Sgt Slick

Sgt Slick
Birth nameAndrew Ramanauskas
OriginMelbourne, Australia
GenresHouse, electronic
Occupation(s)DJ, producer
Years active1995–present
LabelsVicious Grooves, Purple Eye, Neo, SKAM

Sgt Slick is a house music DJ and producer from Melbourne, Australia, sometimes known as Andy J or L'TRIC.[1] Sgt Slick is best known for his ARIA Music Award winning 1998 single "White Treble, Black Bass". Sgt Slick's career as a producer has opened doors to gigs and shows all across Australia and Asia and also led to a 7-year relocation to the USA.[1]

Career

In May 1998, Sgt Slick released his debut single "White Treble, Black Bass", which peaked at No. 69 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart.[2] It topped club charts in Australia and Europe.[3]

At the ARIA Music Awards of 1998, Sgt Slick won ARIA Award for Best Dance Release.[4]

In July 2001, Sgt Slick released "Let It Ride" which peaked at number 95 on the ARIA Charts.[2] At ARIA Music Awards of 2001, the song was nominated for Best Dance Release.[5] It peaked at No. 95.[2]

In June 2010, Sgt Slick released "Back on Black" which reached No. 69.[2]

Since 2011, Sgt Slick has continued to release successful singles that have charted on global club charts and are on the playlists of the world's biggest and most influential DJs.[6]

In 2019, Sgt Slick returned to his hometown of Melbourne.[7]

In February 2020, Sgt Slick released a cover of ABBA's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"[6] after a friend of his said it had been played on Greek Islands the year before. Sgt Slick said it was his favourite ABBA song and it planted an idea to remix it. He said "I threw some extra drums in to bring it up to date a little bit, threw in some filtering to make it sound a little more modern and have a bit more punch." He played it to some of his friends who raved about it, so he decided to record an official version. Rather than recording a remix, Slick decided to remake his track from scratch as a cover version. A friend in the UK tracked down two females who trade in ABBA impersonation for the vocals and got all the music from the original. Sgt Slick said "It's timeless disco. I didn't want to make it too modern, not a house record with a drum beat, I wanted to choose sounds that accentuated what was already there and just made it a little more dynamic and low end and something DJs can play next to new music but that doesn't necessarily sound like new music."[7]

In July 2023, Sgt Slick released "Just Keep Walking" with INXS.[8]

Discography

Charting or certified singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications
Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications
AUS
[2]
1998 "White Treble, Black Bass" 69
2001 "Let It Ride"/"Forever Disco" 95
2005 "Tilt My Hat" (as Andy J) 68
2010 "Back on Black" (with Chardy)[9] 69
2020 "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!"[10] —

Awards and nomination

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. Sgt Slick has won 1 awards from 2 nominations.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1998 "White Treble Black Bass" Best Dance Release Won
2001 "Let It Ride" Best Dance Release Nominated

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) to recognise composing and song writing skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. Sgt Slick has been nominated for one award.[12]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2002 "Let It Ride" Most Performed Dance Work Nominated

References

  1. ^ a b "ARIA DJ of the Week". ARIA. February 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e Peaks in Australia:
  3. ^ "Top 50 Club Chart - Australian Record Industry Association". Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  4. ^ "ARIA Awards – History: Winners by Year 1998: 12th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  5. ^ "ARIA Awards – History: Winners by Year 2001: 15th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Sgt Slick "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" will Set Dancefloors on Fire". EKM. February 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Why This ABBA Disco Hit is Filling Dancefloors in 2020". Herald Sun. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Just Keep Walking with INXS is OUT NOW!". Facebook. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Back on Black by Sgt Slick with Chardy". Apple Music. February 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  10. ^ "Gimme Gimme Gimme by Sgt Slick". Apple Music. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  11. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  12. ^ "2002 APRA Award Most Performed Dance Work". APRA AMCOS. 2002. Retrieved 21 March 2020.