Artist description Indulge U Records, new dance and pop music to indulge your senses.

Music Style Various Dance, pop and R&B Music

Similar Artists Britney Spears, ATB, Christina Aguilera, Sash!, Tina Cousins, Eiffel 65, N Sync, Vitamin C, Moby, Darude, Aqua, Backstreet Boys, Macy Gray, etc...

Artist History A lot of worldwide attention has been given to the MP3 free music format as a way for independent artists to expose their music to the masses. What is rarely mentioned is how the format makes it possible for new creative collaborations between musicians on an individual basis, regardless of physical boundaries. IndulgeU Records was founded on this new discovery. For the past year, producer/songwriter Michael W. Gilboe has been bringing singers and musicians together from different parts of the world to work on original dance/pop songs. Singers and producers from six states and four countries have been working together creatively through the easy transfer of MP3 files over the Internet, resulting in the current commercial release of Dance WWWorld, a compilation CD from the singers and musicians on IndulgeU Records.In 1998, Perza Arhola, an instrumental dance artist from Finland, put up a post on the MP3.com bulletin board looking for female vocal samples. Gilboe, from Montana, answered the post on a whim, saying he had a friend who was a great singer and would be willing to try collaborating on an original song. Perza uploaded an MP3 file of one of his songs, which Gilboe then downloaded immediately. That day, Gilboe invited Delena Delich over to his studio and before the night was over, "Are We Thinking the Same Thing" was written and recorded.Perza was thrilled with the song and the group Jumalatar was born. They also made the song available for download on MP3.com. "The reaction was great, and it was thrilling to do something completely different than what I had been doing on my own," says Gilboe. This positive response led to other musicians on the web site asking if Gilboe might be able to do something similar with their music.The ease of collaborating on the Internet was amazing. "I found myself being able to communicate with other musicians and get feedback almost instantly," says Gilboe. "The only wait was the half-hour or so it took to download or upload the MP3 file of music. A working pattern was established... Musicians submit instrumental tracks to Gilboe, who then cuts and rearranges the music and writes a melody and lyrics. A singer is then invited in to record the vocals in his studio. When that is complete, Gilboe resends the music back to the original composer, again, through the MP3 format. The musician at this point might rerecord the instrumental part to make a better bed for the vocals. "Sometimes this back-and-forth process will happen only once, and sometimes it will continue for quite a while, with both myself and the musician putting finishing touches on the song," adds Gilboe. "In any case, the ease of doing this is amazing."While Gilboe was developing the new acts, Jumalatar was invited to perform in Miami at the 1999 Winter Music Conference, the world’s largest dance music seminar. Delena and Michael made their way down to Miami from Montana, while Perza managed to get there from Finland. The reaction was positive, and there they met their eventual financial backer, Timo Neuvonen.Originally, Neuvonen agreed to finance a CD and vinyl single of the forementioned song to dance clubs. The song performed very well in many markets. At the same time, Gilboe was continuing to develop and write for new acts-- Beat Symphony, Denise Martinez and Lexor. Neuvonen met with Gilboe in Montana in July of 1999, and while determining the next course of action, he decided to back the entire roster of artists Gilboe was working with, and IndulgeU Records was born.Next, a double-sided vinyl single was released to dance clubs containing Jumalatar’s follow-up single, "Frenzy", Denise Martinez’s debut single, "Easy 2 Groove". The new double-sided single performed well, going top ten on the dance floors in Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston. With the backing behind IndulgeU Records secured, Gilboe decided it was time to make a move to New York City to try and create more opportunities for the acts he was developing. While working the business end in New York, Gilboe also discovered two more singers, Kelley Faulkner and Kareema Castro, to collaborate with locally, as well as making occasional trips back to Montana to continue producing his current artists.Along the way, positive sides to the long-distance style of working were also discovered. Hakan "Zap" Andersson, the musical producer behind Beat Symphony, found that there could be advantages to the time difference between the United States and Sweden, where he lived. "I could write some music, upload it to the Internet and go to bed," says Andersson. "Then when I’d wake up in the morning, there was a completed song from Gilboe waiting for me." Dith Purkinje, a producer and remixer from Liverpool, England, says, "The process allows everyone to listen to what has been done with a fresh ear," he continued, "and, of course, there are many people in different markets able to help with the promotion of the music."The amount of music in IndulgeU’s catalogue was building quickly, full albums worth of material were near completion for each artist. "I found that working with several different musicians wasn’t a chore at all," says Gilboe. "In fact, all of the creative ideas thrown at me from everyone helped to keep me fresh as a writer. I couldn’t get caught in a rut because original ideas kept coming to me over the Internet."In an effort to better promote every artist on IndulgeU Records, Gilboe decided it was time to release a compilation CD featuring the best songs from each of the acts involved. He selected uptempo tracks, a selection that runs the dance genre gamut. "Everything is on this CD; House, Trance, Europop, R&B and Reggae all make up the sounds of these different artists." Because of the unique Internet collaborative effort on the CD, a friend suggested calling the CD Dance WWWorld with three "W’s" to illustrate the concept. In addition, a third vinyl single, "Bang On" from Kelley and the PDM is being given a heavy push to dance clubs nationwide.While writing music over the Internet may be easy for Gilboe and his collaborators, promoting can be challenging. Gilboe has been developing the IndulgeU website and handling real-world promotional duties as well. While he finds that working on both the creative and business ends of the label can be exhausting, he says, "It’s all worth it when I see the acts grow and attract new fans through the dance clubs and the Internet." Even though the compilation CD is released, Gilboe doesn’t see this as the end, rather it appears to be only the beginning of a long process of promoting the artists. "This compilation CD is still just a means to another end. We’re hoping people will check out the additional material that is available for free on the Internet, and eventually we want to release a full album of each act. Everyone involved is or has become a good friend. I want them all to succeed."There are several free downloads available from the website. Anyone can visit to listen to and find information on each of the acts. IndulgeU is planning to continue providing free MP3 downloads and music videos as well as selling their CD and vinyl releases. Gilboe concludes, "we will always have free and exclusive web content, the Internet has become too much of an invaluable tool to ignore." Somehow, this seems only fitting for the acts and label born and developed through the technology it offers.

Group Members Michael W. Gilboe, Hakan "Zap" Anderssen, Dith Purkinje, Mark Hlobil, Perza Arhola, Chad Sharp, Xavier Money, Kelley Faulkner, Delena Delich, Megan Denise Martinez, Alex Lytle, Kareema Castro, Jimmy V.

Press Reviews DMA MagazineJune 2000 issueHiNRG Eurobeat Column, p. 53NEW AND NOTEWORTHY: The irresistible combination of compelling drums and devilishly clever lyrics highlight "Bang On," the delicious debut dish served up by Kelley and the PDM on IndulgeU Records (USA). Though it could use a little more polish, "Bang On" already sounds like the kind of record that dance radio programmers crave most. Produced and written by Michael Gilboe (and Perza Arhola... omitted) this one is infectiously rhythmic, with ear grabbing lyrical hooks that command attention. For example, our favorite verse include the lines, "it don't mean a thang/ if the beat don't bang/ and it sure has me sweatin'/ straight through my Vera Wang." And trust us, boys-- that's just the tip of this witty iceberg. Interested A&R types should contact Gilboe post haste through his website (IndulgeU.com).DEAN FERGUSONMixer Magazine-May 2000-Page 91 (Under House Reviews)Bang OnKelley and the PDMIndulgeU Records"New Jersey diva Kelley Faulkner debuts with a track maybe a little too Hi-NRG for most househead's tastes, but there is a deep mix here that rumbles nicely with a driving sub-bassline that flattens out any of that overplayed chirpiness into a long, slow-burn groove. As noteworthy are the remixes from as far as Finland and Liverpool, which perhaps point out that Hi-NRG House, even with a deep mix, truly is the universal language" -- Hobey Echlin - Four and a Half Stars (out of Five)

Additional Info Songs available for free download will be rotated regularly. Check back often!

Location New York, New York - USA

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