Cheiron Studios

Coordinates: 59°19′55″N 18°01′34″E / 59.332°N 18.026°E / 59.332; 18.026
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Cheiron Studios
BMG
WebsiteOfficial website (archived)

Cheiron Studios (Swedish pronunciation:

music publishing
service (Cheiron Songs), although those ventures were later abandoned in favour of music production.

After Denniz PoP's death in 1998, Cheiron closed in 2000.

the Location, and David Kreuger and Per Magnusson started A Side Productions. The studio is currently owned by Roxy Recordings, which also includes the Hanssonic Studios of Anders Hansson
.

1986–1992: SweMix

In 1986, a group of ten Swedish disc jockeys founded SweMix, a remix service, as a response to

Denniz PoP), René Hedemyr (JackMaster Fax), Sten Hallström (StoneBridge), Emil Hellman (SoundFactory), and Johan Järpsten (JJ). In the beginning they produced and distributed song remixes without permission, so-called "bootlegs", for limited underground distribution on their newly founded Remixed Records.[2] Remixed Records attracted attention not only in Scandinavia but also Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. Tom Talomaa, a nightclub owner, became involved and supported the studio with more sophisticated equipment, and musicians began seeking out the group's services. As a result, two labels were formed: Basement Division for underground artists and SweMix Records via Swedish Sonet, for commercial records.[3]

SweMix Records signed Swedish dance acts such as

Leila K., and had their first big hit with Dr. Alban's 1990 breakout single "Hello Afrika" (produced by Denniz PoP). In 1991, the company was divided, and Remixed Records was sold to Giovanni Sconfienza, who later converted it into a full-fledged label (releasing artists such as Solid Base and Sonic Dream Collective).[2] The following year, SweMix further split up into SweMix Productions and SweMix Records & Publishing. The latter was sold to BMG and taken over by Denniz PoP and Tom Talomaa, who renamed it Cheiron and began working in the studio in 1992.[4]

In early 1992, the Danish record company Mega Records sent Denniz PoP a demo tape by a then-unknown band called Ace of Base. It included the reggae song "Mr. Ace", written by American singer-songwriter Angelo Negron. Denniz PoP was not initially impressed with it, but after listening to it repeatedly, he decided to remix it. It was re-recorded at the SweMix studio and given the new title "All That She Wants". The track became an unexpected hit and catapulted both Ace of Base and Denniz PoP into international stardom.[5][6]

1993–2000: Cheiron

In 1992, Denniz PoP and the SweMix collective parted ways due to creative differences. When Denniz launched Cheiron with Douglas Carr, he introduced influences from a variety of musical styles that were not restricted to dance music.[7] They produced hits for Swedish artists such as Leila K, Papa Dee, Rob'n'Raz, and Herbie, and hired more staff to meet rising demand. In 1994, the studio began working with foreign artists through Zomba, a label owned by BMG.[citation needed]

Max Martin

"I didn't even know what a producer did, "I spent two years day and night in that studio trying to learn what the hell was going on." – Max Martin, 19 March 2001[8]

As the studio's repertoire expanded, Talomaa offered to release the second album by the Swedish funk metal band It's Alive, titled Earthquake Visions (1993). The record was a flop, but the band's vocalist, Karl Martin Sandberg, who went by the name Martin White, caught Denniz PoP's attention. He invited Sandberg to work with the studio as a songwriter and eventually hired him as an in-house producer. He also renamed him Max Martin. Their first collaboration was the 1995 track "Wish You Were Here" by Rednex, which reached #1 in several European countries.[9]

Cheiron next hired the duo of John Amatiello and Kristian Lundin (collectively known as "Amadin") as songwriters and producers.[citation needed] David Kreuger and Per Magnusson were next to join.[10]

1994 turned out to be a successful year for Cheiron. Denniz PoP and Amadin coproduced Dr. Alban's third album,

This Is the Way
."

1996: Backstreet Boys and beyond

From 1996 until its closure, Cheiron shared a joint production and publishing venture with the Zomba Group.[12]

Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) (Martin, Crichlow), which went platinum and landed at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.[14]

Cheiron next produced Ace of Base's second album,

Fucking Åmål (the English distribution borrowed the song's title for the film due to the obscenity).[16]

PoP/Martin produced Leila K's 1995 single "Electric", whose chorus was sung by Jessica Folcker. The two also worked on the 1995 debut album by 3T, titled Brotherhood.

1997–1998: Hit factory

In 1997, songwriter Andreas Carlsson was hired.[17] A year later, the Irish boy band Boyzone approached Cheiron for material to put on their new album, Where We Belong. Magnusson and Kreuger teamed up with songwriter Jörgen Elofsson, who had previously recorded his own music under the name Shane, to write the song "Will Be Yours".[18] Magnusson/Kreuger produced two tracks for the Danish group Michael Learns to Rock that were included on their 1999 compilation MLTR: a new version of "The Actor" and "I'm Gonna Be Around".

In 1998, Cheiron worked with the boy bands

5ive and NSYNC and the girl group Solid HarmoniE, and collaborated with Bryan Adams on the song "Cloud Number Nine". The same year, Denniz PoP and Martin wrote several songs for Jessica Folcker, whose career began as a backing singer for Dr. Alban and Ace of Base and who became Denniz's girlfriend.[citation needed] Her debut album, Jessica, was a success, with singles such as "Tell Me What You Like" and "How Will I Know (Who You Are)", both of which went platinum.[citation needed] Folcker received Grammis nominations for Best Newcomer and Best Female Artist.[citation needed] The same year, Denniz PoP and Max Martin shared the Honorary Jury Prize at the Grammis.[19]

By that point, however, Denniz was in poor health and unable to attend the award ceremony, having been diagnosed with stomach cancer in November 1997.[20][21][22]

1998: Death of Denniz PoP

Cheiron's rise to international prominence was tempered by the death of its founder. Only 35 years old, Denniz died of cancer on 30 August 1998,[23] after which Martin took over as director of the studio.[24]

1998–1999: Britney Spears, Celine Dion

Early in 1998, Jive Records sent Cheiron a 16-year-old American girl named Britney Spears to record a set of songs, including "...Baby One More Time". The track had originally been written for TLC, who declined it, as they were on hiatus.[25] Spears's debut album, also titled ...Baby One More Time, was an international hit and became the best-selling debut album by a teenage female artist. Later the same year, Martin began working with Rami Yacoub and Angelo Negron on the production of the Backstreet Boys' next album, Millennium, which was released on Jive a year later and went on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time. Martin, together with Lundin and Carlsson, also co-wrote Celine Dion's 1999 hit single "That's the Way It Is".

1999–2000: Westlife and final years

Magnusson and Kreuger teamed up again with Elofsson to work on the debut album by the new Irish boy band

UK Singles Chart.[26] "Fool Again" also opened in first position on the charts.[27]

The year 2000 was busy for Cheiron. They worked with Britney Spears on her second album, Oops!... I Did It Again, which broke more sales records and went on to become the fastest-selling album by a female artist. Westlife recorded songs for their second album, Coast to Coast, and the track "My Love" went straight to No. 1 in the UK.[28] The Backstreet Boys recorded another hit for their fourth album, Black & Blue, "Shape of My Heart", which was written by Lisa Miskovsky, Martin, and Yacoub. The album became a huge success and sold millions of copies worldwide.

By the end of the year, however, Cheiron had concluded their joint production and publishing venture with Zomba Group, which they had signed in 1996,[12][13] and the decision was made to close the studio. Talomaa and Martin wrote on the company website, "Cheiron was created with the intention of having fun, making a few hits and not getting too serious about it. We feel the 'hype' of Cheiron has become bigger than [the studio] itself and it's time to quit while we're ahead."[1]

Artists associated with Cheiron

Cheiron staff

Awards and nominations

  • 1995: Swedish Dance Music Awards – Best Producer (Denniz PoP)
  • 1996 Swedish Dance Music Awards – Best Producers (Denniz PoP & Max Martin)
  • 1997 Swedish Grammis – Special Award (Denniz PoP & Max Martin)
  • 1997 Swedish Grammis nomination – Composer of the Year (Max Martin & Andreas Carlsson)
  • 1999 Swedish Grammis – Special Award (Cheiron Productions)
  • 1999:
    ASCAP
    – Songwriter of the Year (Max Martin)
  • 2000: ASCAP – Songwriter of the Year (Max Martin)
  • 2001: ASCAP – Songwriter of the Year (Max Martin)

References

  1. ^ a b "Time to call it a day..." Cheiron. Archived from the original on 5 October 2000. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  2. ^ a b "SweMix". disco-disco.com. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  3. ^ "StoneBridge & SweMix History". Archived from the original on 25 January 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
  4. ^ "Dag "Dagge" Volle". disco-disco.com. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Mr. Pop". slate.com. 14 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  6. ^ "The Cheiron Studio (short story) 1/2". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  7. ^ Douglas Carr's Website
  8. ^ TIME – "Top of the Pops" by Jeff Chu, March 19. 2001 vol. 157 no. 11 Archived 6 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Archived Official Cheiron Site: Max Martin
  10. ^ Per Magnusson short bio
  11. ^ "Guld platina" [Gold platinum] (PDF). ifpi.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  12. ^ a b Lofthus, Kai R. (23 December 2000). "Former Cheiron Pros Talk Equipment". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  13. ^ a b Lofthus, Kai R. (9 September 2000). "Zomba-Affiliated Studio Announces Its Closure". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  14. ^ "Backstreet Boys". billboard.com. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  15. ^ "Robyn". billboard.com. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  16. ^ "Interview: From "Fucking Åmål" to "Show Me Love": Scandinavian Smash Comes to America". indiewire.com. 20 October 1999. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  17. ^ STIM Porträttet – Andreas Carlsson Archived 25 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ STIM Porträttet – Jörgen Elofsson Archived 7 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ "Grammisvinnare genom åren" [Grammy winners over the years]. grammis.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  20. ^ James Ballardie (4 April 2019). "Denniz Pop: The man who created the sound of modern pop". BBC.
  21. ^ "Tio år sedan Denniz Pop avled – nu kan du skänka en gåva till hans fond". Cancer Research Funds of Radiumhemmet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 29 November 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  22. ^ Denniz Pop Tribute @ Disco-Disco.com Archived 19 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ "Denniz Pop död i cancer" by Aftonbladet, 1998-08-31
  24. ^ Aftonbladet – "Cheiron – studion läggs ner" by Johan Andersson, 2000-08-24 Archived 24 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ Hitmakarna – Biografi/Max Martin Archived 21 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ "Official Singles Chart". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  27. ^ A Side Productions Site – First UK #1 Hit
  28. ^ "Official Singles Chart". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 21 October 2024.

59°19′55″N 18°01′34″E / 59.332°N 18.026°E / 59.332; 18.026

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