Oh no! I had no idea either.... He did look a concerningly fraile when performing at a concert a few years ago and had to be helped off stage he had no medicial conditions (that we knew of at least) and was only 65. We have lost another music legend. RIP
Was doing a wedding disco, and this guy came up and asked for insomnia. He said he was 72, and he loved it! He then danced like a 20 year old. It's a FLOOR FILLER.
I`ll never forget been at a rave in Johannesburg and the DJ kept teasing the crowd with the riff off Insomnia, he kept ever so subtly bring it in and fading it out for about three tracks, then built up a track and then dropped Insomnia ... the crowd went NUTS! The simple thought of the way that riff echoes through a warehouse venue still makes my hair all stand on end!
I remember hearing Insomnia at a RAVE in DURBAN when it came out and seeing People going CRAZY n standing there thinking I'M PART OF HISTORY right now.
RIP Maxi - you were introduced to me by my beloved Mouse - She loved every note of your music I came from the background of Yello and Dieter Meier but in the end I took her to 5 concerts of Faithless - Insomnia was always on the speakers when I go to her house full blast - now it reminds me of my beloved Mouse. She was your greatest fan and now I live my own private Insomnia and understand what you all felt
All those great tracks of the nineties had that USP. A main lead / sound unlike what had gone before. Like 7 Days & 1 Week, Cafe Del Mar, Greece 2000, For An Angel, etc. I think most of the stuff today sounds too similar. The saw lead has been done to death but they still try to make 'trance' music with it.
That song is part of a very vivid memory of mine. In 2002 I lived on Ibiza & the Pacha discotheque basically was my living room. Although the Pacha has different dance floors with different music styles, they all can be connected to the main floor. So one night one Italian DJ connected all floors to his set on the main floor & I remember the club going silent at precisely 3:30 am. First confusion from the audience, then that beat with the line "half past 3 in the morning..." hit & the whole place went completely bonkers! I'll never forget that moment when approx. 8.000 people made that place shake - good times! Best party I've ever been to.
Faithless and the Prodigy the two best dance acts on the planet bar none. This track has always made me smile and still does. Maxi’s lyrics are timeless.
I remember hearing that riff for the first time, that sound just seemed impossible, I still get goosebumps thinking about it now. Today I don’t think I could be shocked by a sound or a track in the same way, it feels like I’ve heard every noise that’s possible, or at least close to every noise. Back when this came out I couldn’t believe that it was possible to sound so huge! I just kept thinking “wow it’s possible to make music like that?!?” It sounds like it was recorded in a church, the reverb and size of the track is epic in scale, certainly bigger than a garden shed.
Well. Thank goodness you did. I,m 66 and this is my favourite dance track. Saw Faithless live in bournemouth, they were amazing. Still dance to faithless whenever they come on wherever I am and I dont care what anyone thinks.
My personal story with Insomnia centres around spending a few days in Brussels in the mid-nineties and hearing, in a mega-club - God knows what it was called - a track so hypnotising, that I found it impossible to stop thinking about it. It totally revolutionised my perception of dance music and acted as a catalyst in searching for dance tunes matching its sublimity (there were a few). Reading of Maxi Jazz's passing has triggered me to revisit some of Faithless's best tracks, to listen to their lyrics, and has restored a little of my faith in humanity. Maxi Jazz was full of humanity. Sometimes, we find our personal heroes too late. R.I.P.
About 25 years ago I was writing interviews and reviews for a Dutch dance music magazine called Bassic Groove. Faithless came over for an interview at a fancy hotel. After that we went record shopping together and spend the whole day in Amsterdam. Rollo even gave me a Cheeky Records hoodie. Fun times.
when I first heard this riff in 1996 it was like a slap in the face and I instantly knew this is a classic we will hear it even 25-30 yrs later and the people will dance to it. For me the best dance riff ever composed (or better say it flew out of the fingers of Sister Bliss), thanks for that tune, goosebumps when ever I listen to it…
25 years and I am still to hear another track that is as massive as Insomnia. No matter what the set is, once that riff from Insomnia hits, nothing else matters.....nothing else is relevant!!
If I may humbly make a suggestion: *Underworld's Born Slippy .NUXX* I've had the priviledge of seeing and hearing both Faithless and Underworld (when they were still a 3-man group) perform live. To me, _both_ tracks are up there, at rarefied heights. The _dun-dun-dunnnn_ chords of Born Slippy will do the same thing as Insomnia's chords.
There's a couple i can think of that are in the same ballpark of epicness. Cafe del mar and both the William orbit and Tiesto versions of Adaigo. And for something more "modern" an orchestral version of either Insomnia or Cafe del mar
I have to completely agree! And that is saying something considering the many epic tracks out there, But there's something about this one that culminates a whole generation of dance/trance music.. A riff and drop that amazed crowds at the time, There was nothing like it before, And even to this day it sounds so fresh.. It's like being in a dark place and then being suddenly lifted euphorically lol. And when it comes (club or through your speakers) it brings a level of feeling/emotion like no other. It truly is the greatest club track of all time in my opinion.
I shamefully didn’t know who Sister Bliss was before watching this, I’d never heard of her. But I’ve instantly fallen in love with her, she’s such a badass. She seems so chill, she’s so talented as well! Sister Bliss is iconic and I’m so glad I know who she is now thanks to my UA-cam recommendations!
I was at school with Sister Bliss. She joined our school in the sixth form. I didn't know her but had mutual friends who got me interested in her music in the years afterwards. Met her at a friend's mother's funeral years later. A very nice girl. Intelligent, talented, and incredibly modest.
Some of my most euphoric and memorable Club nights were because of this song! Soooo one of the BIGGEST dance songs ever was "just a riff, it just came to me". They had no idea how they would change the lives of so many with a song!
This is content I want to see on UA-cam! Not the average UA-cam’s with their long non informative intro’s and their standard “without further ado” line.....
Sister Bliss is one of the pioneers of dance music in my opinion. I believe everything Faithless did was hard work and from the heart. Working the DJ scene, and getting promoted is extremely hard and it must have been frustrating for them to have Island music bench their tracks. Lucky for us the fans that there was a clause, or we may have never had Faithless. Great interview. First time I've heard from Sister Bliss and before this I imagined she was articulate and intelligent as she comes across in this interview. Thanks for this DJ Mag. Thanks for Sister Bliss to do the interview! From one of your biggest fans!
I was not prepared for 4:40.... brought back memories of me trying to make sense of my surroundings through the lasers in a packed club all those years ago 😂
This song had me on my knees. One hell of a song to grasp you and take you to another world with your eyes shut it transfixed me. One of my top songs to run to now
I still remember when I was a student, I DJ,d a bit on student parties. At a given day, I got my hands on Insomnia. Heard about it, but it was as good as unknown at that time. When the beats started after the initial "I can't get no sleep" the roof literally went off basically kickstarting a party that lasted until dawn. This was really one of those rare moments that gives you shills even 25 or 30 years after. Respect to Faithless. They made a lot of music that will become or are already classics
90’s Aberdeen Sunday night at Lovechild. Faithless and that evening will stay forever in my memory. Teasing us, dropping the tune in and out of the set. Out of nowhere the dance floor went dark and then after what felt like ages, the lights went bam and they finally let rip. Me and my bestie (sadly since passed) up on stage dancing with Maxi Jazz. What a night, and then there was the after party. Good times ❤🙌🏽❤
I was at Manumission on a Monday night in July '96, Sister Bliss was on the decks... She dropped this tune and it blew the roof off. Will never forget it. So cool. One of the best nights of my life.
I remember when the track released. I was 16 years old, and just started being a dj in a small local radio, and this song was the start of my daily dance radio program. they were good days
I remember having that tune stuck in my brain as a child and when I finally found the album in the public library I thought it was so weird that the "good part" only begins 7 or so minutes into the track. To this day this choice stands out as one of the coolest, cleverest and dare I say ballsy ideas of electronic music. This was what made Faithless above and beyond all other dance acts, having that deeply spiritual dimension, the breadth of all the different styles in a coherent package on the albums as well as live, and of course Sister Bliss' and Rollo's impeccable sense of hooking the listener. One of my biggest regrets is never seeing Maxi Jazz perform. Rest in peace, magical mystery man
I lost track how many times I played insomnia on my school radio. My program was all dance music: acid, techno, house (and I didn’t get any sponsors, was music 100% of the time, I was paying out of pocket for those ad slots I didn’t want to fill with sponsors)… my colleagues started by hating on me and at the end of the first year I dj’d at school radio people were pleading that I give them a copy of the music I played, and was invited to dj at events in school. Puntz puntz puntz for life :) Anyway, insomnia, for months, became the song to close off my radio shows, my colleagues loved it, I couldn’t get tired of it (still don’t, and I’ve heard it countless times in this almost 30 years and still gives me goosebumps). Love insomnia, love faithless.
The Anthem. Sister Bliss is a musical genius that has created so much amazing music. I hope she continues to create, if that's what she's inspired to do. The full album is pure musical genius!
How many can have a memory of this playing while heading out at the weekend. Several cars full of friends on the way to a rave or club. I've very fond memories of this blasting out the speakers in the car with friends chanting along. One tune that will last in memory for ever. Still have it in my collection Many thanks for the fond memories 🙏
I NEED to be back to the days of the late 90s to mid to late 00s. The music was awesome, Trance, Dance, EDM was so pure. This music made me know why trance is called trance. These pieces of art took me through some really trying times and I owe that a lot.
It's incredible when you realise how old this song is and yet, so modern with all the intricate details and absolutely timeless. Thank you for sharing the story. I'm 56 and remember hearing it on the radio the first time back when I lived in the south of Sweden. Such an amazing bit of music.
The electronic equivalent of a classical symphony, truly a timeless masterpiece. I always get emotional when I hear that slow build-up, it's just so good.
Faithless is one of my all time favourite groups, Reverence is one of my all time favourite albums. Epic. So many big nights in the late 90’s in Sydney, Australia and early 2000’s in Toronto, Canada. Ah the good ol days! 🕺🏻
We were at the Mysteryland rave in the Netherlands listening and dancing to hardcore house and gabber. While beats were banging hard and fast we got tired and decided to go to a chillout area. Overthere were some DJs playing some slower paced music. The dancefloor of the chillout area was not that full with people dancing, untill the moment Insominia got played. Lots of people rushed to the dancefloor. This track got everybody dancing.. laserbeams were project right over the stage... This was just epic! It does not matter when or where Insomnia gets played.. It will always remind me of that moment at Mysteryland..
I remember when this hit the clubs in London before it was a hit. Never seen crowds go so wild. In all my years as a raver in the 90s, this tune lit up the dancefloors more than any other I remember. So many arms in the air and whoops and screams when it dropped.
The first time I ever heard Insomnia I had goose bumps all over my body, that was twentyfive years ago. Sitting here listening to that track again and I still get goose bumps. Timeless, beautiful, perfection.
One of best songs in the while history of dance music.Still to this day love it and have it on cd with different versions of it. Maxi Jazz is unsurpassable. A classic. ❤❤❤
I booked Faithless for a club gig back in 2001. They were otw back from NZ so were happy to break the journey in KL, Malaysia. These guys are as good live as their CD. Great people to work with. Sister Bliss is a wonderful person, Maxi is cheeky like a small boy. When the tour manager arrived he asked me, “So, how will it be tonight?”. I replied, “It’s sold out.” He then asked me, “How many tickets?”. I informed him, “Not sold any yet.” He immediately calls management and informed them, “The promoter says it’s a sold out show but they haven’t sold any ticket yet.” That night the club was packed wall to wall. It was an amazing night. Everyone was elated! Faithless + Huge quality sound system = O-M-G!!!
I still get goosebumps when that riff starts. It’s just such an epic song and it came out just when I had started University. I can remember the dance move a friend and me came up with and always did when the riff hit, jumping up and down, sweaty and happy in the middle of a crowd full of fellow students. Insomnia is definitely the soundtrack to my daydreaming of those younger days.
Christ I must have heard this and danced to it over a thousand times since I first heard it in a field in 1996, but just hearing that drop in this video had my neck and arm hair standing on end. It still has that power to make me shiver.
RIP Maxi Jazz. Your lyrics are still ringing in our hears and our hearts. Faithless left a legacy.
Victim of the vaccines, another one. RIP
WAIT WHAT!??! I HAD NO IDEA HE PASSED AWAY 8 DAYS AGO!!! I'm at a loss for words. Rest In Peace legend.
Oh no! I had no idea either.... He did look a concerningly fraile when performing at a concert a few years ago and had to be helped off stage he had no medicial conditions (that we knew of at least) and was only 65. We have lost another music legend. RIP
His rhymes got me through bad times, and it changed my views on life in some ways. A legend, a hero, a legacy to be remembered.
"legacy" 1 good song lol
25 YEARS! And the track is still going... to this day! Still sounds as fresh as the day it was released, it's ageless.
Oh yes 👍🇨🇭🎶
and still my ring tone :-)
25 Years later, we are locked in our homes with nothing to do but sleep!!! I need a release xD
Unreal track
...in other words, it 's got insomnia....
Insomnia, in a dark club, sweaty, surrounded, euphoric. When it hits, it's sheer heaven.
i had the perfect moment like 13 yrs ago... the xtc hit me and then, guess what song the dj played? i felt like: omg, im in heaven with the lord
@@lazowayne haha I can imagine! As close as one can get to heaven on earth 😂 God let the clubs reopen NOW please!!
Hell yes - it was ecstasy
Totally agree, when that came out it hit the roof every club night
Especially when ya pinging off ya face. Ahhhh... Memories.
RIP Maxi. I saw Faithless perform in Dublin way back in the day. Fantastic Night.
This track has probably given rise to more goosebumps than there are stars in the universe
Hahaa yep every second comment mentions goosebumps lol
Amen.
Or grains of sand on all the beaches on earth
and it literally did there before the riff starts
i had the same thought..ditto
Was doing a wedding disco, and this guy came up and asked for insomnia.
He said he was 72, and he loved it!
He then danced like a 20 year old.
It's a FLOOR FILLER.
That'll be me in 30 years
Bless his heart~
@@dl2one this made me laugh, ay, me too.
I’m 62 onwards still dance to this now like a madman 🙂😂
Wish I could have seen that. 😂
I`ll never forget been at a rave in Johannesburg and the DJ kept teasing the crowd with the riff off Insomnia, he kept ever so subtly bring it in and fading it out for about three tracks, then built up a track and then dropped Insomnia ... the crowd went NUTS!
The simple thought of the way that riff echoes through a warehouse venue still makes my hair all stand on end!
C A ........Wow....I have never heard of that 'technique' before!
Yeah, it was special...
Insomnia was huge in Seff Effrica.
@@thesoultwins72 really? I had quite a few artists build up to a specific track for 3-5songs.
I remember hearing Insomnia at a RAVE in DURBAN when it came out and seeing People going CRAZY n standing there thinking I'M PART OF HISTORY right now.
RIP Maxi - you were introduced to me by my beloved Mouse - She loved every note of your music I came from the background of Yello and Dieter Meier but in the end I took her to 5 concerts of Faithless - Insomnia was always on the speakers when I go to her house full blast - now it reminds me of my beloved Mouse. She was your greatest fan and now I live my own private Insomnia and understand what you all felt
My deepest condolences ❤
@nixm9093 thank you she lives on in my heart Today got a CD of Faithless and ticket to see them in Halifax
That Riff that Sister Bliss came up with is Timeless and will live on and be a classic for a long time 👍
Sister bliss made an incredible riff with Insomnia, and who can forget God is a DJ, just four notes...........but WHAT notes.
She is such an icon.
Drug addict
for sure!
Timelessness does tend to go on for a long time tbf
I opened the BBC music stage at creamfields 2017 with this song. I love this tune 🙌🏽❤️🔊
Kinda begging it by using it to open. No offense.
@tonypine3434 none taken bro bro, but facts are facts haha, I did. Classic tune 🤷🏽♂️ hope you had a good Xmas 🤘🏽
She has such a pleasant and eloquent air about her.
Insomnia...24 years later...and this song STILL gives me chills. This was literally the best song of it's time. The beat drop is ICONIC.
me too, not many songs can do that.
All those great tracks of the nineties had that USP. A main lead / sound unlike what had gone before. Like 7 Days & 1 Week, Cafe Del Mar, Greece 2000, For An Angel, etc. I think most of the stuff today sounds too similar. The saw lead has been done to death but they still try to make 'trance' music with it.
When it drops you just know it is going to be a special tune. A classic
She is legend
and so down to earth - legend
So is he
I’ve heard it a thousand times and the chills still go down my back like the first time I heard it.
That song is part of a very vivid memory of mine.
In 2002 I lived on Ibiza & the Pacha discotheque basically was my living room.
Although the Pacha has different dance floors with different music styles, they all can be connected to the main floor. So one night one Italian DJ connected all floors to his set on the main floor & I remember the club going silent at precisely 3:30 am.
First confusion from the audience, then that beat with the line "half past 3 in the morning..." hit & the whole place went completely bonkers!
I'll never forget that moment when approx. 8.000 people made that place shake - good times! Best party I've ever been to.
Faithless and the Prodigy the two best dance acts on the planet bar none. This track has always made me smile and still does. Maxi’s lyrics are timeless.
Underworld, Chemical Brothers. God Bless all the producers from the UK.
Massive attack and portishead too
Groove Armada
and Leftfield!
mainstream ;-) thanks to Martin Freeland (Man with no name) /Simon Posford etc..
I remember hearing that riff for the first time, that sound just seemed impossible, I still get goosebumps thinking about it now.
Today I don’t think I could be shocked by a sound or a track in the same way, it feels like I’ve heard every noise that’s possible, or at least close to every noise. Back when this came out I couldn’t believe that it was possible to sound so huge! I just kept thinking “wow it’s possible to make music like that?!?”
It sounds like it was recorded in a church, the reverb and size of the track is epic in scale, certainly bigger than a garden shed.
Exactly this!
Yeah it felt so fresh and new, still does, iconic
Biggest dance record ever. Like you said, first time when you hear it, sounds impossible but also every other time doesn't feel much less than that.
Yes it was like that indeed
Very cool or still cool 😄👍🎶🇨🇭
Yes it did sound like a church. The cathedral of dance! Dance and house music was really hitting its stride in '96.
Well. Thank goodness you did. I,m 66 and this is my favourite dance track. Saw Faithless live in bournemouth, they were amazing. Still dance to faithless whenever they come on wherever I am and I dont care what anyone thinks.
My personal story with Insomnia centres around spending a few days in Brussels in the mid-nineties and hearing, in a mega-club - God knows what it was called - a track so hypnotising, that I found it impossible to stop thinking about it. It totally revolutionised my perception of dance music and acted as a catalyst in searching for dance tunes matching its sublimity (there were a few). Reading of Maxi Jazz's passing has triggered me to revisit some of Faithless's best tracks, to listen to their lyrics, and has restored a little of my faith in humanity. Maxi Jazz was full of humanity. Sometimes, we find our personal heroes too late. R.I.P.
Well said. Care to share some of those other tracks?
Was that club "Fuse"? 😀
so anyone else getting goosebumps with this story and the tracks, the videos ???
hells yes!
YES !
Yesss,Faithless make me travel.
Yes
I’m 62 years of age and love Faithless, Insomnia is without a doubt the greatest dance tune ever
Agreed, I was 70 last week !
I Feel Love by Donna Summer is better.
@@PedroPauloAmorim opinions Pedro
Get on!
I prefer Salva Mea ❤
My wife and I had insomnia as our first dance at our wedding, everyone got up, what an amazing track x
About 25 years ago I was writing interviews and reviews for a Dutch dance music magazine called Bassic Groove. Faithless came over for an interview at a fancy hotel. After that we went record shopping together and spend the whole day in Amsterdam. Rollo even gave me a Cheeky Records hoodie. Fun times.
when I first heard this riff in 1996 it was like a slap in the face and I instantly knew this is a classic we will hear it even 25-30 yrs later and the people will dance to it. For me the best dance riff ever composed (or better say it flew out of the fingers of Sister Bliss), thanks for that tune, goosebumps when ever I listen to it…
THE MOST HIT SONG OF THIS CENTURY .....PURE.......
25 years and I am still to hear another track that is as massive as Insomnia. No matter what the set is, once that riff from Insomnia hits, nothing else matters.....nothing else is relevant!!
If I may humbly make a suggestion: *Underworld's Born Slippy .NUXX*
I've had the priviledge of seeing and hearing both Faithless and Underworld (when they were still a 3-man group) perform live. To me, _both_ tracks are up there, at rarefied heights. The _dun-dun-dunnnn_ chords of Born Slippy will do the same thing as Insomnia's chords.
Remember Prodigy - Fat of the land album? Some tracks that are at this level if not better
There's a couple i can think of that are in the same ballpark of epicness. Cafe del mar and both the William orbit and Tiesto versions of Adaigo. And for something more "modern" an orchestral version of either Insomnia or Cafe del mar
Avicii levels comes to mind
I have to completely agree! And that is saying something considering the many epic tracks out there, But there's something about this one that culminates a whole generation of dance/trance music.. A riff and drop that amazed crowds at the time, There was nothing like it before, And even to this day it sounds so fresh.. It's like being in a dark place and then being suddenly lifted euphorically lol. And when it comes (club or through your speakers) it brings a level of feeling/emotion like no other. It truly is the greatest club track of all time in my opinion.
I shamefully didn’t know who Sister Bliss was before watching this, I’d never heard of her. But I’ve instantly fallen in love with her, she’s such a badass. She seems so chill, she’s so talented as well! Sister Bliss is iconic and I’m so glad I know who she is now thanks to my UA-cam recommendations!
Same here, watching insomnia and saw something about Sister Bliss, checked this out, and at 60 I should have known...but better late than never....
Ive seen her dj she is unreal
I was at school with Sister Bliss. She joined our school in the sixth form. I didn't know her but had mutual friends who got me interested in her music in the years afterwards. Met her at a friend's mother's funeral years later. A very nice girl. Intelligent, talented, and incredibly modest.
Generations after generations will thank sister bliss for creating dance tune of the century. ❤️
Im 24yo, found this track by accident, it blew me away, absolute goosebumps, thinking of early 2000s visuals
RIP Maxi. This track/album... man oh man... big part of my year living on London back in the late 90's
Ive never heard Sister Bliss talk in an interview before - what a legend!
My father gave me the Rolling Stones. I give my sons Faithless.
Snap !
They will give their sons 'Despacito' 🤣
@@2FaceTube No dude, I'm in my 'Gianluca Vacchi' years; beardy, baldy, tattoos. Despacito is all mine!
good parenting all round..
@@pedroorpheus Agree.👍
One of the greatest club hits in history and still rocks to this day!!!
Some of my most euphoric and memorable Club nights were because of this song! Soooo one of the BIGGEST dance songs ever was "just a riff, it just came to me". They had no idea how they would change the lives of so many with a song!
The Riff that changed everything! Thanks for that experience in our life.
You bet!
There's just something about that riff.
That part where there's silence and then it kicks back in 🤤
Imagine being told 'just do a riff' and pulling out insomnia. Unreal
So talented
Imagine writing Insomnia and then being told “it got no hook” haha
This is content I want to see on UA-cam! Not the average UA-cam’s with their long non informative intro’s and their standard “without further ado” line.....
Or “reactions” 🤦🏻♂️
I'm with ya brother! More content like this please! These tracks are the soundtracks of my life I love hearing the back story to how they were created
Or "click the f***ing subscribe button below"
An unforgettable riff. Bless Sister Bliss! And RIP Maxi.. 😔
Sister Bliss is one of the pioneers of dance music in my opinion. I believe everything Faithless did was hard work and from the heart. Working the DJ scene, and getting promoted is extremely hard and it must have been frustrating for them to have Island music bench their tracks. Lucky for us the fans that there was a clause, or we may have never had Faithless. Great interview. First time I've heard from Sister Bliss and before this I imagined she was articulate and intelligent as she comes across in this interview. Thanks for this DJ Mag. Thanks for Sister Bliss to do the interview! From one of your biggest fans!
Sister Bliss is a great DJ and comes across really well, seems like such a cool person. Would love to go on a sesh with her, imagine the stories!
I was just thinking exactly the same thing.
I was in one: Dance Valley 2001 . I still remember how she brought us up together , cuddled and bombed . Amazing
Instant goosebumps as soon as the melody started to play 💪🏼💪🏼
Arguably the DEFINITIVE anthem. Even after all these years, it still gives me goosebumps. "Insomnia" truly transcends the genre.
I was not prepared for 4:40.... brought back memories of me trying to make sense of my surroundings through the lasers in a packed club all those years ago 😂
This song had me on my knees. One hell of a song to grasp you and take you to another world with your eyes shut it transfixed me. One of my top songs to run to now
I close my eyes and still remember these vibes in the club..
This and God Is a DJ will forever two of the greatest dance music anthems.
Absolutely 🎉🎉🎉
Iam just 67, and that is my ringtone, what a mix.keep the faith,
I still remember when I was a student, I DJ,d a bit on student parties. At a given day, I got my hands on Insomnia. Heard about it, but it was as good as unknown at that time. When the beats started after the initial "I can't get no sleep" the roof literally went off basically kickstarting a party that lasted until dawn. This was really one of those rare moments that gives you shills even 25 or 30 years after. Respect to Faithless. They made a lot of music that will become or are already classics
90’s Aberdeen Sunday night at Lovechild. Faithless and that evening will stay forever in my memory. Teasing us, dropping the tune in and out of the set. Out of nowhere the dance floor went dark and then after what felt like ages, the lights went bam and they finally let rip. Me and my bestie (sadly since passed) up on stage dancing with Maxi Jazz. What a night, and then there was the after party. Good times ❤🙌🏽❤
I don't think I have ever not had goosebumps while hearing that riff
I can relate
No hook, no chorus.... but that riff, that drop, those lyrics (with gritty meaning most have experienced) , that’s all we needed to be hooked. 🙏
I was at Manumission on a Monday night in July '96, Sister Bliss was on the decks... She dropped this tune and it blew the roof off. Will never forget it. So cool. One of the best nights of my life.
I remember when the track released. I was 16 years old, and just started being a dj in a small local radio, and this song was the start of my daily dance radio program. they were good days
I remember having that tune stuck in my brain as a child and when I finally found the album in the public library I thought it was so weird that the "good part" only begins 7 or so minutes into the track. To this day this choice stands out as one of the coolest, cleverest and dare I say ballsy ideas of electronic music. This was what made Faithless above and beyond all other dance acts, having that deeply spiritual dimension, the breadth of all the different styles in a coherent package on the albums as well as live, and of course Sister Bliss' and Rollo's impeccable sense of hooking the listener. One of my biggest regrets is never seeing Maxi Jazz perform. Rest in peace, magical mystery man
I'm 68 years old now and have seen many groups over the years, but none were as exciting to witness as the two times I saw Faithless.
Sister Bliss, a musical genius! Legend!
Faithless are legends, when I hear “crazy English summer” if I could cry, I would. It is one of the most beautiful tracks ever
I lost track how many times I played insomnia on my school radio. My program was all dance music: acid, techno, house (and I didn’t get any sponsors, was music 100% of the time, I was paying out of pocket for those ad slots I didn’t want to fill with sponsors)… my colleagues started by hating on me and at the end of the first year I dj’d at school radio people were pleading that I give them a copy of the music I played, and was invited to dj at events in school. Puntz puntz puntz for life :)
Anyway, insomnia, for months, became the song to close off my radio shows, my colleagues loved it, I couldn’t get tired of it (still don’t, and I’ve heard it countless times in this almost 30 years and still gives me goosebumps). Love insomnia, love faithless.
The Anthem. Sister Bliss is a musical genius that has created so much amazing music. I hope she continues to create, if that's what she's inspired to do. The full album is pure musical genius!
True. It has no hook. It has no chorus. It’s not light and bouncy. But it’s timeless. It’s relatable. It’s a banger.
No hook? Seriously?
Because it has a drop
Her riff IS the Hook
And it sounds like nothing you've heard before. Hits you in the face like few other tracks ever could.
It's difficult
How many can have a memory of this playing while heading out at the weekend. Several cars full of friends on the way to a rave or club.
I've very fond memories of this blasting out the speakers in the car with friends chanting along.
One tune that will last in memory for ever.
Still have it in my collection
Many thanks for the fond memories 🙏
Great story!
sister bliss your a star shinning bright ... not that your gone but faithless probably the one outstanding band in the world in my eyes ❤
The G.O.A.T of dance tracks!!
I NEED to be back to the days of the late 90s to mid to late 00s. The music was awesome, Trance, Dance, EDM was so pure. This music made me know why trance is called trance. These pieces of art took me through some really trying times and I owe that a lot.
It's incredible when you realise how old this song is and yet, so modern with all the intricate details and absolutely timeless. Thank you for sharing the story. I'm 56 and remember hearing it on the radio the first time back when I lived in the south of Sweden. Such an amazing bit of music.
My friend introduced me to this song when I was 16 in 1996, travelling home on a bus from a college trip to London. Loved your music ever since.
Makes my heart hurt we’ve lost Maxi. Glastonbury 2002 I was a bubba in the crowd, something magical happened during this track ✨✨✨
Was that the one where they had a guest singer who sounded like Robert Plant. Harry ?
"And that's the riff that came out" Wowzers. The vast majority of us will never do anything as seismic as this. Just incredible.
The electronic equivalent of a classical symphony, truly a timeless masterpiece. I always get emotional when I hear that slow build-up, it's just so good.
Faithless is one of my all time favourite groups, Reverence is one of my all time favourite albums. Epic. So many big nights in the late 90’s in Sydney, Australia and early 2000’s in Toronto, Canada. Ah the good ol days! 🕺🏻
25 years and it still holds up as one of the biggest drop melodies ever!
its rad seeing all the comments about old dance event/club memories. music really brings us together :)
The post covid parties when we can all be together again are gonna be some of the biggest, hypest, nuts energy that ever did exist.
What an absolute superpower was Faithless. Sister Bliss, oozed class and pure talent 👌👌👌. RIP King Maxi
We were at the Mysteryland rave in the Netherlands listening and dancing to hardcore house and gabber. While beats were banging hard and fast we got tired and decided to go to a chillout area. Overthere were some DJs playing some slower paced music. The dancefloor of the chillout area was not that full with people dancing, untill the moment Insominia got played. Lots of people rushed to the dancefloor. This track got everybody dancing.. laserbeams were project right over the stage... This was just epic! It does not matter when or where Insomnia gets played.. It will always remind me of that moment at Mysteryland..
I remember when this hit the clubs in London before it was a hit. Never seen crowds go so wild. In all my years as a raver in the 90s, this tune lit up the dancefloors more than any other I remember. So many arms in the air and whoops and screams when it dropped.
I’ve heard this a million times but it still gives me chills
The first time I ever heard Insomnia I had goose bumps all over my body, that was twentyfive years ago.
Sitting here listening to that track again and I still get goose bumps.
Timeless, beautiful, perfection.
One of best songs in the while history of dance music.Still to this day love it and have it on cd with different versions of it. Maxi Jazz is unsurpassable. A classic. ❤❤❤
On of the Masterpieces of All Times! R.I.P "Maxi Jazz".
wow @4:44 . the riff without anything else gives me chills everytime. its just a timeless legenday peace of composing.
One of the greatest tunes ever created.
One of the best riffs of all time in any genre 🔥
like the great rock oldies and love songs i can never get tired of these classic trance hits.
I booked Faithless for a club gig back in 2001. They were otw back from NZ so were happy to break the journey in KL, Malaysia.
These guys are as good live as their CD. Great people to work with. Sister Bliss is a wonderful person, Maxi is cheeky like a small boy.
When the tour manager arrived he asked me, “So, how will it be tonight?”.
I replied, “It’s sold out.”
He then asked me, “How many tickets?”.
I informed him, “Not sold any yet.”
He immediately calls management and informed them, “The promoter says it’s a sold out show but they haven’t sold any ticket yet.”
That night the club was packed wall to wall. It was an amazing night. Everyone was elated!
Faithless + Huge quality sound system = O-M-G!!!
In such a male-dominated industry, it was Sister Bliss who came up with arguably the most iconic melodic riff in all of dance music. Completely epic!
Yup she is a legend
Exactly and I think that pizzicato sound they used is what really makes it stand out. It really is one of, if not the best dance riff of all time.
The biggest names in pop/electronic music today are mostly female.
@@freddymarcel-marcum6831 I'm talking DJs and producers, mainly.
Yay. Girl power🙄
That riff still gives me chills, every time. Many hazy and fond memories attached to this one....
RIP Maxi. Such a good band
my all time fav rave/techno/electronic whatnot......it always gets me when played loud...shout out from South Africa
This is the best 9 minutes 57 seconds on UA-cam!
LOL
Your not wrong
Incredible. Love hearing these stories. Like being present at the birth of the universe itself.
Underrated comment my friend
I will never get tired of listening to this absolutely iconic tune. 🔊🔊
So good to hear the Sister herself chatting.
one of the most iconic hooks in the genre. Will never get old. even my grandma knows that riff. well done
I still get goosebumps when that riff starts. It’s just such an epic song and it came out just when I had started University. I can remember the dance move a friend and me came up with and always did when the riff hit, jumping up and down, sweaty and happy in the middle of a crowd full of fellow students. Insomnia is definitely the soundtrack to my daydreaming of those younger days.
This track was a life changing tipping point for me- Deep,dark, honest, and a groove that's immortal
You have created something eternal and timeless without knowing it !!🤩😍🥰
Boo yaa. 50+ and our minds sometimes melted. Loving it.
Christ I must have heard this and danced to it over a thousand times since I first heard it in a field in 1996, but just hearing that drop in this video had my neck and arm hair standing on end. It still has that power to make me shiver.
The most beautiful album of a generation, it still today runs through my blood.