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Dane Bowers |
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 If Dane Bowers sounds sure of himself, he has every right to. He has already established himself as potent musical force, having written and fronted True Steppers brace of Top Five hits, Buggin and Out Of Your Mind, which featured Spice Girl Victoria Beckham. Classic R&B-flavoured song-writing twinned with fierce underground garage production, the tracks are merely a warm up for Danes much anticipated solo album. "People are probably expecting it to be garage" says the 21- year-old Dane, "but the sound is, basically, R&B pop". Of the highest order, obviously, with the likes of Dallas Austin (TLC, Madonna) Harvey Mason (protege of super producer Rodney Jerkins), Wyclef Jean and Jerry ‘Wonder” Duplessis (The Fugees, Whitney Houston, Destiny’s Child) all chipping in.
"R&B is massive in Britain now, but at the time we were the only ones doing that" he says. "It was not down to us alone, but we helped open the door". It could not last of course, with the band eventually dissolving over several months. "It was naturally too hard, to suddenly go from a four piece to just the two of us". So now there is just him. Why does Dane think he is the only one of the group still striving? "I want it more" he says.
Born and raised in Croydon, Dane describes his younger self as, "A bit of a show off, the joker of the class". The desire to be centre of attention was furthered by teenage spells as a DJ, playing weekend slots at Streatham Ice Rink. "Ten pounds an hour" he says, laughing at the memory. "When you are 14, 15, that is bloody good money". His soul DJ father inspired Danes antics.
"He had decks up in the loft so I got my own set" he says. "I even had the the lights and the little smoke machines. I was a mobile DJ basically. Did I play any weddings? (laughs) No, not weddings. Actually they are really difficult to do. You have got absolutely every type of person there, so its a nightmare to know what to play".
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