For the last four years I’ve been a fan of Hed Kandi, the dance music label Mark Doyle invented as part of his work for Jazz FM. Hed Kandi blended cool, funk, great vocals, latin tunes with brilliant sexy artwork by Jason Brooks.
Doyle Jazz FM eventually sold the label including the rights to the Hed Kandi club franchise to Guardian Media Group. It was as a result of changes that GMG made that Doyle decided to leave. Wanting to maintain the freeform style of what he’d achieved with Hed Kandi, Doyle launched Tokyo Project in August 2005. There was one release from Tokyo Project called “The Collection”. At the start of 2006 Ministry of Sound bought the Hed Kandi label and have since, IMHO, have taken away everything that was fresh (all be it retro) about Hed Kandi and it has become part of the standard mainstream machine that is M.O.S.
Not being one to rest on his laurels Doyle tried another venture and after some legal wranglings came up with ‘Fierce Angels‘, which launched in February 2006. Using Jason Brooks artistic talents again (who appears to have influenced a whole genre of artists drawing beautiful waif women in swimsuits) Doyle has put together another sound that reminds me of that earlier Hed Kandi sound. The latin influnece appears to have gone somewhat, but the sound is generally uplifting.
He’s still looking for his next ‘Bonnie Bailey’ to get that unique vocal sound that songs like ‘Ever After’ had, but that said Eric Kupper, continues to provides remixes that have the ability to whisk you away to Ibiza sun soaked beaches. Toyko Disco is the first Fierce Angel release and provides 3 discs crammed with cool tunes. It takes time to grow on your and I didn’t hear any instant classics the first time I put it on, but such compilations normally take me a few listens before they become favourites.
You can find Fierce Angels on wikipedia too!
2 Comments
Just correcting a commmon misconception. I never sold Hed Kandi to anyone… I never owned Hed Kandi. I joined and independent radio station called Jazz FM over 8 years ago and got involved in their record label. After making their own label a success I was offered the chance to invent another label and that is what became Hed Kandi. all the time I ran Hed Kandi I was only an employee of the company and about 3 years ago a large company purchased Jazzfm and Hed Kandi with it. I made my decision to leave and set up my own company in June 2005. After many problems and legal issues we launched Fiece Angel in Feb 2006. Around the same time the company that owned Hed Kandi sold it to Ministry Of Sound.
phew ! Are we all clear now ?
Mark Doyle
Well thanks very much Mark. Nothing like getting things straight from the horses mouth so to speak. I’ve made the appropriate amendment to the posting now.
I need to post again about Tokyo Disco. As I mentioned in the post it normally takes a good few listens for such albums to grow on me and this one certainly has.
Keep up the good work.