Eiffel 65

By Bruce Britt

Feb 29 2000

Every year or so, a pop single comes along that stubbornly clings to the brain like a sweet, sticky confection. Such was the case in 1999 when an Italian trio named Eiffel 65 released a hauntingly memorable single titled "Blue." Featuring quirky lyrics sung over pounding club-dance rhythms, the song resolved in a hypnotic "da-ba-dee, da-ba-da" chorus that rivaled The Beatles' "Ob La Di, Ob La Da" for sheer infectiousness. Within weeks of its release, "Blue" was a certified global smash, scoring huge in the Europe, Australia, Canada and the U.S. Eiffel 65 had arrived.

As "Blue" so effectively demonstrates, the members of Eiffel 65 are masters at creating humanistic yet robotic contemporary pop. The group's Republic/Universal Records debut album, Europop, is a savvy cross-pollination of '80s-style dance rhythms and computer-generated melodies that recall pioneering synth-pop group Kraftwerk. Indeed, vocalist Jeffrey Jey, keyboardist Maurizio Lobina and DJ Gabry Ponte seem to enjoy blurring the distinctions between man and machine. "We're more like an old-fashioned Depeche Mode," says vocalist Jey. "We are electronic, but we look for new sounds. It's easy to sing to and dance to."

Eiffel 65 is one of the most successful acts on Italy's BlissCorporation label. Known for its pioneering "Spaghetti House" dance recordings, BlissCorporation has provided a nurturing creative atmosphere for Eiffel 65 to blossom. The trio's love of technology is even evident in their name: Eiffel 65 settled on their Eurocentric moniker when it was randomly selected by a computer program.