		FIN
[5] 		GER
[17] 		NLD
[7] 		NOR
[8] 		SWE
[10] 		SWI
[11] 		UK
[18]
"Played-A-Live (The Bongo Song)"20001725234816Episode II
"Samb-Adagio"200193510151423—2428—
"Baya Baya"——56—7466——52—
"Sweet Freedom"
(featuring Michael McDonald)		2002—5050—2923——5254
"Fallin' High"20031———6591——44—3.0 and 3.5
"All the People in the World"
(featuring Clark Anderson)		———————19——
"Rise (Leave Me Alone)"
(featuring Clark Anderson)		2004——————————
"Knock on Wood"
(featuring Clark Anderson)		——————————
"Twilight"2008——————————Origins
"Helele"
(with Velile)		2010—8——2———1—
  • BVMI: Platinum [13]
  • IFPI SWI: Platinum [14]
Greatest Hits
"Mad World"
(with Michael Parsberg, featuring Isam B)		4—————————
  • IFPI DEN: Gold [23]
Non-album singles
"Masterpiece"
(with SebastiAn, featuring Limewax)		4—————————
  • IFPI DEN: Gold [23]
"Dimitto (Let Go)"
(with Kato, featuring Bjørnskov)		20131—————————
"Cynical"
(with Twocolors, featuring Chris de Sarandy) [lower-alpha 1] 		2023
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Notes

  1. ↑ Contains a interpolation of "Played-A-Live (The Bongo Song)"

Related Research Articles

<i>Sailing to Philadelphia</i> 2000 studio album by Mark Knopfler

Sailing to Philadelphia is the second solo studio album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released on 26 September 2000 by Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album contains featured vocal performances by James Taylor, Van Morrison, and Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze.

<i>Greatest Hits III</i> (Queen album) 1999 greatest hits album by Queen

Greatest Hits III is a compilation album by British rock band Queen. It is a compilation of latter-day songs, the band members' solo hits and the band's collaborations with other artists. It was released on 8 November 1999. The first two tracks on the album were new previously unreleased versions of classic Queen songs.

<i>Episode II</i> (album) 2001 studio album by Safri Duo

Episode II is the first mainstream studio album by Safri Duo, a percussion duo from Denmark that released six classical albums before its breakthrough with the Michael Parsberg-produced hit "Played-A-Live", the opening track of the album. It was released on May 28, 2001, and reissued in 2002 with two additional tracks, including a cover version of "Sweet Freedom" with vocals by American R&B/soul singer Michael McDonald. Later the same year a Remix Edition of the album was released, which included an additional disc with remixes by artists such as Airscape, Cosmic Gate and Future Breeze.

<i>Savage Garden</i> (Savage Garden album) 1997 studio album by Savage Garden

Savage Garden is the debut studio album by Australian pop duo Savage Garden. It was released on 4 March 1997 in Australia by Columbia Records and Roadshow Music. The album won the award for Highest Selling Album at the 12th Annual ARIA Music Awards, selling more than 12 million copies worldwide, according to Billboard magazine. In September 1997, Savage Garden won a record ten ARIA Awards from 13 nominations for the album and associated singles. As of 2005, Savage Garden had been certified diamond in Canada, 12× platinum in Australia, 7× platinum in the US, 2× platinum in New Zealand, Singapore, and in the UK.

Henrik Blak, better known by his stage name Blak, is a Danish rapper and songwriter.

<i>By Request</i> (Boyzone album) 1999 compilation album by Boyzone

By Request is the first greatest hits album by Irish boy band Boyzone. It was released on 31 May 1999 by Universal. The album is their best selling release to date, with sales of over 4 million copies worldwide.

<i>The Platinum Album</i> (Vengaboys album) 2000 studio album by Vengaboys

The Platinum Album is the second studio album by Dutch dance group Vengaboys. The album spawned five singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Played-A-Live (The Bongo Song)</span> 2000 single by Safri Duo

"Played-A-Live " is a song by Danish percussion duo Safri Duo. It was released in 2000 as the lead single from their first mainstream studio album, Episode II. The Michael Parsberg-produced song, which has a mix of tribal drums with electronic music twists, sold 1.5 million copies worldwide and became the fourth-fastest-selling single ever in Europe. The single topped the Danish Singles Chart. Outside Denmark, the single also topped the Swiss Singles Chart and peaked at number two in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. It reached number six in the United Kingdom and number seven on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nabiha</span> Danish singer-songwriter

Nabiha Bensouda is a Danish singer-songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helele</span> 2010 single by Velile and Safri Duo

"Helele" is a Zulu language song by South African singer Velile Mchunu and Danish percussion duo Safri Duo. It was released on 7 May 2010 as the only new single from Safri Duo's Greatest Hits album. The song was the official trailer song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup broadcast on German television channel RTL and Switzerland's Schweizer Fernsehen and Télévision Suisse Romande in June–July. "Helele" is based on the 1971 song "Aieaoa" by French producer Daniel Vangarde and Belgian producer Jean Kluger in the group Yamasuki. It was famously covered by Belgian group Black Blood in 1975 and English girl group Bananarama in 1981. "Helele" peaked at number one in Switzerland, number two in Germany and number eight in Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basim (singer)</span> Danish singer

Anis Basim Moujahid, better known as Basim, is a Danish pop singer and songwriter. He is of Moroccan origin. He has released two albums, Alt det jeg ville have sagt in 2008 and Befri dig selv in 2009. Basim represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 on home ground in Copenhagen, Denmark with the song "Cliche Love Song". The following year he was the Danish spokesperson at Eurovision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandon Beal</span> American singer, songwriter and producer

Brandon Beal is an American singer, songwriter and producer. He gained recognition through his single "Twerk It Like Miley" which went viral through the app Dubsmash, and charted in 14 different countries including Denmark, Indonesia, and Malaysia. He later released the single "Golden" that featured Lukas Graham which also reached number 1 in Denmark, and charted in Sweden, Norway, and Germany. He also hit the number 1 spot in Denmark with the Christopher song "CPH Girls" that featured him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medina discography</span>

The discography of Danish pop artist Medina consists of seven studio albums. Three of these have spawned commercially successful singles that have peaked at number one on the official Danish singles chart. In total, Medina has forty-three singles with her most successful one internationally being "You and I".

Jimilian Ismaili is a Danish singer.

"Uncover" is a song by Swedish singer Zara Larsson from her debut extended play, Introducing (2013). The song was released on 21 January 2013. It was written by Marcus Sepehrmanesh, Robert Habolin and Gavin Jones and it was produced by Habolin. It initially charted on DigiListan charts, SR P3 charts for downloads on 27 January 2013 and eventually charted on Sverigetopplistan, the official Swedish Singles Chart on 22 February 2013 becoming number one. The single also charted in Norway reaching number one as well. In July 2013, the song was certified 6× Platinum in Sweden by Universal Music Sweden.

This is a discography of Pretty Maids, a Danish hard rock/heavy metal band from Horsens, Denmark, consists of 16 studio albums, three live albums, four extended plays, and two compilation albums.

Ukendt Kunstner is a Danish hip hop group from Copenhagen, founded in 2012 by rapper Hans Philip, producer Jens Ole Wowk McCoy, alongside singers Rollo and King. They were signed to the label Sony Music Denmark.

<i>Roxette XXX – The 30 Biggest Hits</i> 2014 greatest hits album by Roxette

Roxette XXX – The 30 Biggest Hits is the sixth greatest hits compilation album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 3 November 2014 by Roxette Recordings in conjunction with Parlophone and Warner Music Group.

Kian Rosenberg Larsson, known professionally as Gilli, is a Danish rapper, singer, and songwriter from Rødovre, Capital Region. After initially growing out of the B.O.C. rap collective and releasing several singles between 2011 and 2013, also as a feature artist, Gilli rose to mainstream prominence in 2014 following the release of the musical drama film Ækte vare (2014), playing a fictionalized version of himself.

"Samb-Adagio" is a song by Danish percussion duo Safri Duo. It was released in June 2001 as the second single from their first mainstream studio album, Episode II. The single reached number nine on the Danish Singles Chart. Outside Denmark, the single reached number three in Spain and the top 20 in Belgium (Flanders), Finland, and Germany. It also reached the top 30 in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.

References

  1. ↑ It's a Trap! – Scandinavian Music Journal
  2. 1 2 "Discography Safri Duo". danishcharts.dk. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Discographie Safri Duo". austriancharts.at (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Discografie Safri Duo". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Discography Safri Duo". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  6. ↑ "Chartverfolgung / Safri Duo / Longplay". musicline.de (in German). GfK Entertainment . Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Discografie Safri Duo". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Discography Safri Duo". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "Discography Safri Duo". portuguesecharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Discography Safri Duo". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Discography Safri Duo". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "Album Top-40: Uge 15 – 2002" (in Danish). Tracklisten. IFPI Denmark . Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  13. 1 2 3 "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank: Safri Duo" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Safri Duo)". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  15. ↑ "Album Top-40: Uge 50 – 2003" (in Danish). Tracklisten. IFPI Denmark . Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  16. ↑ "Album Top-40: Uge 52 – 2004" (in Danish). Tracklisten. IFPI Denmark . Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  17. ↑ "Chartverfolgung / Safri Duo / Single". musicline.de (in German). GfK Entertainment . Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  18. ↑ "Safri Duo" (select "Singles" tab). Official Charts Company . Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  19. 1 2 "Origins". Safri Duo. Universal Music . Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  20. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2001". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  21. ↑ "Trofeer". IFPI Norway. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  22. ↑ "ÅR 2001" (PDF) (in Swedish). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  23. 1 2 "Home | IFPI".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.