Information regarding the iconic 1992 vocal acapella song by Greek-American songwriter and interdisciplinary artist Ithaka Darin Pappas (Ithaka). As of 2025, this example of lyrical mastery has been remixed over 800 times. In 1994, a hit remix was made by an acid house project from Underground Sound of Lisbon (DJ Vibe, Rui da Silva) and presented as a 100% Portuguese project with absolutely no mention of its creator Ithaka...now considered one of the biggest musical coverups since Milli Vanilli.
Only on three versions (of more than eleven-hundred mixes)
has writer-vocalist met the producers and remixers that have helped immortalize
his 1993 acapella masterpiece, So Get Up.
Pictured on this post:
Cosmic Gate (Trance)
Derek Marin (House)
Dyan Hilsley (Drum & Bass)
FuturePlays (House, Techno)
Igor Carmo (House)
Pelari (Trance, House)
Phunk Investigation (Tech House)
Public Domain (Hardstyle)
Frankyeffe (House)
"What we would like to get across through 'Start To Feel' is that
electronic music doesn't need to always start and stop at the drop. It
doesn't have to be all about that 60 seconds. We love that type of
music. If we didn't we wouldn't have made tracks like 'So Get Up' and a
dozen others. But those are start points to Cosmic Gate's music. Not end
ones." -
Nic Chagall (Cosmic Gate) - Jun 27, 2014 - Magnetic Magazine
Alex Di Stefano is the new artist in the tech trance scene that
makes serious waves with dark thumping basslines, full on techy grooves
and magnificent breakdown that utilize the vocal samples and the synthy
hooks in the finest fashion. The climax is rough and tough perfect to
rock this universe and beyond.
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Throughout late 2013 and early 2014, Cosmic Gate added other
significant dimensions to Wake Your Mind, further spurring the #WYM effect.
Following rave receptions to a string of sold out Wake Your Mind In Concert
gigs they launched WYM Records. Attached to the Armada Label group, it was
conceived as a home for freethinking, no-borders music, which was immediately
underlined this by its first release. Winning widespread praise from the press,
‘So Get Up’ was seen by both fans and the media alike as an (aptly) bold
‘new-avenues’ musical exploration by Cosmic Gate.
"Those who know their house history will instantly recognize the vocals
from the underground house/progressive that made waves over the
Portuguese clubbing scene in 1994. Cosmic Gate leave them much intact,
using them to dramatic effect."
Journalist: Hugh Lurcott
Daily Beat: September 23, 2013
Inspired perhaps by the launch of their new label, Cosmic Gate take a big bold step down the electric-house strasse here. Re-tasking the acapella-apocalypto written by and vocalized by Ithaka(Ithaka Darin Pappas) in 1993 [for Underground Sound Of Lisbon], they crank up the extreme frequencies and EQs while using trance aspects as incidentals, rather than the core. Sure to divisive in terms of Trance Family opinion, but any which way you cut it, you can't deny its effectiveness on the dance floor. ___________________________________________
Collection
of vocal poems recorded in Europe in 1993, which had been completely
lost until being rediscovered in early 2017 (on a damaged cassette tape
in a Los Angeles garage). These are the companion works for the iconic,
So Get Up.
https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ithaka2
Californian-born
writer and vocalist Ithaka (aka Ithaka Darin Pappas) relocated from his
native Los Angeles in 1992 to Europe where the artist entered of six
year period of hyper-creativity. There he wrote, vocalized, created
sculptures and photographed among other activities.
In 1993 he
wrote a collection of poems for a daily audio segment he hosted on a
program called Quatro Bairro on Rádio Commercial, Lisbon. After reciting
some these poems live on Rádio Comerical in 1993, he later recorded
them as a collection of demos with a producer friend in the UK.
The
next year he recorded one of these poems, So Get Up, with the
progressive-house project Underground Sound Of Lisbon who achieved
massive international success with the track via distribution by
Tribal/I.R.S. Records in New York.
Between a series of moves and
career developments, the original 1993 vocal poem demos recorded in
England were lost. Neither studio technician or artist could find the
original, or copies.
So Get Up went on to become an international
EDM anthem remixed by greats such as; Miss Kittin, Fatboy
Slim. Mert Yücel, Dave Seaman etc.
Later
in 2013, the song saw yet another chapter of fame when top DJ's both
Hardwell and Armina Van Buuren endorsed a new version of the So Get Up
rleased by German trance music stars Cosmic Gate using Ithaka's original
lyrical/ vocal acapella)
Ithaka himself went on to record a series of critically acclaimed hip hop albums.
Here
together on this disc are two new vocal recordings of Ithaka's iconic
poems "So Get Up" and "We Are The Players" (recorded in Mexico - 2017)
along with the complete collection of vocal-poem acapella demos made in
1993, some with their original proposed instrumental sketches. Please
note: These are not intended to be finished songs, but instead are
included to demonstrate Ithaka's early musical direction prior to both
Underground Sound Of Lisbon's version of So Get Up (1994) and his own
solo album, Flowers And The Color Of Paint (1995).
In the future,
the artist hopes to collaborate with some of the EDM producers that
have previously mixed his vocal-literary works, perhaps without even
knowing who had recorded them.
Since it's original recording in 1993, So Get Up, written and vocalized by the Greek-Californian songwriter named Ithaka(Ithaka Darin Pappas) has been remixed more than 1100 times, most notably by Armin Van Buuren
In 1994, a newly formed project of dance music in Portugal called U.S.L. (or Underground Sound of Lisbon) invited Californian expatriate ITHAKA (aka: Ithaka Darin Pappas, aka: Korvowrong), who was living in Lisbon at the time, to participate on the B-Side of their first 12"-single called Chapter One.
Ithaka, who was a visual artist and published short-story writer, also worked part-time as a guest host on the national radio station, Radio Commercial.
Dj Vibe -aka To Pereira (one half of the USL duo)- already a famous dance DJ in Europe, also worked at the station.
Rui da Silva (aka Dr. J, USL's other half) was responsible technically for Underground Sound of Lisbon's sonic quality.
It was an unlikely combination of talents; two house music geniuses and a spoken-word poet/surfer. And although no one at the time involved with the recording (including USL's label, Kaos-Portugal) had any idea what kind of impact the three artists would eventually make, the end results were staggering.
"SO GET UP" became an instantaneous monster hit in Portugal, which quickly lead to an overseas contract with Tribal (UK & USA). elevating it all the way to #7 on the UK-Billboard Magazine's, Indy Dance Chart and taking the club world by storm.
Through the years the song has become a true dance classic, appearing on over one-hundred international compilations with sales in the millions. And every year, new mixes continue appearing.
In 2003, Berlin's dance-pop star Miss Kittin used Ithaka's entire "So Get Up" acapella poem as the intro to her successful album Radio Caroline: Volume 1.
In 2005, Kaos Portugal released a ten-year anniversary jumbo single (with yet TEN new remixes !). And with future remix collections already in the works, the song appears to have no plans of disappearing in the near future.
SO GET UP under varying titles; (Get Up, Get Up-Go Insane !, etc.) has been remixed by many of the world's top producers and djs including mega-stars like Fatboy Slim, Danny Tenagalia, Junior Vasquez and Stretch & Verne.
Although USL itself has long divided, Dj Vibe and Rui da Silva (both with several other hit releases under their belts) are now considered icons in the dance music world, while Ithaka has gone on to a successful career more associated with hip hop.
But in 2007, Dj Vibe and Ithaka once again collaborated on an all new track called "YOU", which has also forged for itself a strong international presence.
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Ithaka recording the poem SO GET UP. Caiscais, Portugal (1994) foto: To Pereira ________________________________ __________________________________
"SO GET UP" Lyrics and voice: Ithaka c. 1994-Ravenshark Music (Ascap) Scion Four Music, NY
Music: To Pereira/ Rui Da Silva)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"SO GET UP"
THE END OF THE EARTH IS UPON US PRETTY SOON IT’LL ALL TURN TO DUST
SO GET UP FORGET THE PAST
GO OUTSIDE HAVE A BLAST
GO A THOUSAND MILES IN A JET AIRPLANE GO OUT OF YOUR MIND GO INSANE !
TO A PLACE YOU NEVER BEEN BEFORE EAT ICE CREAM OR YOU’LL LICK THE FLOOR
CUZ, THE END OF THE EARTH IS UPON US PRETTY SOON IT’LL ALL TURN TO DUST
