Many beautiful years have past between their first monster hit Give It Up and now. Born as first generation house producers, a complete musical revolution has taken place right in front of Zki & Dobres eyes: From the first simple sampler, to a complete digital studio built into a laptop.
DJ Zki & Dobre; who are they and what are they up to? Two simple but pressing questions which are not easy to answer. The Dutch producers Zki & Dobre- respectively René ter Horst and Gaston Steenkist are responsible for so many productions in all kinds of styles under so many different names that they are extremely difficult to categorize.
Their studio remains their favorite place, but as DJ’s, the clubs is where their music is being tested and where their music should be played out loud! Great examples are I Wanna Be U (2001), A Star Is Born (2003) and Always And Forever (2006) which they released under their alter ego Chocolate Puma.
Lets go back in time a little. For sure a special mission from outer space has helped faith a little to ensure that these two all-round musical guys bumped into each other in the 90s.
Together they produced their first hit; The Good Men “ Give It Up”.
René: We are still very proud of Give It Up. It was created on a small mixer and mixed on broken speakers in Gastons bedroom. Its a unique record that people still sample and play. The whole world knows that record!
Give It Up brings them more then just international dance floors. Their own career goes through the roof. From 1992 till now Zki & Dobre released records like there lives depended on it. In total over 200 releases and 50 remixes for the likes of Roger Sanchez, Stereo MCs, Britney Spears, Copyright, Bob Sinclar, Fedde Le Grand & Funkerman and Laidback Luke.
As DJ’s Chocolate Puma is privileged to be able choose from all these hundreds of records to make sure they maintain and create a unique sound.
The true nature of their inspiration will always be a secret to them but Zki & Dobre have the gift of always reinventing themselves. Some highlights so far: the classic Vallee de Larmes (1993), the Jark Prongo project including Movin’ Thru Your System (1998) and Sweet Little Thing (2001), Chocolate Puma with the floor fillers I Wanna Be U, A Star Is Born and Always & Forever to name a couple. They also gained success with projects like Basco, Klatsch! and Tomba Vira.
One thing is clear though and that is that everything Zki & Dobre create stands for quality. Today a whole new generation appreciates the music of Zki and Dobre without knowing the full history of it.
2001 I Wanna Be U
2002 Ure All That
2002 Learning
2003 A Star Is Born
2005 4 Letter Word
2005 Always And Forever
2007 Another Day
2008 Touch Me (with Bingo Players)
2008 Route
2008 Morning Rain / Whohaddrums
2009 Only Love Can Save Me / Dub Of Boom
2009 Disco Electrique (with Bingo Players)
2009 Bugel
2009 Solarianism (with Baggi Begovic feat. Mitch Crown)
2009 R2G2 (with Hardsoul)
2010 Back Home (Featuring Colonel Red)
2010 Tonco Tone EP
2011 For Your Love (Featuring Colonel Red)
2011 Go Bang! (with Firebeatz)
2011 Tragito De Ron (with Gregor Salto)
2012 Same Thing (with Ben Westbeech)
2012 Destiny (Featuring Colonel Red)
Never Enough – Boris Dlugosch feat. Roisin Murphy
Happy People – Static Revenger
You’ve Got My Love – Bastian
I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman – Britney Spears
We Belong In This World Together – Stereo MC’s
You Can’t Change Me – Roger Sanchez
Popmusic – Laidback Luke
(Why Should I) Think About The Rain – Dutch
Most Precious Love – Blaze
Wheels In Motion – Fedde Le Grand & Funkerman
Feel It – Paris Avenue
Kiss My Eyes – Bob Sinclar
First Light – Bart Claessen
Higher – Milk & Sugar
Boom! – Fatty Boom Project
Shake Sh*t Up – Copyright
The New Wave – Prok & Fitch
Dirty Windows – Sil
Git Cho House On (Children) – Mike Dunn presents The MD X-Spress
Soul Makossa – Shovell & The Latin Hooligans
Sole Fusion – Bass Tone
Flo Rida feat. Nelly Furtado – Jump
David Guetta feat. Estelle – One Love
Fierce Ruling Diva – Rubb It In
Martin Accorsi – Soul Jack
Robert Owens – Deep Down
The Beatthiefs – Umbungo
Nouveau Yorican – Chiuso
Mastiksoul & Gregor Salto – Toca Bunda
Ray Foxx – The Trumpeter
The Good Men – Give It Up
Kraak & Smaak – Let’s Go Back
Soup – New York / London
Osunlade – Envision
Nicky Romero – Toulouse
Ben Westbeech – Same Thing
Xpress 2 – In The Blood
The Good Men (Give it Up)
René et Gaston (Vallée De L’armes)
Jark Prongo (Movin’ Thru Your System)
Basco (The Beat Is Over)
Tomba Vira
Stainless
Collin Bros.
Mechanical Soul Saloon
Mackino
Sil (Windows)
Trancesetters (The Search)
Tata Box Inhibitors (Plasmids)
51 Days (Paper Moon)
