Today, fifteen years ago, Tiga’s second album ‘Ciao!’ was released. Dave and Steph, who had produced several tracks on his debut ‘Sexor’, were back on board to produce eight of the eleven tracks on the album.
Here’s a bit from the original 2009 press release:
The producer has reportedly split the difference between “club songs and real songs” by working with the likes of Soulwax, James Murphy, Jesper Dahlbäck and Gonzales—an artist perhaps best known for his work behind the scenes with indie darling Feist. Soulwax and Dahlbäck, as you might imagine, have a lot to do with the club-centric tunes like “Beep Beep Beep,” “Mind Dimension” and “What You Need.” And Gonzales and Murphy help out with things like “Luxury” and “Gentle Giant,” which see Tiga airing out some of his insecurities to the world at large. That said, as with many Tiga records, there’s lots of mixing and matching, meaning the line between “club” and “real” blurs quite often—as on the lengthy closer “Love Don’t Dance Here Anymore,” which contains a two-minute piano ballad intro before transforming into a Cowley-esque disco groover.
On the 3x 12″ LP you’ll find extended versions of the album tracks.
I was fortunate enough to visit the Soulwax studio a few times in that period, while Dave and Stephen were working on ‘Ciao!’. Few things I remember: David and Steph had just finished the opening track ‘Beep Beep Beep’ and were very excited about he track. What sounds like a woman singing ‘But you go ooh ooh ahh’ is actually Dave’s voice.
The first single ‘Mind Dimension 2’ was released in 2008 and was a big club hit in the summer. It was originally produced by Jesper Dahlback, but a reworked version by Soulwax appeared on the album. Don’t look for it on the LP version of ‘Ciao’ though, because it’s not on there. You’ll have to get the 12″ instead. On the CD version it’s simply called ‘Mind Dimension’.
One time I was at the Soulwax studio when they were recording with Tiga. It was during the annual ‘Gentse Feesten’ in July, but I can’t really remember what track they were working on. We went into the shed next to the studio, where the current DEEWEE building is, looking for a specific synth that was stored there, and Tiga standing on top of a chair to record his vocals.
The second single from the album was ‘Shoes’. At the time there was a rumour that none other than Madonna sang on the track, but that proved to be false. Though a certain ‘Christopher Scarph’ has been credited for backing vocals, we’ll have to ask Tiga personally what the deal was.
There are so many great tracks on ‘Ciao!’ and for me several of the best tracks that Dave and Steph have produced and co-written in their entire career.
A personal favorite is the final track on the album, the epic ‘Love Don’t Dance Here Anymore’. Featuring part-time Soulwax drummer and Das Pop singer Bent van Looy on drums, it’s an amazing piece of disco that could have been done by Keith Forsey.
Fifteen years on, I think ‘Ciao!’ deserves some more credit. It’s still an amazing album with some of the best tracks produced by David & Stephen.
If you haven’t seen it before, check out the hilarious ‘Ciao! Means Forever’ videos below:
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