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Stationed in San Francisco, High Spies has emerged on the west coast delivering soulful sounds, rooted in jazz, disco and funk. With a history of consistent ahead-of-the-game productions, the duo continues to bridge the ground between underground beats and hook-laden melodies. Garnering production credits with notable labels and film affiliations such as Geffen, Sony/Epic, Interscope/Island Records, Moonshine, Universal, and Oliver Stone films, High Spies applies their signature style on both the dancefloor and theater sound stage.
Collaborating with LA DJ/Producer David Garcia (IHR, Moonshine), High Spies landed their first 1 Billboard Dance Chart spot with their latin-influenced remix of the UK pop group Sugababes' international hit "Hole In the Head". In the same year, High Spies teamed up with international megaclub bomb-dropper Olav Basoski and debuted the single "Better Days" featuring the captivating voice of D'Layna (Defected, NeoDisco, Transport). Their following release, "Skyz the Limit" featured Latrice Barnett (Defected, Naked, OM Records) who blazed her way onto the dance charts on Jay-J's smash hit "Keep On Rising".
The Spies next upped the ante with their remix of Ashlee Simpson's "Pieces of Me" on Geffen, released in the U.S. and internationally. Sony/Epic later engaged the team to take on a bold club remix of KoRn's new single, "Word Up", a remake of Cameo's 1982 funk classic. Collaborating with Tony Lindsay (Grammy Award winning lead singer of Santana), High Spies cooked up a funkified remake of "Just Got Paid" under the alias Atlantic Soul, co-produced with Alex Romano (Rootz Records).
More recently, the boys concocted a monster club remix of Snoop Dogg's "Sexual Eruption" released on Geffen Feburary 2008, working again with David Garcia.
The duo's 3,000 sq. ft recording and performance studio in downtown San Francisco continues to host and support live songwriters, bands and emcees from around the Bay Area in a monthly public event to showcase and promote local talent.
High Spies is the moniker of Scott Avid and Ching-Hwa, a production team comprised of two Detroit natives who later reunited on the west coast, merging their inimitable styles. They have defined themselves with a musically distinct approach to songwriting by creating imaginative beats and rhythms, and mashing contrasting musical influences to form what can only be described as the High Spies sound. Extending beyond the dancefloor, the group scored a handful of dramatic pieces for the HBO Documentary "Looking For Fidel", directed by Academy Award and Oscar winner Oliver Stone.
Scott Avid was a professional pianist until he came into contact with the early Detroit techno scene. One exposure converted him permanently from ivory to underground. Avid matured as a composer and producer by collaborating with other Detroit-based artists, cutting multiple records, and developing live acts in the Midwest. Following his move to California in the late 90's, he produced projects as a signed artist with Moonshine Music, Risk Records, and Glasgow Underground. Outside of the studio, Avid supported artist tours as a keyboardist on the Moonshine Over America Tour and at various concert venues such as the House of Blues in Hollywood.
Ching-Hwa, born in Taiwan and raised in Detroit, was an early classical organ prodigy performing on the largest pipe and theatre organs in the Midwest, including the Cleveland Convention Center, which ranks as one of the largest in the world. His early musical experiences led way to developing further performance skills on guitar, piano, trombone, and synthesizer. He later exercised his command of complex polyrhythms in Detroit as a DJ in the mid 90's and later in San Francisco. Ching's fascination with funky disco and soulful vocals helped shape the early sound of High Spies.
High Spies operates out of High Spies Studios, a recording/production studio originally based in Detroit, later relocated to San Francisco by Scott Avid. The studio has been home to artists on a variety of labels including IHR, Moonshine, Viva Recordings, Afterhours, Tango, and Glasgow Underground, utilizing Scott Avid and Ching-Hwa's production and recording talents on various projects.
Whether High Spies is releasing new music, cooking up their next smash hit remix, or filling a dancefloor with their mesmerizing live set, they will continue to inspire and drive the evolution of electronic music. The future will bring an exciting mixture of collaborations with artists, live musicians, and producers as High Spies push the edge in both the studio and on stage.
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