Bernard Oattes

About

After his schooling in England, Bernard Oattes (1954) spent two years with a local Dutch band, Steam. The band was the catalyst that brought Bernard and writer/producer Rob van Schaik together. As partners, Bernard and Rob were the founding members of the pop band The Limit, writing and producing international dance hits. Bernard composed music for other pop-orientated groups, but writing and producing dance material alone became "limiting." Feeling a need to recognize and expand his own ideas, Bernard focused on the creation of his first album, Frame By Frame. The eleven compositions on this album combine rich vocal harmonies with smooth rhythms, and features Bernard both as lead vocalist and as multi-instrumentalist/arranger. The songs deal with a diversity of topics ranging from human emotion to threats to the environment. Some chronicle the paradoxical roles of love as both battleground and sanctuary. There are references to his love of planes and the sky, as well as a fascination with the Kennedy assasination, still other lyrics are influenced by his life experiences. Bernard touches on common themes as well as novel ones, alway bringing a unique and optimistic perspective.