Venus In Motion

Venus In Motion
Angel Johnson
Venus In Motion Angel Johnson
Background information
Born	1967; Peterborough
Origin	England, UK
Genres	Chillout; Soul Music; Ambient; Acid Jazz; Downtempo; House Music;
Occupations	Songwriter; Producer; DJ;
Years active	1991 - Present
Labels	Blanco Y Negro; Seamless Recordings;
Website	www.venusinmotionmusic.com

Venus In Motion is the artist name of Angel Johnson, a British songwriter, producer, and Dj who was born in Peterborough in 1967. She has released two albums, 2007's Walking In Limbo, 2013's Somebody's Heaven and has a forthcoming long-player, Liberation, ready for release in the near future. The music she produces encompasses such musical styles as jazz, breakbeat and blues, to soul and house. It is mostly recorded in a downtempo style, bringing to mind the sunsets of Ibiza, as viewed from the world-famous Cafe del Mar and Mambo's on the famous white isle. Angel writes, produces, engineers and mixes all her tracks herself, but brings in an array of singers and musicians to complete the finished articles.

Early Life

Angel was born Angela Elizabeth Pitts in Peterborough in 1967. She was fostered at age two by the Johnson family, who adopted her legally at the age of twelve, when her name became Angela Elizabeth Johnson. As a teenager, she became interested in the underground soul and electro scene, attending parties which whetted her appetite and where the seeds for a career in music were planted.

DJ Career

Her DJ career began in 1991 and she became known as Angel. She worked behind the bar in Nottingham's famous Venus house music club, but made the transition from bar-worker to DJ in a relatively short time as she taught herself within three months how to mix, eventually landing a slot at the club's New Year's Eve party. Her stock rose quickly, and she was soon one of the most sought-after house DJs, playing such institutions as The Haçienda, Shindig in Newcastle, Golden in Stoke, Ministry of Sound, as well as her four-year residency at Swoon in Stafford, which she held from the opening night in 1994 until its finale in 1998. Angel was also a regular guest at the best clubs in Ibiza, like Pacha, Es Paradis and El Divino and further afield on the worldwide club circuit.

Production Career

In 1993, Angel started producing music with Dean Marriott, better known as D.Ramirez under the guise of Masters of the Monotonal Groove on Liverpool's 3 Beat Records.

In 1996, she began her first solo venture, Angelheart, which was signed to the famous dance label, Hi-Life Recordings, a subsidiary of Polydor Records. Under this moniker, she released two singles, 'I'm Still Waiting' and 'Come Back To Me.' Continuing with the name Angelheart and also DJ Angel, she released a number of house records on independent labels, probably most famously 'Love Thing' in 2004, featuring the sublime vocals of esteemed house diva, Kim English. From 2014, she started producing house music under the name of Angel Johnson and continues to release records on labels like Seamless Recordings, and Motion Records.

Venus In Motion

Moving away from her signature house sound, Angel hatched her new venture, in the mid-00s which was inspired by the British chill-out and trip-hop scene. Her first album 'Walking In Limbo' , which she began writing in 2003, encompassed elements of soul, jazz, latin and ambient pop, and it was released in 2007 on Blanco y Negro around the time she relocated to Barcelona to live with her Spanish boyfriend. In 2011, she released the 5-track EP, Reach on German record label Bloodsugar Records. Two years later, she released her second long-player, 'Somebody's Heaven' on Seamless Recordings. All releases remain staple soundtracks at Ibiza's nightspots and sunsets as many Balearic DJs have embraced her sound. Remixes for the two singles from the album, 'Again & Again' and 'Crazy People' were undertaken by Giom and Max Sedgley respectively. The mixture of soulful and folk vocals on all her releases are provided by her regular singers, Siobhan Lynch, Naomi Leigh and Cherry Mars, as well as occasional guests who bring her autobiographical tales of love and loss to life

Angel is currently working on her third Venus In Motion album, 'Liberation' which is scheduled for release in late 2017.

Discography

Angelheart

Angelheart Feat Rochelle Harris - Come Back To Me (1996)
I'm Still Waiting Feat Aletia Bourne (1996)
One Nation (1999)

DJ Angel

Love Thing feat. Kim English (2004)

Tell Me On Sunday ‎Feat Rachel Harris (2005)
DJ Angel & Gabi Newman - Don't Break Us Down ‎Feat Naomi Moss (2007)
DJ Angel & Gabi Newman - Hanging From The Ceiling ‎Feat. Alex Senna (2009)

Angel Johnson

Lovers Heaven – Feat Tammy Cartwright (2014)
Choose Me – Feat Cherry Mars (2014)
Walk Away (2014)
Feeling Lonely – Feat Alex Senna (2015)
Salvation – Feat Tammy Cartwright (2016)
I’m Not The One – Feat Naomi Leigh (2016

Venus In Motion

Walking In Limbo (2007)
Reach EP (2011)
Somebody's Heaven (2013)
Liberation (2017) TBA

External Links

Official Websites

https://venusinmotionmusic.com/ [Official Website]

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3eChX5UM2Y6PkDlXfa26NA/ [Spotify]

https://www.facebook.com/venusinmotion/