Sally Shapiro
Website: http://myspace.com/shapirosally
Bio: SALLY SHAPIRO My Guilty Pleasure (Paper Bag Records)
Release Date: August 25
Sally Shapiro's music is a blend of 80s-inspired italo disco and twee indie pop - ... (more)
melancholic yet hopeful, sweet yet danceable. The name "Sally Shapiro" is both referring to the Swedish duo, consisting of the producer Johan Agebjörn and an anonymous singer, as well as the pseudonym of the singer itself.
In December 2004 Agebjörn discovered Shapiro's gentle and beautiful voice while the two were singing Christmas carols together. About one year later they uploaded their first track "I'll Be By Your Side" to italo disco forums and were immediately being contacted by small record labels, leading to a 12" release on Austrian label Diskokaine in May, packaged in Italian colours. The single became a blog favourite, sold out quickly and was given excellent reviews in e.g. Pitchfork Media, Vice Magazine and The Village Voice.
The album "Disco Romance" was released on Diskokaine in Dec 2006 to critical acclaim and subsequent represses and rereleases. In October 2007, Canadian-based indie Paper Bag Records released "Disco Romance" in North America with a revised track listing including new tracks. The album was nominated as "dance/electronic album of the year" in the U.S. Plug Awards and was given a spot in Pitchfork Media's top 50 albums of 2007.
Since then the duo's presence on music blogs continued by the releases of two remix albums, including remixes by Lindstrøm, Junior Boys, and Juan MacLean. Their song "Hold Me So Tight" was also included on Felix da Housecat's mix CD in 2008.
In 2008 Sally Shapiro did a handful of DJ dates, though Sally's shyness and uninterest in standing on stage led to the duo early 2009 announcing that there will be no Sally Shapiro live or DJ performances in the foreseeable future, only Johan solo DJ sets. Sally is more interested in having a normal life with a normal job and prefers to "spend the holidays picking blueberries instead of touring". Meanwhile, Johan released his solo ambient album "Mossebo" on Lotuspike and made remixes for artists like Lindstrøm and Glass Candy.
2009 will see the release of Sally Shapiro's long-awaited follow-up to
"Disco Romance", including collaborations with German nu-disco producer Tensnake and Swedish italo disco duo Cloetta Paris. The first single "Miracle" - out on Permanent Vacation in Europe and Paper Bag Records in North America - is written and produced by Johan Agebjörn and Roger Gunnarsson, and includes a remix by up-and-coming Bulgarian producer Bogdan Irkük.
Websites:
http://www.paperbagrecords.com
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