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Chaser
Biography
Chaser consists of Lars Sandberg, a twenty-nine year old Glaswegian, and Nigel Hayes, a thirty three year old Londoner. The two lads met in the early '90s when Lars was DJing in a club in Glasgow. Nigel, who was new to the city, approached the decks and demanded that he was given a go, claiming he was the best DJ on the planet, despite the fact that he had no records with him. Following on from this incident the two became firm friends.
Lars is individually renowned for his techno alter ego Funk D'Void. He has released some classic cuts in his time including the awesome "Jack Me Off" (Soma 29) and his highly acclaimed debut album "Technoir" (Soma LP/CD 8).
In 1989, Nigel moved from London to Glasgow, where he had several DJ spots including at The Sub Club and The Arches. At the latter he promoted the successful Liberty City club and also worked in both Bomba and Fopp Records. He went on to spend a few years living in New York where he managed Joe Clausell's famous record store Dance Tracks, and held a few residencies in some N.Y. clubs. Now back to stay in the UK, Nigel continues to DJ worldwide: recent gigs have been in places like Finland, Norway, France and Spain.
As well as his gorgeous jazzhouse excursions with Lars as Chaser, Nigel has also produced with Toronto's Abacus to record for Guidance Records in Chicago and individually as Charly Brown. Since 1999, Nigel has started his own label Black Jesus.
The days spent listening to jazz-funk in Fopp records (where they both worked at one time or another) ingrained a love for "jazz with a beat". It was obvious they would want to begin making their own jazzy sounds. In the winter of 1995 they did so, and Chaser was born. For their debut they released the unforgettable "Sides Of Iron". Causing quite a stir at the time, this highly seductive jazzhouse cut is still regarded in some quarters as a classic and remains in the boxes of some of the world's finest DJs. Almost two years since the release of "Sides Of Iron" the guys hook up to record "Life In Loisaida" (New York slang for Lower East Side). This nu-jazztech record appealed to music lovers across the board with its tough techno, subtle house and funky jazz rhthyms.
Partly recorded in New York and completed in Glasgow, Chaser released their long-awaited debut album "Game On". This superb album received full support from the likes of Giles Peterson, Kruder & Dorfmeister and Laurent Garnier.
For the last two years the boys have been concentrating on their solo careers, Nigel recently released his debut long player on Austia's Sunshine Recordings with But is it Art. Lars' second album as Funk D'Void, Dos, was released in March 2001.
The boys will be back in the studio as Chaser in 2001.
