Synonymous with the burgeoning Ibiza house scene of the '90s, Nick Bracegridle, aka Chicane, has cleverly managed to carve out a 12-year career in a genre not usually associated with longevity. Featuring tracks from his four studio albums, The Best of 1996-2008 highlights his uncanny knack of turning established artists, rarely seen outside their comfort zone, into bona fide dance acts. So Clannad's Máire Brennan lends her soothing Celtic tones to the haunting trance of "Saltwater"; Bryan Adams, whose 1999 single "Cloud Number Nine" Chicane produced, returns the favor by guesting on the number one smash "Don't Give Up"; while serial comeback king Tom Jones provides his trademark powerful vocals on the pulsating "Stoned in Love." But undoubtedly, his best work comes without the aid of star names. The balearic rhythms of breakthrough track "Offshore" still sounds as gloriously anthemic as it did ten years ago; "Come Tomorrow" sounds like a classic Oasis single given a psychedelic dance-rock edge; while "No Ordinary Morning," is an epic piece of ambient chillout that would quite easily fit on Air's Moon Safari. Unlike many best-ofs, 1996-2008 also offers something for the longtime fans as well as the casual buyers. Two tracks appear from his unreleased album Easy to Assemble, the hypnotic "Locking Down" and the Dirty Vegas-esque "Love on the Run." But unfortunately, the two brand new tracks are the weakest things on here. The pointless "Bruised Water," which combines "Saltwater" with Natasha Bedingfield's "I Bruise Easily" misses the mash-up scene by about five years, while any Keane fans excited to see Tom Chaplin's name on the track listing will be disappointed to hear he only appears on a fairly pedestrian remix of the band's track "Bend and Break." But a slightly worrying recent lack of creativity aside, this is a varied and well-produced collection of songs that cements his reputation as one of dance music's most gifted talents.Synonymous with the burgeoning Ibiza house scene of the '90s, Nick Bracegridle, aka Chicane, has cleverly managed to carve out a 12-year career in a genre not usually associated with longevity. Featuring tracks from his four studio albums, The Best of 1996-2008 highlights his uncanny knack of turning established artists, rarely seen outside their comfort zone, into bona fide dance acts. So Clannad's Máire Brennan lends her soothing Celtic tones to the haunting trance of "Saltwater"; Bryan Adams, whose 1999 single "Cloud Number Nine" Chicane produced, returns the favor by guesting on the number one smash "Don't Give Up"; while serial comeback king Tom Jones provides his trademark powerful vocals on the pulsating "Stoned in Love." But undoubtedly, his best work comes without the aid of star names. The balearic rhythms of breakthrough track "Offshore" still sounds as gloriously anthemic as it did ten years ago; "Come Tomorrow" sounds like a classic Oasis single given a psychedelic dance-rock edge; while "No Ordinary Morning," is an epic piece of ambient chillout that would quite easily fit on Air's Moon Safari. Unlike many best-ofs, 1996-2008 also offers something for the longtime fans as well as the casual buyers. Two tracks appear from his unreleased album Easy to Assemble, the hypnotic "Locking Down" and the Dirty Vegas-esque "Love on the Run." But unfortunately, the two brand new tracks are the weakest things on here. The pointless "Bruised Water," which combines "Saltwater" with Natasha Bedingfield's "I Bruise Easily" misses the mash-up scene by about five years, while any Keane fans excited to see Tom Chaplin's name on the track listing will be disappointed to hear he only appears on a fairly pedestrian remix of the band's track "Bend and Break." But a slightly worrying recent lack of creativity aside, this is a varied and well-produced collection of songs that cements his reputation as one of dance music's most gifted talents.false2025-11-08 02:06:22The Best of Chicane20092009-12-152009-12-1522ElectronicTrance1123152119959ed929342-22c6-46fd-896f-e902c261c2ec8b506e4a-c343-467b-aad6-300a9bfac35511ebe182-c9cd-336b-bf65-89936b695c3c/media/data/media5/Music/Chicane/The Best of Chicane/folder.jpgChicaneChicane feat. KeaneChicane feat. Moya BrennanChicane feat. Peter CunnahChicaneNicholas Bracegirdle (born 28 February 1971), known professionally as Chicane, is an English musician, composer, songwriter, and record producer. Among his works are singles "Offshore", an Ibiza trance anthem included in many compilations in both chill-out and dance versions; "Saltwater", which featured vocals by Clannad member Máire Brennan, and the UK number-one hit "Don't Give Up", featuring vocals by Bryan Adams, which also became a top ten hit on singles charts across Europe and Australia.
Far from the Maddening Crowds, Chicane's debut studio album from 1997, is still considered a seminal release among the trance music community, and his second studio album, 2000's Behind the Sun, was certified gold in the UK. In 2007, after the hindrance of an ultimately unreleased album (Easy to Assemble) in the intervening time, the third artist album Somersault was released on Bracegirdle's independent record label, followed shortly after by a tenth anniversary re-release of Far from the Maddening Crowds which included a new mix of "Offshore" ("Offshore 2007"). He released his fourth studio album Giants in 2010, with the fifth studio album Thousand Mile Stare following less than two years later, in spring 2012. The sixth studio album, The Sum of Its Parts, appeared in early 2015, and his seventh studio album, The Place You Can't Remember, the Place You Can't Forget, was released in 2018. The eighth studio album, Everything We Had to Leave Behind, was released in 2021.
In addition, Bracegirdle also worked with Leo Elstob under the alias Disco Citizens, producing a handful of less radio-friendly, vocal-less tracks with a stronger progressive house sound. Working with singer Vanessa St. James and producer Mr. Joshua, Bracegirdle was part of the Mr. Joshua Presents Espiritu project, known for the song "In Praise of the Sun", released with both English and French vocals. Bracegirdle contributed with executive production on Tomski's "14 Hours to Save the Earth". Nick Bracegirdle has also used the alias, Sitvac, to produce a one-time single, "Wishful Thinking".