Thursday 18 June 2015

Remembering Louise Dean

20 years ago today, Louise Dean was taken from us in a hit and run. She was 24.

Louise will be known to 90s dance anoraks as the vocalist for Shiva, one of the many acts that flooded into clubland as dance music exploded after the illegal party scene took a battering. The band's biggest hit, Freedom (below) was a passable enough intervention in the charts, full of gospel nods and tongue-in-cheek silliness, which was something of an antidote to the super serious club tunes coming off Perfecto and the like.

Louise left us just as things were taking off for her. As well as a heartbreaking tragedy for her family and friends, Louise's passing also robbed the dance scene of a coming star all set to be huge. I can remember her voice bellowing from the radio as Shiva's tunes circulated on Radio 1's niche shows. Louise's vocals could have graced so many classics and it's more than possible she would have gone onto considerable mainstream success. It's such a massive shame that today we have to talk about maybe and could-have-been.

I've just looked out the window. The sun is shining and the sky is blue, weather ideal for a choice slice of electronic music set to repetitive beats. Remember Louise and honour her memory by playing it loud. Very loud.

6 comments:

Robert said...

Viva Louise.

Anonymous said...

Saw Shiva play in Sheffield, at the Music Factory, a few days before she was killed. Her voice was absolutely incredible, such a big sound from something so petite.
I was very sad at the time, she would have been a big star, totally sure of it.

Anonymous said...

Amazing voice & the lyrics turned out to be a perfect tribute to a beautiful woman with a beautiful voice God bless her soul. I still recall finding out about her death on holiday and reading the inside of Now 31 & I felt nothing but respect & sorrow for her family and it melted my heart that they chose to give permission for Freedom to be released because she was a true 🌟 & she will live on in my memory & most people growing up in the 90s with a passion for music. RIP

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know if they caught the person that hit her?

Peter said...

Never met her but loved Freedom. So tragic. Still listen to the song. 30 years next year 😔

Anonymous said...

Nearly 30 years since Louise’s passing. Freedom still remains an iconic track as the scene continues to grow, with one of the finest voices to grace a microphone. No doubt this lady would have gone on to absolute greatness!