Alice Deejay

Who Needs Guitars Anyway? Is one of the greatest albums to ever be released.

A decent trance offering with this outfit, this was a time when trance ruled supreme in pretty much any music arena. I think its a little harsh to say she/them was a one hit wonder or a cheesy pile of crap. Trance went commercial in the end and at the time Alice's tunes were around in the underground scene before interest in the commercial scene took over, I remember hearing it Better Off Alone nearly a year before it hit the charts, Radio 1 then got hold of it then thats pretty much how it got into the public eye. Judith Pronk (aka Alice) did some more tracks with the outfit but ultimately decided she wanted to take a back seat and pursue her career aspirations as a make up artist which she now does. It seems like she flirted with the music for a while then changed her mind, she didnt want to sing on the Guetta track (thank god because its terrible) so they used the instrumental to Better Off Alone and practically ruined a club classic, she knew which way it was going and had the sense to not reprise her role as Alice Deejay. For what she has done with the album and singles was great! I really enjoyed what she put out at the time and her tracks STILL get a great response when I play them out.

In response to the last few comments about poor Alice (or whatever you want to call them) - I say give them a break already. So what if the majority of the material was ultimately had a pop/top 40 flavour to it? Alice Deejay as an act did two really important things for dance music in general as I see it: 1) They continued the trend that other recent artists like Amber, Jamiroquai, and Basement Jaxx also had made and continue to make - hit singles which are monster songs in clubland (no matter what your genre) but have also played key roles in the continuing exponentital growth of club music at mainstream radio in countries like the U.S. where top 40 radio has become so homogonized its a farce of itself. BUT... even more important, I think, is 2) while there have been an infinite number of incredibly talented female D.J.s (Sister Bliss - need I say more?) and club icons -- Alice Deejay, a real D.J. or not -- broke the gender barrier with music consumers down to even the most informed buyer. Hell it took forever to be able to walk up to a stranger on the street and ask them who the biggest DJ in the world is or who their fave was, etc. and at least get the usual Tiesto out of them instead of a blank stare. Now you can ask those same types of consumers who do you think the world's biggest/your favourite male DJ is you'd still probably get the stock Tiesto answer for the most part... and now you can also ask of them their favourite female DJ is or who the biggest female DJ is, 9 times out of 10 you'll get "oh... oh wait a minute .... that Alice girl - Alice DJ yeah her!"

Sister Bliss (and numerous others) will always command a certain respect from me because she's damn good at what she does - and has managed to be successful despite having to forge her own road. The Alice Deejay crew may not have the incredible breath of musical talent that Bliss does but they -- and in particular Judith Pronk -- gave the world a household name for a DJ who was female to boot. I think that incredible contribution to helping blow away the gender barrier for up and coming (and existing) female D.J.'s is well worth a few trite lyrics here and there. Thank you, Alice (and crew). =)

Terribly tacky and unrefined. Songs sound like they were made to be pop hits before they were even written. Simple "trance" that rides on its' overuse of one synth to carry a song. Vocals are attached to provide flavor in an attempt to flog a dead club horse.