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'Behind The Mic - Feb 06' by Sara Bee

Author: Sara Brooke
Tuesday, February 7, 2006
After months of talking about starting this column, I have finally sat down and put pen to paper (well fingers to the keyboard) so here goes...

I'll start by introducing myself: my name is Sara Brooke and I am a singer/songwriter based in Melbourne, Australia. Some of you will recognise my name from Tranzfusion, and maybe even corresponded with me in the past as I used to manage the profiles, mixes and the featured artist sections for a couple of years. After hearing so much fantastic music and liaising with so many amazing artists I was inspired to chase my dream. I started creating my own music & performing live within scene.

For years I have wanted to sing live within the club environment, giving punters something more to interact with than the typical DJ set. It was a
matter of not only developing my singing ability to a level that was good enough, but also finding the right DJ's to work with - ones that shared the same passion, goals and tastes in music that I did. Early 2005 I was blessed to find my music soul mates, DJ Andi Red and producer Myke Ireland, and together we formed the band Red Bee. Red Bee fuzes a combination of electronic beats and breaks, with live vocals, effects, lost sounds, funky grooves and a dance floor minded set. We play covers, edits, crazy samples, cheeky bootlegs and originals. It's a lot of fun, and the feedback we have received so far has been extremely encouraging.

I've had a love of all genres of music from a very young age with that passion growing into somewhat of an obsession as I got older. In my teens I became fascinated by electronic music, in particular electronic dance music that incorporated vocals. It was then that I discovered the lack of recognition given to vocalists in the underground dance scene. Unlike the mainstream commercial market where the vocalist takes centre stage (perhaps a little too much), instead producers take centre stage with vocalists quite frequently receiving little to NO credit.

In some cases this is due to the fact the vocalist is simply a session singer, with no input into the finished track. However in many cases, there are amazing vocalists out there that have much to do with the production process and finished product. They write meaningful, touching and original lyrics, catchy melodies and have full input into arrangement and instrumentation in addition to having killer voices. It is these artists that I wish to draw attention to in my column, giving you, the reader, more insight into who it is and what happens "Behind the Mic".

For each column I plan on alternating between an in-depth interview with a "behind the mic" featured artist, to me just having a general rant about bits and pieces that are related to the general theme of the column - current vocal tracks, old classics, upcoming releases and collaborations etc, etc.

Artists already on the drawing board for features include Kirsty Hawkshaw, Jan Johnston, Imogen Heap, Shelley Harland, Stephanie Vezina, Jes Brieden and Michelle Chivers + many more.

My first feature will be coming shortly showcasing a lady with one of the most angelic voices in the industry and who has been the voice behind MANY classic as well as current vocal progressive, trance, down tempo and house tunes.

Until then....
Later alligators,
sara bee x

PS. If you are an artist/vocalist that fits under this banner I would LOVE to hear from you at the email address below, as I would like to make this column into a promotional, networking and support tool for you all :)

Sara Brooke :: Red Bee ::
:: vocalist & songwriter ::
:: email : Sarabee@tranzfusion.net ::
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