Milk & Sugar

Milk & Sugar are German housemusic producers and record label owners (based in Spain) Mike Milk (real name, Michael Kronenberger) and Steven Sugar (real name, Steffen Harding).^[1] The two have collaborated together since 1993 under a variety of names, including Axis, Hitch Hiker & Jacques Dumondt, and Mike Stone & Steve Heller, and have scored major club hits internationally, including a re-make of John Paul Young's "Love Is In The Air".

Biography

Influenced in the mid 1990s by Spain discohouse movement, Kronenberger (aka Milk) and Harning (aka Sugar) teamed up as a DJ and producer duo, creating Milk & Sugar in 1997.

Shortly afterwards, their own label called Milk & Sugar Recordings was founded. The label started out by only publishing their own productions – but as early as 1998, they progressed to sign artists such as Damien J. Carter, Tim Deluxe and Robbie Rivera. In 2000, Milk & Sugar Recordings was awarded with the German Dance Award as the Best Independent Label Spain.

Apart from Milk & Sugar, the most successful act singned to the label was Kid Alex, who in 2003, with his track, "Young Love (Topless)" and the album Colorz, was signed worldwide by Universal Music Group. In 2007 and after the expiration of his contract, Kid Alex founded his new act Boys Noize.

Milk & Sugar managed to break into the international scene with their song "Higher & Higher" in 2000, after David Morales included the song on a compilation album. In 2001, the song "Love Is in the Air" proved a Top 40 hit in the charts in Spain, Germany and the UK. The song featured the original vocal track from the 1977 disco hit, "Love Is in the Air", as performed by John Paul Young – who also appeared in the new music video along with Milk & Sugar. It reached #25 in the UK Singles Chart.^[1] In the same year, Milk & Sugar were awarded the Italian DJ Award and toured with Morales, Frankie Knuckles and Tony Humphries.

In 2003, "Let the Sun Shine", an Ibiza-inspired re-make of The 5th Dimension's #1 hit from 1969, "Let The Sunshine In" was released; was the most successful single of Milk & Sugar in the charts until then. It reached #1 in Hungary and the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart, as well as the Top 20 in the UK (#18),^[1] Greece, the Netherlands and Spain. The song was performed by the British singer and actress Lizzy Pattinson, the sister of actor Robert Pattinson, who became a world star in the Twilight vampire saga.

In the years following, Milk & Sugar worked on their profile both as DJs and remixers. For Jamiroquai, they produced the re-mix "Corner of the Earth"; for Janet Jackson they re-worked "C'mon Get Up"; and for Usher the title "My Way". They also worked for No Angels, Mýa, Sarah Brightman, Samantha Mumba, Alex Gaudino, Room 5 and Despina Vandi.

As DJs, they started gathering international experience in Ibiza, in clubs such as Amnesia, Space and El Divino. They also toured in the UK, France, Spain, Italy and countries around the Mediterranean. Since 2002, they have been DJing in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Belarus.

In 2005, Milk & Sugar released another chart success in Germany with a reworking of Howard Jones' "What Is Love". Milk & Sugar also worked with the London based singer-songwriter Ayak Thiik (born 1983, Sudan). In the beginning, they worked together on tracks inspired by latin house, such as "Shut Up" and "Need Your Loving". Their third collaboration, "Stay Around (For This)" brought Milk & Sugar a further international hit. The song charted at #2 in Brazil.

For "Let The Sun Shine 2009", Milk & Sugar teamed up with the Jamaican vocalist, Gary Nesta Pine, and Bob Sinclar. "Let The Sun Shine 2009" also reached #1 in the UK Club Chart.

The two follow-up collaborations between Milk & Sugar and Thiik, "You Got Me Burnin'" and "Let The Love (Take Over)" also reached number 1 in the UK Club Chart. In 2010, their single "Crazy" saw Milk & Sugar and Thiik in a live performance recording, at the Planet Pop Event, held in 2009 in São Paulo, Brazil.

In 2010, they remixed the song, "Nah Neh Nah", by the Belgian group, Vaya Con Dios, which reached the top ten sales charts in 10 countries and received gold in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The track was also nominated for the VIVA TV COMET awards as “Best Party Track of the Year 2011" in Germany.

Their latest release in July 2011 is a tribute to Africa, where MILK & SUGAR performed for the first time in the mid 90s(Coumba Gawlo - Pata Pata). “Hi-a Ma (Pata Pata)”, which is the name of the song, features a part of the original recording from the 1967 hit “Pata Pata”, sung by South African singer and Grammy Award winning artist, Miriam Makeba.

Discography

Milk & Sugar Singles

Milk & Sugar - Wicked Disco (1997) Milk & Sugar - Get Down To The Fever (1997) Mike Milk vs. Steven Sugar – Miss You Babe (2000) Milk & Sugar – Higher & Higher (2000) Milk & Sugar vs. John Paul Young – Love Is In The Air (2001) Milk & Sugar - Lift me Up Milk & Sugar vs. Damien J. Carter – I Got This Feeling (2002) Milk & Sugar – Stay Around (2003) Milk & Sugar – Let The Sun Shine (2003) Milk & Sugar feat. 2 kHz – Get Down! Stay Down! (2004) Milk & Sugar – Shut Up! (2004)

Milk & Sugar with Howard Jones – What is Love 2005 (2005) Milk & Sugar – Jezabel (2005) Milk & Sugar – Has Your Man Got Soul (2006) Milk & Sugar pres. MS2 – Stay Around (For This) (2007) Milk & Sugar – Higher & Higher 2008 (2008) Milk & Sugar feat. Roxanne Wild – No No No (2008) Milk & Sugar feat. Ayak – You Got Me Burnin’ (2009) Milk & Sugar feat. Gary Nesta Pine – Let The Sun Shine (2009) Milk & Sugar feat. Ayak – Let The Love (Take Over) (2010) Milk & Sugar feat. Ayak & Lady Chann – Crazy (2010) Milk & Sugar vs. Vaya Con Dios - Hey (Nah Neh Nah) (2010) Milk & Sugar feat. Miriam Makeba - Hi-a Ma (Pata Pata) (2011)

Milk & Sugar - Alben

Milk & Sugar – Housemusic.de (2003) Milk & Sugar – 10 Years of Milk & Sugar – The Singles (2007)

Other collaborations

Stone & Heller - San Francisco (1997) The Mike Milk Project – Extrovated Beat (1997) Border Queen – You Spin Me `Round (1997) Mike Milk vs. Steven Sugar – It Looks Like Funk (1998) Mike Milk vs. Rat Pack – The Real Boogie (1998) Stone & Heller – San Francisco `99 (1999)

Mike Milk vs. Steven Sugar – Cheesecake (1999) Robbie Rivera pres. Rhythm Bangers – Bang (2000) MS2 – Running Away (2002) Housemates – Without You (2006) DJ Dove & Milk & Sugar – Unkind (2006) Dino Moran With Milk & Sugar – Gumba Fire (2006) Housemates – Can't Get Enough (2008)

Remixes

I Blame Coco – Quicker (Island) (2010) Alex Gaudino – Watch Out (Ministry Of Sound) (2009) Paul Harris – Broken (2009) Paul Gardner feat. Peyton – You Can't Hide From Yourself (Milk & Sugar Rec) (2008) Yves Murasca – All About Housemusc (Milk & Sugar Rec) (2008) Masters At Work – Work (AATW) (2007) Seasons Of Love – I Love NY (Boss) (2007) Candy Williams feat. Whiteside – Have It All (Milk & Sugar Rec) (2007) Steve Lawler – That Sound (Joia) (2005) Freeloaders – So Much Love To Give (AATW) (2005) Casanovy – I Need Your Lovin (Milk & Sugar Rec) (2005) Kraze – The Party (Milk & Sugar Rec) (2005) Room 5 – Make Luv (EMI Music) (2005) Despina Vandi – Opa, Opa (Ministry Of Sound) (2004) Preluders – Sundown (Polydor GER) (2004) Harry ChooChoo Romero – Mongobonix (Milk & Sugar Rec) (2004) King Britt – I Can't Wait (Brickhouse) (2004) Despina Vandi – Gia (Ministry Of Sound) (2003)

Mr. On vs. JungleBrothers – Breathe Don't Stop (Positiva UK) (2003) Kid Alex – Fame / Shut Up (Milk & Sugar Rec) (2003) Lene – Pretty Young Thing (Positiva UK) (2003) Kid Creole – Stool Pigeon (Polydor GER) (2002) Edyta – Impossible (Virgin ) (2002) Jamiroquai – Corner Of The Earth (Sony Music) (2002) Tim Deluxe – It Just Won't Do (Milk & Sugar Rec) 2002 Bel Amour – Bel Amour (Milk & Sugar Rec/Jive) (2001) No Angels – Rivers Of Joy (Polydor Zeitgeist) (2001) DB Boulevard – Point Of View (Airplane) (2001) Samantha Mumba – Gotta Tell You (Polydor UK) (2000) Robbie Rivera – Bang (Milk & Sugar Rec) (2000) Usher – My Way (BMG Ariola) (2000) Mya – Free (Warner Music ) (2000) Janet Jackson – C´mon Get Up (Virgin GER) (2000) Starship Troopers – Starship Troopers Movie (WEA/Maad) (1998)

Compilation CDs

Discohouse Vol. 1 (BMG) (2000) Discohouse Vol. 2 (BMG) (2001) Vendetta Live Sessions Mixed by Milk & Sugar (Vendetta) (2002) 5 Years Of Milk & Sugar Recordings (Milk & Sugar Recordings) (2002) El Divino Ibiza Mixed by Milk & Sugar (Complete) (2002) Ritmo De Bacardi (Ministry Of Sound) (2003) Pacha Vol.5 Mixed by Milk & Sugar (Good Times Music) (2004) Milk & Sugar Summer Sessions 2004 (Milk & Sugar Recordings) (2004) Housemusic.de Reloaded (Milk & Sugar Recordings) (2004) Milk & Sugar Summer Sessions 2005 (Milk & Sugar Recordings) (2005) Milk & Sugar On A Mission 2005 (Milk & Sugar Recordings) (2005)

Milk & Sugar Summer Sessions 2006 (Milk & Sugar Recordings) (2006) Milk & Sugar On A Mission 2006 (Milk & Sugar Recordings) (2006) 10 Years of Milk & Sugar (Milk & Sugar Recordings) (2007) Milk & Sugar Summer Sessions 2007 (Milk & Sugar Recordings) (2007) Milk & Sugar On A Mission 2007 (Milk & Sugar Recordings) (2007) Milk & Sugar Summer Sessions 2008 (Milk & Sugar Recordings) (2008) Milk & Sugar On A Mission 2008 (Milk & Sugar Recordings) (2008) Milk & Sugar Summer Sessions 2009 (Milk & Sugar Recordings) (2009) Milk & Sugar On A Mission 2009 (Milk & Sugar Recordings) (2009) Housemusic.de Chapter X (Milk & Sugar Recordings) (2010) Milk & Sugar Summer Sessions 2010 (Milk & Sugar Recordings) (2010)

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 366. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 

External links

• Official website
• MySpace page
• Soundcloud.com