So Get Up At Neo Pop Festival

Source: http://www.redbull.com/en/music/stories/1331605671473/when-underground-sound-of-lisbon-took-over-the-world 7 August 2013 Theorists have argued that Portugal’s strong connection to rock music derives from the country’s deeply ingrained nostalgia, its connection to fado and the sound of the Portuguese guitar. It makes sense: dance music’s uplifting vibe and celebrative moods aren’t the first connections someone might make with the classic fado diva lament that is now a world treasure recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage (when will they recognise techno as such?). With that in mind, it’s not surprising that Portugal’s first impact in the world of dance music back in 1993, as house turned into rave and moved into fields and massive open-air venues, was achieved with a track that sounded as grim and dark as some of the most introspective fado: “The end of the world is upon us / Pretty soon it will all turn to dust” It’s not exactly day-glo, happy hardcore fodder is it? © DJ Vibe The words to So Get Up, the Underground Sound Of Lisbon’s 1994 world smash, belonged to Ithaka Darin Pappas, a seasoned traveler, surfer and sculptor from California of Greek descent, who for a while had a parallel career in Portugal as the rapper and frontman of Ithaka. In ’93, when he laid the vocals to a song stuck on the B-side of the aptly titled Chapter One, no one could have imagined that the nascent Kaos Records would go on to license the track to the then powerful Tribal America label that would then hand it over to be remixed by heavyweights like Junior Vasquez and Danny Tenaglia. The song urged people to “go outside and have a blast”, connecting with a nihilistic ethos that prevailed on the dancefloor. And it ignited the brief world domination by Tribal, based on a harder and edgier sound. New York was the centre of the world, but Portugal revealed itself as a kind of secret paradise, a “new Ibiza”. So Get Up sold lorry-loads worldwide and was licensed for countless dance compilations – for a brief moment the planet was marching to the sound of just one tribal drum. But it also altered Portugal’s dependence on rock, opening dancefloors all over the country to progressive electronic beats and paving the way for today’s healthy club scene. It also birthed a network of producers who’ve managed to stay away from fado guitars while at the same time reinventing the very fabric of Portuguese soul through electronic beats. “I wasn’t even interested in running labels or making music, I just wanted to be a DJ,” said Tó Pereira, aka DJ Vibe, one half of The Underground Sound of Lisbon with Rui da Silva, recently. He speaks fondly of Portuguese rave from the first half of the ’90s – a more tribal, more percussive sound connected to our history and Africa’s. That’s why he still rates So Get Up as his best work – “way above anything else”. That’s how you rate classics: placing them above anything else. “Go a thousand miles in a jet plane / Go out of your mind, go insane”. That still resonates.

SO GET UP: U.S.L. featuring Ithaka

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

GOODBYE MY FRIENDS
GOODBYE WORLD

I’LL SEE YOU IN THE NEXT LIFE.......


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original mix: 1994


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In The Light We Sleep mix by: Danny Tenaglia