Entertainment Europe: Rob Dougan - Rob Dougan talks about his album
TAPE: EF02/0529
IN_TIME: 14:15:55
DURATION: 3:51
SOURCES: APTN/BMG
RESTRICTIONS: music video/performance rights must be cleared
DATELINE: London 6/6/02
SHOTLIST
1. Clip 'Clubbed to Death ' Rob Dougan
2. sot Rob Dougan (on why the album has taken so long): "I don't really care how long it takes, I'm not a very careerist person who thinks 'oh yes we have got to keep releasing something every month and pushing hard and becoming a pop success'. I have a bit of slight disgust at that. I think if you do something good that stands the test of time there's no rush."
3. Clip ' Clubbed to Death' Rob Dougan
4. sot Rob Dougan: "All that I really want with music is that with people's imagination, they are listening to it and really they start imagining things and it hits their imagination. But to do that sometimes in a more specific way, 'Clubbed To Death' is aninstrumental and it is really evocative and perhaps you can see situations and stuff. With the other songs sometimes you do it with lyrics, and it is less ambiguous."
5. Clip' Clubbed to Death' Rob Dougan
6. Sot Rob Dougan: "I just tried to make it a little piece of short film that was a video clip as well. We went out to South Africa. I had to train up for this video because there is lots of running, the scenario is running. "
7. Clip ' Clubbed to Death'
8. Sot Rob Dougan: "The running was difficult because the scenario is sort of, and this is really not going to do it justice, it is a reverse world. Whether you picked this up or not it is a reverse world, and eventually it moves forward, struggles out of that reverse world, and starts moving forward, starts running down freeways, speeding up, faster then cars , into the countryside down dirt roads, running down freeways, speeding up faster then cars, into the countryside down dirt roads and resembling a Hitchcock film. And then eventually takes off into the air and bursts into flames. "
9. Clip ' Clubbed to Death' Rob Dougan
DOUGAN RELEASES SMASH DANCE HIT IN UK
Australian born Rob Dougan got his first break in music in his twenties when he met Rollo Armstrong, who has since gone on to become a giant producer, working with the likes of Faithless and Dido (his sister).
Despite some music offers in Australia, British born Rollo headed back to England and Rob decided to join him. Back in London, Rollo set up dance label Cheeky, which produced Rob Dougan alongside artists such as Skinny, Pauline Taylor and of course Faithless.
Rollo and Rob soon became known as 'Dignity' or 'Our Tribe' and between 1992 and 1996 the pair did many remixes and Rob set up his own label RDR (Rob Dougan Rollo) and OTM (Our Tribe Management). The pair then met and collaborated with Kristine W on dance smash 'Feel What You Want', in 1997 releasing the album 'Land of the Living'.
Then Rob decided to go it alone releasing the single 'Clubbed to Death' which has since taken the world by storm and been used both to advertise Caffreys beer and in the 1999 film 'The Matrix'.
Rob then re-released the theme in 1998 with the addition of lyrics and mixes from Rollo and Midfield General and titled it 'Furious Angels', which is also the title of his debut album. 'Clubbed To Death' is released in the UK next week along with an imaginative yet oddball video. The album hits music shops on July 1st. And although the album may be a long time coming Dougan doesn't see this as a problem.
" I don't really care how long it takes, I'm not a very careerist person who thinks 'Oh yes, we have got to keep releasing something every month and pushing hard and becoming a pop success', I have a bit of slight disgust at that. I think if you do something good that stands the test of time there's no rush."
The long awaited album is by no means a solo effort. Dougan combines his gravelly vocals with huge orchestral strings.
Three tracks, 'Will You Follow Me? 'Speed Me Towards Death' and 'One and the Same', use an orchestra and choir of 122 players taking emotive classical music of the Romantic era and combining it with hip hop production techniques and rhythms to produce a 'string beat'.
The album also features soaring tunes more suited to film scores and to contrast some simple lyrical pieces such as 'Drinking Song' accompanied by solitary violins or piano chords.
Following the bankruptcy of Cheeky, BMG have bought the rights to Rob's forthcoming album and past tracks including much unreleased material, such as his track 'Soon' with Nick Cave and Kylie and the unusual remix of a Sting song that Sting strongly disapproved of.
Sting aside, other artists such as U2, Moby, Pet Shop Boys have been more than pleased with Dougan's remixing results and his future success looks assured with the buzz surrounding him at the moment.
And if for some reason, the album fails Rob will also be contributing to the soundtrack for 'The Matrix Reloaded', set for release at the end of the year, which is likely to give Rob another hit.
CLEARANCE DETAILS
TITLE: Clubbed to Death
ARTIST: Rob Dougan
WRITER: TBC
PUBLISHER: TBC
LABEL: BMG