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SCMP Reporter

DUTCH duo Twenty-4-Seven has a message for Hong Kong: ''If you want to be a slave to anything, be a Slave To The Music !''  That's the name of their latest album which has gone platinum in Europe and Australia, and has now finally hit Asia.

 Nance, one of the two vocalists who make up the duo, said the title was a reference to the world's problems with drugs and alcohol abuse.

 ''We felt that if people were to enslave themselves to something that was harmful to their bodies, why not enslave themselves to music which is healthier and can be fun at the same time?''  Twenty-4-Seven specialises in Eurodance music which Nance and Stay-C, a former disc jockey, write and co-produce.

 They also choreograph the dances they do to their varied numbers which range from rap to ballads.

 And their act went down a storm with fans on their recent visit to Hong Kong.

 ''Our music topics vary from love to daily life matters,'' Stay-C said. Is It Love is about a fan who falls for an artist without knowing if the feelings are for the person or the image.

 Keep On Going encourages youths to dream about what they want to be, ''thus bringing them closer to their dreams'', he adds.

 Likewise, their own experience in - and dissatisfaction with - ordinary work gave them the insight to come up with Take Me Away which is ''about those who are unhappy with their nine-to-five job'', said Stay-C.

   Before they went into music full time, Nance worked as a cashier in a supermarket and Stay-C worked in an engineering office . . . but both knew there had to be something else.

 And the variety they now bring to their music is mirrored in the different setting of their videos.

 Slave To The Music was shot on location in The Netherlands, Is It Love? in Belgium, Take Me Away was shot in South Africa, and they filmed Leave Them Alone in Germany.

 Now, having toured countries in Asia for the first time, they have found people from different cultures react very differently to their music.

 ''In Thailand, people just sit and they watch you, but when we did a show here, they were jamming, dancing, clapping and singing,'' Nance said. ''It was completely different, but the overall reaction was good.''  The name Twenty-4-Seven is shorthand for 24 hours a day, seven days a week - a concept they feel has a special meaning for their audience in today's demanding world.

 They have been together a little over two years and are now waiting to see how their albums do in the United States and South Africa.

 A third album is also due out in October.

 The current tour also includes Singapore, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, South Africa and Australia.



Music to free the 'slaves'