Back to the glorious music of the 90s. SNAP, Paul Elstak, Phats & Small, Twenty 4 Seven, Dune, Nakatomi, The Sunclub, and dj Coenio will all play Ahoy during Back to the 90s on September 24. This event is known for its diverse artists and beautifully decorated location.
Phats & Small most ubiquitous hit is, of course, ‘Turn Around’. It still is a big draw on dance floors the world over. With its breezy vocals and infectious drums and sample of Toney Lee’s “Reach Up”, the single was a huge smash that sold millions of copies. Singles such as ‘Sun Comes Out’, ‘Respect the Cock’ and ‘Harvest For the World’ all contributed to their profile.
Twenty 4 Seven is most famous for chart-topping hits like ‘I Can’t Stand It’, ‘Is It Love’, ‘Take Me Away’ and of course ‘Slave To The Music’. This became a worldwide smash hit, claiming the number 1 spot in Australia, Czech Republic, most Latin-American countries and South Africa.
Local legend at Back to the 90s
Paul Elstak strted his career as a resident dj in Bluetiek-Inn discotheque in Rotterdam. Here he played music together with the Dutch House pioneer Peter Slaghuis. In this period he also met Rob Fabrie and Richard van Naamen, with whom he started the group Holy Noise. Holy Noise had its biggest success in 1991 with the track ‘James Brown Is Still Alive’. This record made number 8 in the Top 40 and was an answer to a record that was popular at the time, ‘James Brown Is Dead’ by L.A. Style. After Holy Noise, Paul founded the Forze DJ Team, forming a trio with DJ Panic and DJ Lars. Paul’s ‘Forze’ clothing line, with the well-known ‘Wanna Play’ bear, was very popular among the gabbers at the time.
In 1992, Paul Elstak established his own label Rotterdam Records and in 1995 he released his first single under his own name: ‘Life Is Like A Dance’. After this record, a number of commercial tracks followed, ‘Luv U More’, ‘Don’t Leave Me Alone’, ‘The Promised Land’, ‘Rave On’ and, of course, ‘Rainbow In The Sky’, which enjoyed the greatest popularity. All these singles made the Dutch Top 40 in the 1990s. Ever since Paul Elstak is regarded as one of the pioneers of Gabber-house. The typical harder version of house from Rotterdam.
