Egma
Biography
The Egma project was formed by Dutch producers Ege van Kruysdijk and Marcel Theunissen, whose first names were used to create the group’s name.
Initially conceived as a techno project, Egma released its first singles, “Don’t Have To Be Jesus” and “Let the Bass Kick”, before shifting towards eurodance. This change occurred around a singer, Margo Smulders, then a student training to become a dance teacher, and a singer and co-writer, Henk Van De Wiel, who was a model.
The track Never Gonna Lose Your Love became a huge success across Europe, notably holding the number one spot on the French charts for ten weeks. The trio performed on the Dance Machine stage in Paris in June 1994.
Subsequently, the project’s lineup evolved with the arrival of a new singer, Michael Robby. Other singles followed, such as “Love Is”, “Make My Day”, and “Tell It To My Heart”.
Project members also included Ilse Geels and Natasja Muskens.
Alongside Egma, Ege van Kruysdijk and Marcel Theunissen were highly active in producing and writing for many other electronic music projects. They notably worked on projects like Usha (I Want You (You Want Me)), Camen (Better Off, Shake You Down), The Company (Open Your Eyes), No Sense, Revolution Team, Wonderland (In Our Dreams, Movin' Around, Be On A Star), and Sound Victory (Understand This Groove). They also produced Dutch-language works, such as for Pilleboer.
Ege van Kruysdijk produced the girl band Close II You with Ed van Otterdijk. Meanwhile, Marcel Theunissen, with the help of Martijn de Vries, initiated the projects Central Seven and Cinderella. They also collaborated with Martin Boer to create the ‘House Party Mix’ and the Megamix 1993. The duo wrote and produced the BWX single “Can’t You Feel It” in 1997.
Ege and Marcel also created remixes for various artists, including 2nd Nature (with the E & M club mix), Twenty 4 Seven, Dolce Vita, Semper, and London Beat.
Ege van Kruysdijk is also known under the pseudonym Terranza, while Marcel Theunissen sometimes uses the name Nich. Their joint aliases include the projects Obstruction, E & M, and Camen.
Ege van Kruysdijk began his career as a DJ in clubs around Eindhoven. At the height of Egma’s success, he was a resident DJ at the Freebird club (formerly Key-West) in Asten with Ruud Van Rijen. Marcel Theunissen was a DJ at the Diamonds club in Eindhoven.