Mariah Carey
Photo: MTV News

Most pop superstars would be happy staying one step ahead of the curve. With her new single, "Loverboy," Mariah Carey will be two steps ahead.

Carey recruited two-step producer MJ Cole to bring a bit of the latest British dance music craze to a remix of the first single from her "Glitter" soundtrack, due August 21.

Cole's "Loverboy" remix has already been shipped to clubs, a Virgin Records spokesperson said. The "Loverboy" single will be released in stores on July 15, though the two-step remix will likely not be included. However, a hip-hop version featuring Ludacris and Da Brat will be on the commercial single.

Carey's original version of "Loverboy" samples Cameo's 1986 hit "Candy," which she bought exclusive rights to (see ).

A spokesperson for Cole said his remix is reminiscent of the two-step style he and such fellow Brits as Artful Dodger and Craig David have turned into a phenomenon overseas. Also known as U.K. garage, two-step is a mix of drum'n'bass and R&B and is named for having two beats per bar rather than the standard four beats most often used in rock and techno.

Cole will spin his remix when he plays a Breakbeat Science party in New York on July 21 along with Craze, Dara, DB and Reid Speed. The DJ will remain in the Big Apple that week for the Billboard Dance Music Summit, and will perform at Centro-Fly on July 26 with Artful Dodger.

Sincere, Cole's debut, arrived in the U.S. in April. Later this year, the producer plans to release a double-CD collection of some of the more than 100 remixes he's done for other artists (see ).

• Mariah Carey
• M.J. Cole

Fatboy Slim
Photo: Jill Greenberg

Italian house producer Spiller was the big winner at Wednesday's DanceStar 2001 Tiscali World Dance Music Awards, taking home trophies for Best Chart Act, Best House Act and Record of the Year for his overseas hit "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)." Spiller missed a sweep by one category, losing the prestigious DanceStar of the Year award to British singer Sonique, who scored a worldwide crossover hit last year with "It Feels So Good." The DanceStar Awards ceremony was held at London's Alexandra Palace. Erick Morillo, founder of New York dance label Subliminal Records, hosted the second annual event with Gail Porter. Faithless, garage duo Architechs and trance act Darude, which won Best Breakthrough Act, were among the evening's performers. Superstar DJ Fatboy Slim led the list of nominees with five nods, but walked away with just one award, for Best Breakbeat/Eclectic Act for his Jim Morrison-sampling "Sunset (Bird of Prey)." French duo Daft Punk ousted Fatboy Slim, Sonique and two-step trailblazer MJ Cole in the Best Album category with Discovery, which was recently released in the U.S. Cole also lost Best Garage Act to Wookie featuring Lain, who won with their track "Battle," but Cole beat out Wookie, Mirwais and BT for Best Producer. Best Trance Act went to German DJ Timo Maas for "Ubik," Best Radio DJ went to Essential Mix host Pete Tong and Best Club DJ went to U.K. veteran Carl Cox, who was also honored with the Outstanding Contribution to Worldwide Dance Music award. New York DJ Danny Tenaglia was given the Lifetime Achievement award.

A worldwide academy of dance music artists, journalists and other industry experts chose the DanceStar nominees, and the public voted in the winners at www.dancestar.net.

• Fatboy Slim
• Sonique
• Daft Punk
• M.J. Cole
• Carl Cox

Fatboy Slim
Photo: MTV News

Fatboy Slim's five nods tops the long list of nominees for the DanceStar 2001 Tiscali World Dance Music Awards, which were announced Wednesday (April 25).

Close behind are Sonique and Spiller, each nominated for four awards, which will be presented June 6 at London's Alexandra Palace.

Fatboy Slim, a.k.a. Norman Cook, is up for Best Club DJ, DanceStar of the Year and Best Breakbeat/Eclectic Act for "Sunset (Bird of Prey)," Best Album of the Year for Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars, and Best Video for "Demons" (featuring Macy Gray).

The other nominees for DanceStar of the Year are Timo Maas for "Ubik," Spiller for "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)," Craig David for "Rendezvous" and Sonique for "It Feels So Good." Sonique's Hear My Cry is also nominated for Best Album along with Daft Punk's Discovery, MJ Cole's Sincere and Bent's Programmed to Love. Fatboy faces stiff competition in the Best Club DJ category from Erick Morillo, Danny Tenaglia, Paul Oakenfold, Sasha, John Digweed, Seb Fontaine, Fergie, Carl Cox and Judge Jules.

Morillo, founder of New York dance label Subliminal Records, will host the awards along with Gail Porter and DJ Brandon Block.

Faithless, who occasionally feature founder Rollo's sister, Dido, are among the acts scheduled to perform. Others include U.K. garage duo Architechs, trance star Darude, Denmark percussionists Safri Duo and Jakatta, who will perform his hit European single "American Dream," a reworking of the title track to the film "American Beauty." Additional artists will be announced later.

Moby, Artful Dodger, ATB and Chicane (featuring Bryan Adams) performed at last year's inaugural ceremony.

DanceStar 2001 will be webcast live at Tiscali's music portal, www.musix.com.

A worldwide academy chose the nominees and winners are voted on by the public at www.dancestar.net.

In conjunction with the awards, DanceStar will release a compilation album featuring many of this year's nominees.

• Fatboy Slim
• Timo Maas
• Sonique
• Daft Punk
• M.J. Cole

MJ Cole

It's been a long time coming, but America is about to get Sincere. Though it's been a foundation of the U.K. dance scene for more than a year, the mellifluous debut by British two-step phenomenon MJ Cole arrives here Tuesday (April 17). Despite the delay, the 27-year-old producer's sophisticated, precisely crafted tunes sound as fresh now as they did on pre-release dub plates.

Cole could be the first two-stepper to crack the notoriously tight American pop market, leading a charge that will soon include his pals Artful Dodger and Craig David, both of whose debuts are set for summer release. Which isn't to say he's shaking in his skivvies at the challenge.

"I don't feel the whole weight of the scene rests on my shoulders," Cole said. "It's a joint effort for all of us. I'm not that good at predicting the future — I make music." Sincere is the perfect primer for statesiders curious about two-step's groove-oriented blend of slick R&B tones, peppy staccato rhythms reminiscent of drum 'n' bass and sultry house-influenced vocals. Slightly more refined than the often rough-and-tumble two-step (a.k.a. U.K. Garage) that's all the rage in Britain, Sincere tracks such as "Crazy Love," "Attitude" and the title cut don't shy away from the funk while incorporating elements of Cole's classical training.

"I want all those sorts of things in my records, which is why they're probably more musical than other tunes you'll hear around," he explained. "An album lives on the shelves in people's houses. I want it to be something people can listen to at home, something that's got depth and richness and breadth and will hopefully stand the test of time." Having studied piano and oboe since he was a child, and programmed drum machines from the age of 14, Cole (born Matt Coleman) knows his way around a studio well enough to be considered Garage's renaissance man, with Sincere his early masterpiece. In addition to the album's intricate drum programming and crisp, meticulously polished production, Cole also arranged its strings and horns, penned lyrics and handled engineer duties. "I'm into clean sounds. I like to hear everything in a tune," Cole said. "I'm not into big mushy sounds. I come from a classical background mixed with drum 'n' bass and engineering, so all of those things influence my sound. I can't work with other engineers 'cause I have to get my hands on the desk." Performing his music live is a vital component of Cole's art, and he is one of only a few British dance artists to do so. Following a string of U.K. dates opening for Roni Size & Reprazent last year, he plans to bring his show — with a live drummer, bassist, three singers, an MC and Cole on keyboards and sampler-sequencer — here later this year, though no dates are set.

While he hasn't started work on a follow-up to Sincere, Cole said he plans to release a double-CD collection of remixes he's produced for other artists. (A remix of his own "Crazy Love" by the Propellerheads' Alex Gifford will be included on Sincere's first single.) With nearly 100 to choose from the last year alone, it should represent his evolution well. Cole said the compilation would likely come out in the fall.

• M.J. Cole