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Ace of Base
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Ace of Base is a Swedish pop group from Gothenburg, made up of the brother and sisters Jonas, Linn and Jenny Berggren and Ulf Ekberg. In 1987 Jonas started a band with two friends, and his sisters joined as singers. Under names such as Tech-Noir they played techno tracks, inspired by Italo disco and house. In 1990 Ekberg joined. Because a Jamaican reggae band was in the studio next to theirs, they began to mix reggae and pop, and that became their own sound. The name Ace of Base came from the Motörhead song Ace of Spades and from their studio, their base.
Music and breakthrough
Swedish record companies turned the group down, but the Danish label Mega Records released Wheel of Fortune in 1992, a hit in Denmark. Producer Denniz PoP then worked on All That She Wants, which caught on all over Europe and later in America. The debut album Happy Nation (1992) appeared in America in adapted form as The Sign, and became one of the best-selling debut albums ever. The title song The Sign spent six weeks at number 1 in America, and Don't Turn Around also became a hit. The Bridge (1995), with Lucky Love and Beautiful Life, followed, and Flowers (1998), released in America as Cruel Summer.
Influence
Ace of Base made danceable Europop with reggae rhythms and simple, often cheerful lyrics. After ABBA and Roxette it is the most successful group from Sweden. With producers such as Denniz PoP and the young Max Martin, the group belongs to the beginning of the Swedish pop factory that in the 1990s would go on to make hits for the whole world.
Listening
Discography
Studio albums
- 1992Happy Nation
- 1993The Sign
- 1995The Bridge
- 1998Cruel Summer
- 1998Flowers
- 2002Da Capo
- 2010The Golden Ratio
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Mixtape 12: The Hit FactoryNL Reader