| DJ Sets ::Blank & Jones (Piet Blank
& Jaspa Jones)
Blank & Jones is a Cologne, Germany
based Trance duo, consisting of the members Jan Pieter Blank
(born June 15, 1971), known as Piet Blank; René Runge
(born June 27, 1968), better known as DJ Jaspa Jones; and
the producer Andy Kaufhold (N*D*K) (born December 17, 1969).
They have released eleven albums and more than 16 singles
since their first single release "Sunrise" in 1997.
History
Piet Blank who recognized the great
desire in him for music after purchasing his first record
"Kids in America" by Kim Wilde had his first experience
in spinning a record on a turntable at age 16. René
Runge, on the other hand, who resides in Düsseldorf and
who is better known as Jaspa Jones had his first experience
as a DJ at age 19. Together with help from Andy Kaufhold they
formed the trance production team Piet Blank & Jaspa Jones
(which would later become simply Blank & Jones) after
meeting at the Popkomm music conference.
Even though, they had been together for a few years, they
did not release their first single, "Sunrise", until
1997. Their first album, In the Mix, was a studio production
that came out in 1999. As of 2008, thirteen of their singles
have made it into the German Top 50, and three into the Top
20. Each album made the Top 50, including two which reached
the Top Ten.
Blank & Jones have teamed up with Robert Smith from The
Cure, Anne Clark, Sarah McLachlan, Claudia Brücken from
(Propaganda), and Delerium. They have also contributed to
the Café del Mar compilation series and produced their
own chill-out albums, Relax, Relax (Edition 2), Relax (Edition
3) and Relax (Edition 4).
The Singles
In 2006 Blank & Jones and their long-standing production
colleague Andy Kaufhold collated their finest material on
one release, The Singles, which also included two new tracks:
“ We felt the time had come to put all our singles
together on one CD, we preferred to see it as one step along
the way, rather than a mere retrospective. A little breather
before we moved onto new pastures … Our aim was to retain
the flair of each original track. We wanted them to sound
just as they did when we made them, but clearer, in the same
way as one restores a painting. You don’t paint it from
scratch, you just bring out the colours again.”
The album was also released in Limited Edition format, in
which The Singles are complemented by a DVD, bringing together
all Blank & Jones videos on one disc for the first time.
The videos feature people such as Estella Warren and Til Schweiger
in "Beyond Time", the latter having also directed
the clip. The DVD was produced and designed by Thomas Jahn,
scriptwriter and director of "Knocking on Heaven’s
Door" and also responsible for "The Hardest Heart",
"Mind of the Wonderful", "Perfect Silence"
and "Desire". The video for the single "Catch"
was directed by Conchita Soares and ToniFroschhammer which
features TV actress Nadine.
Current Activities
The chart success of Blank & Jones is partially based
on their club-gigs, radio shows and other live-performances
including events such as Love-Parade, StreetParade and Mayday.
The success is further boosted by their activeness as moderators
on Eins Live-TV and by being the Co-host on Viva-Clubrotation.
When asked about the key to their success, their response
is:
“ We do everything digitally, on the basis of Final
Scratch, which allows us to use our own edits and mixes, nothing
comes straight from tape. Every set we play is unique, not
only sound-wise but also in terms of what we play and how
we play it. Roughly 60% of our set consists of our own repertoire,
as where better to present our own material than via the DJ
decks.
Blank & Jones perform at major festivals and raves in
Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Russia. They also travel
further afield on a regular basis, to Canada, Mexico, South
America and Australia.
They released their latest single entitled "Miracle
Cure" on May 30, 2008 off their new studio album The
Logic of Pleasure which is a collaboration with New Order's
frontman Bernard Sumner.
