Chris Agnew took a call from a mate at his home in Larne, last year. Whatever you do, said the friend, make sure you watch Miss World tonight.
So Chris dutifully tuned in, watching Ronan Keating and a bevvy of attractive women doing their stuff in Kuala Lumpur. But that wasn t really the issue. What completely blew Chris mind was the theme music for the event, which was pinning up the action at every juncture. It was music that he had co-produced in this very house in Northern Ireland, in a little room overlooking the town. The track was El Nino , and he d recorded it as Agnelli and Nelson, with his mate Robbie. So there they were, copping an event that was being watched by two and a half billion people in 87 countries, and their signature was all over it.
We just thought, holy shit , Chris recalls. We were watching the most beautiful women in the world and getting paid for it. And we were charging them on a rate, per 30 seconds. It was ludicrous amounts of money, but the production company said, no problem. And the music was relentless, all the way through the show.
Then again, El Nino has been consistently good to them. It emerged from the Ibiza 98 season as a certifiable anthem, eventually peaking at 21 in the UK singles charts. It was one of the three shortlisted tracks for the ITV World Cup theme, only narrowly losing out to Dario G. Consequently, it appeared on many compilation albums 78 of them worldwide on the last count. A publishing audit revealed to a gobsmacked pair that they had appeared on albums that had collectively shifted five million units. And all that was a good six months ago, before the summer of 99 revived the song and launched a score of new compilations. And of course, the new season has also brought them to the fore again with a new track, Everyday , which entered the UK charts at 17.
Chris and Robbie are pleased to note that El Nino has now been bettered. They ve been hanging fire for a year, finishing off their debut album and waiting while their record label, Extravaganza, sorted out its own business arrangements. They were hopeful that Everyday was going to achieve big things. After all, Robbie Nelson had been putting early versions of the track into his numerous DJ sets throughout the year, noting the reactions. During the week, the pair would make adjustments in the studio, editing the breakdown, turning the kick drum up and down, and burning another CDR version to try on Robbie s next set.
When they were happy with that stage, they sent acetates to their DJ friends, such as Pete Tong, Tall Paul, Sacha and Judge Jules. Again the reaction was positive, as the likes of Dave Pearce and Brandon Block also gave them the nod. Essentially, the dance mafia was on their side, and the track was featuring near the top of the Pete Tong s influential chart in the early summer. At this stage, their promotions company sent out the white labels to the lesser known UK and Baleric DJs, and the momentum was rising. The Xtravaganza label had completed its business deal with Sony, and demonstrated its new might by taking Chicane s Saltwater to six in the charts.
Even so, Chris Agnew had a few doubts about the viablilty of Everyday .
It s taken a bit longer than we d hoped, and that was a big concern with us. It made the DJ charts at the start of July. But then there was this lull. It was like, shit, we re too late here . But then we pulled it off.
The next step is to establish the Agnelli and Nelson imprint beyond the lucrative Baleric associations. Labels in America are curently talking terms, and the pair note with satisfaction that Brit DJs such as Paul Oakenfold and Sasha are breaking the continent. During a recent visit to New York, they were shopping in Niketown when El Nino came over the sound system, spooking the hell out of them. And when they visited the legendary Twilo club (formerly the Sound Factory), they were astonished to discover kids who knew all about these Irish guys and their art.
They were coming up to us, Chris recalls, and saying, hey, I wish you d been here three months ago, when I was crying to your track . For us, people who ve been making music in Larne, you suddenly realise how global it all is.
While they were at the Twilo, they were able to marvel at the private DJ booth that Junior Vasquez had installed there, the ultimate testimony to the superstar status of the DJ. He even had a funnel built in by the decks, so that he could urinate at will during the massive 13 hour sets that made his reputation.
As a tribute, Agnelli And Nelson have recorded a new track, Hudson Street , named after the location of the Vasquez temple. The mood is significantly darker, a development from the trance style that has been their mainstay thus far. The original studio in Larne is being supplanted by an even more ambitious set-up nearby, making them wholely self-reliant and in a position to record more artists.
Manager, Billy Dunseath, is also talking about a business enterprise, the RGB Music Group, which will use the collective experience to further new acts. This is likely to include the local DJ Gleave Dobbin, plus Mark Jackson and David McAuley from the Network in Belfast.
They ve also furthered a working relationship with the English act Liquid, who will be appearing on the label soon. All of this seems too easy, an overnight scam, when in fact the various members have been busy for years, building up knowledge and equipment, making it happen in London, Liverpool, Dublin and New York, listening hard and learning plenty. Our very own lords of the trance have earned their title. n