Dancing Fantasy

Dancing Fantasy – A European equivalent to the Smooth Jazz vibe style of labelmates 3rd Force, the popular German composer / keyboardist duo and creators of Dancing Fantasy, Curtis McLaw and Chris Williams brilliantly texture irresistibly sensuous grooves and hip-hop beats with mild synth generated atmospheres, creating a warm, seductive yet hypnotic soundtrack for the many moods of day and night.

Billboard Charts

Billboard Charts Dancing Fantasy

Curtis McLaw

Curtis McLaw at the Studio in Germany.

Soundscapes

In the liner notes to Soundscapes, the writer refers to the opening cut “Dreaming Out Loud” as a “killer” track. Inappropriate use of adjectives aside, don’t expect to be knocked out by this group’s mad beats. Dancing Fantasy is a German duo who — judging by their song titles — revel in generic new age symbolism, such as “The Sound of Colours” and “Feeling of Flight.” The blandness of these titles is bested only by the synth-heavy compositions on what must be one of the groups weakest entries to date. Even a die-hard fan of this stuff would have to admit they’ve heard it before. Not only do Curtis McLaw and Chris W. Williams soil a perfectly good fetish on “Asian Fantasy,” but they litter it with that “so already been done” Enigma flute sound. There is an uncredited poem on the inner sleeve of the disc that begins, “Lend me your ear and travel to a/land, where the sun goes up at/night and goes down in the morning/white rainbows, colored clouds/my eyes are delighted full of/ devotion by my favorite color/as here I have the gift to taste/every color/I only need to lick it.” If one is to understand their complex logic correctly, then good music has become bad and bad music, now good. Therefore, this disc is brilliant. ~ Matt Collar.

Amazon Customer Reviews!

Curtis McLaw and Chris Williams

Dancing Fantasy partners Curtis McLaw and Chris Williams had previously worked together at studio 1 Braunschweig (Germany). This particular project was a smooth-jazz variation on their fascination with German synth experimentalists like Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream. The self titled album was released in 1999. (Discography: Midnight Blvd., California Grooves, Moonlight Reflections, Worldwide, Live in USA, Day Dreams, Love Letters, Dancing Fantasy, Soundscapes).

Smooth jazz at it's best

Customer Reviews 

- I just love this CD. Very smooth and relaxing jazz - I leave it playing in the car for days. Very similar to Paul Hardcastle and The Jazzmaster series - which is a real complement to any group. Wish I could find more of their music.

- If you know the New Age harp music of Vollenwieder, there's a track on this CD called Fly. It features a subtle harp in the background that is very reminiscent of Andreas Vollenweider's sound and style.So much so that I thought perhaps he made a guest appearance on the track. But there's no info indicating this. Is this track just borrowing from his harp style as an appreciation for his music? Or is it really him?

- This is a must have if you are new to dancing fantasy. great cd!
 
- Dancing Fantasy's self-titled 1999 release is an interesting mix of covers as well as of course original material. The covers often have a mixed signal from me. Their cover of "Take Five" is definately original but I am not too fond of how they converted a 5/4 timing into just a conventional 4/4 track but apart from that, this is still a great song. The cover version of Art of Noises famous 1984 classic "Moments In Love" is beautifully done and has it's own character altogether but I wish it was much longer. The second half of this album is stronger with the beautiful "Eternal" and "Power of Life". The closing track "Farewell" brings back some of the classic DF of their early years but even that is a far cry from beauties like "Quiet Beauty" and their "California Grooves" release. Overall, this is yet another decent but mixed bag collection.
 

- This is smooth jazz at it's best

- This is a great find...this is the real meaning of "smooth jazz"...close your eyes and sit back...very romantic and sensual...

- During those rare quiet nights in the ER, there's nothing quite like Dancing Fantasy's "Take Five" to soothe the weary. The opening note will take your breath away! This song, and subsequently, the album, was my intro to smooth jazz. Enjoy!

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