Snap! is a German-American
electronic musicElectronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
group formed in 1989 by
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
producersIn the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes...
Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The act has been through a number of line-up changes over the years, but was most successful when fronted by rapper
Turbo BTurbo B is an American musician, rapper and beatboxer, best known for his time fronting the electronic music group, Snap!-Early years:...
, who performed on the UK number 1 singles "The Power" and "
Rhythm Is a Dancer"Rhythm Is a Dancer" is a song recorded by the act Snap!, released as a single in the second quarter of 1992, from the album The Madman's Return...
". Their first album
World Power is one of the most successful dance albums of all time, with worldwide sales estimated at 7 million.
History
Münzing and Anzilotti formed Snap! in 1989 under the aliases Benito Benites and John "Virgo" Garrett III, as they thought that the public had negative preconceived ideas of German music. Their first hit "
The Power"The Power" is an electronic pop hit song for the group Snap! from its album World Power. It was released as a single in 1990 and achieved great success in many countries...
", a combination of
houseHouse is a style of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American and Latino American communities, first in Chicago, then in New York City, New Jersey, Detroit and Miami...
and
hip hopHip hop music is a musical genre which developed alongside hip hop culture, and is commonly based on concepts of loop, rapping, freestyle, DJing, scratching, sampling and beatboxing. The music is used to express concerns of political, social, and personal issues...
elements, contained a number of unauthorised samples, taking the drum loop from "King of the Beats" by
MantronixMantronix was an influential 1980s hip hop and electro funk music group founded by DJ Kurtis Mantronik , and rapper MC Tee...
, the rap from "Let the Words Flow" by
Chill Rob GChill Rob G on May 15th, is a Hip Hop artist from Jersey City, New Jersey.-Career:Chill's first notable hip hop collaboration was being part of the original version of the Flavor Unit collective, which included Lakim Shabazz, DJ Mark the 45 King, and Queen Latifah, among others...
and the classic line "I've got the power" from "Love's Gonna Get You" by
Jocelyn BrownJocelyn Brown — sometimes credited as Jocelyn Shaw — is an R&B and dance music singer...
. It was initially released in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
through Wild Pitch Records, but after Chill Rob G threatened legal action, the rap was re-recorded by
Turbo BTurbo B is an American musician, rapper and beatboxer, best known for his time fronting the electronic music group, Snap!-Early years:...
(born Durron Maurice Butler, April 30, 1967 in
Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...
), and additional vocals were recorded by
Penny FordPenny Ford , also known as Pennye Ford, is a musician. She is the daughter of veteran record-company executive and producer Gene Redd, Sr., and the late evangelist/pastor Carolyn Ford-Griffith , and the half sister of the late Sharon Redd...
(though the woman in the video is Jackie Harris), Jocelyn Brown's vocals still remain on the record. The single rocketed to number 2 in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
in March 1990, and spent two weeks at number 1 in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, becoming the first rap single to top the chart. It later reached number 2 on the
BillboardBillboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100, and was certified platinum.
Jackie left the group shortly afterwards and Penny became its full-time lead singer, recording the second single "Ooops Up", a re-working of "I Don't Believe You Wanna Get Up And Dance (Oops!)", a 1980 hit by The Gap Band, with which Penny was a former backing singer. With drum samples from "Paid in Full" by Eric B & Rakim, it was another number 2 hit in Germany and charted at number 5 in the UK. Further hits followed with the oriental-sounding "Cult of Snap", which charted at number 8 in the UK and number 3 in Germany, and "Mary Had a Little Boy", which also charted at number 8 in the UK, and reached number 4 in Germany. It was based on the
nursery rhymeThe term nursery rhyme is used for ‘traditional’ songs for young children in Britain and many English speaking countries, but usage only dates from the nineteenth century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
"
Mary Had a Little Lamb"Mary Had a Little Lamb" is an English language nursery rhyme of nineteenth-century American origin. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 7622.-Background:...
". Their first album
World Power reached #10 in the UK where it was certified platinum, #30 in the U.S. where it was also certified platinum, sold in excess of 7 million copies worldwide, and to this day remains one of the best-selling dance albums of all time.
In 1991,
Thea AustinThea Austin is an African American female Dance/House singer/songwriter/composer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.She was the lead singer and co-writer of three tracks that were popular in dance clubs: Snap!'s 1992 number one Hot Dance Music/Club Play hit "Rhythm Is A Dancer", Soulsearcher's 1999 #20...
joined the line-up and helped to write "
Rhythm Is a Dancer"Rhythm Is a Dancer" is a song recorded by the act Snap!, released as a single in the second quarter of 1992, from the album The Madman's Return...
", which was planned to be the lead single from the second album. However, Turbo B hated the track (particularly the famous line "I'm as serious as cancer when I say rhythm is a dancer") and protested that "Colour Of Love" should be the first single cut from the album. He got his way and it was released in December 1991. It appeared to get lost in the Christmas rush, limping to number 54 in the UK, though it did fare better in Germany, climbing to number 9, as well as making it to number 6 in France and Sweden. The two producers insisted that they now went with "Rhythm Is a Dancer" and it was released as the second single in July 1992. With a backing-track inspired by "Automan" by early-80s electronic hip-hop band
NewcleusNewcleus is an American electro and old school hip hop group that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They are primarily known for their 12-inch singles "Jam-On's Revenge", re-released as "Jam On Revenge " , and "Jam-On It" .-Formation:A precursor to the group, known as Jam-On Productions,...
, it went on to become their biggest hit yet, spending six weeks at number 1 in the UK, also topping the charts in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
,
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
and
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
, and peaking at number 5 in the U.S. in early 1993.
The second album
The Madman's Return was another multi-million seller but Turbo B, who, continued to argue with the act's producers decided to leave the group shortly after its release to pursue a solo career. Both Penny Ford and Thea Austin followed suit, but Snap! were far from over. The third single "
Exterminate!"Exterminate!" is a 1992 song recorded by the German band Snap! featuring Niki Haris. Eighth single of the band, the song features on the 1992 album The Madman Return and was a hit in several countries, particularly in France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, though, most notably in...
", with vocals by
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
-born
Niki HarisNiki Haris is an American actress, dancer, and singer of pop, R&B, Dance music and jazz, perhaps best known for having been one of Madonna's famous backing vocalists for 14 years from 1987 to 2001.-Early life and family:...
, formerly a backing singer for
MadonnaMadonna is an American recording artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977, for a career in modern dance...
, soared to number 2 in the UK in January 1993, and "Do You See the Light (Looking For)" reached number 10 in June.
Now that all former members of the group had moved on, Münzing and Anzilotti recruited Washington DC-born singer Summer to front the act for the third album. Born Paula Brown, she had previously worked as a dancer in the TV series
FameFame is an American television series originally produced between 1982 and 1987. The show was based on the 1980 motion picture of the same name and was hugely popular during its first few seasons. Using a mixture of drama and music, it followed the lives of the students and faculty at the New York...
and the
Spike LeeShelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He also teaches film at New York University and Columbia University...
movie
School DazeSchool Daze is a 1988 musical-drama film, written and directed by Spike Lee, and starring Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tisha Campbell-Martin. Based in part on Spike Lee's experiences at Atlanta's Morehouse College, it is a story about fraternity and sorority members clashing with...
. Snap! moved towards a progressive house sound and a new single called "Welcome to Tomorrow (Are You Ready?)" was released in September 1994. After a slow start, it peaked at number 6 in the UK and was followed by the album, also titled
Welcome to Tomorrow. The second single "The First The Last Eternity (Till The End)" was a moderate hit but "World in My Hands" and "Rame" (featuring Rukmani and performed in
SanskritSanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also declared as a classical language by the government of India....
) struggled to attract airplay due to their less commercial sound.
On New Years Day 1994, SNAP! performed the first of 3 essential mixes for UK's BBC Radio 1.
In 1996 the group was officially disbanded, with a
greatest hitsA greatest hits album is a compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular music artist or band...
compilation called
Snap! Attack: The Best of Snap! released, preceded by a new version of their first hit "The Power". However they made a surprise return in 2000 with "Gimme A Thrill", complete with a rap from Turbo B and vocal from the band's newest addition Maxayn. However, it failed to chart and a proposed album called
One Day on Earth was never released.
A new version of "Do You See the Light" remixed by Plaything was released in 2002, peaking at number 14 in the UK. The following year, a new remix album called
The Cult of Snap! was released and further singles were issued, updating them for a new generation of clubbers. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" was another UK top 20 hit with a new mix by CJ Stone, a new
bhangraBhaṅgṛā Punjabi: ਭੰਗੜਾ, بھنگڑا is a form of music and dance that originated in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. Bhangra began as a folk dance conducted by Punjabi people to celebrate the coming of Spring, or Vaisakhi...
mix by Motivo of "The Power" also sold well, and a collaboration of
SwedishSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
girlgroup NG3 on "Ooops Up" rounded the project up at the end of 2003. "The Power", which had already been used in countless commercials and movie soundtracks over the years, was also introduced into trailers and the soundtrack of the
Jim CarreyJames Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and stand-up comedian. Carrey is best known for his performances as multiple characters in the sketch comedy show In Living Color, as the title character in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, as the unlucky TV...
film "
Bruce AlmightyBruce Almighty is a American comedy film, directed by Tom Shadyac and written by Steve Koren, Mark O'Keefe and Steve Oedekerk. It stars Jim Carrey as Bruce Nolan, a down on his luck TV reporter who seeks a promotion and a better life overall. After a series of bad incidents, such as being beaten...
" in this year.
Buoyed by the success of the remixes, Münzing and Anzilotti went back into the studio with male singer Damien Behanan, also known as Loc, and released the single "Beauty Queen" in September 2005 through Luma Music, but once again it failed to make the charts. "Excited" and "We Want Your Soul" were both released on vinyl in July 2006.
In May 2008,
BrainsBrains is a fictional character in the television series Thunderbirds, the feature films Thunderbirds Are GO and Thunderbird 6 and the 2004 live action film Thunderbirds....
from the programme
Thunderbirds- Entertainment :* Thunder Birds , a film about U.S Air Force Thunderbirds starring Gene Tierney and Preston Foster* Thunderbirds , a popular 1960s British television series notable for its use of marionettes...
appeared in a TV commercial in the UK for Drench spring water. He is shown dancing around a room to "
Rhythm Is a Dancer"Rhythm Is a Dancer" is a song recorded by the act Snap!, released as a single in the second quarter of 1992, from the album The Madman's Return...
". Its regular TV airings prompted thousands of downloads of the original album mix of the song, and it has so far peaked at number 23 in the official
UK singles chartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
. A brand new version of the song with added vocals from Loc was released as a CD single in the UK on June 16, 2008.
In August 2008, they released a new single called "Jumping". Recently the group have signed to Hard2Beat records.
Albums
| Year |
Title |
Chart positions |
| UK The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus.To qualify for the UK albums...
|
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
DEUGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
|
SWESweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
|
| 1990 |
World Power World Power is the first studio album by the electronic band Snap!. It contains the hit single, "The Power".-Track listing:# "The Power" – 5:44# "Ooops Up" – 6:42# "Cult of Snap!" – 5:21# "Believe the Hype" – 4:50...
|
10 |
30 |
7 |
20 |
| 1992 |
The Madman's Return The Madman's Return is Snap!'s 2nd studio album containing the hit Rhythm Is a Dancer.-Track listing:# "Madman's Return" - 4:35# "Colour Of Love" - 5:32# "Believe In It" - 5:08# "Who Stole It?" - 5:10# "Don't Be Shy" - 4:38# "Rhythm Is a Dancer" - 5:32...
|
8 |
121 |
3 |
21 |
| 1995 |
Welcome to Tomorrow |
69 |
— |
10 |
— |
| 1996 |
Snap! Attack: The Best of Snap! |
47 |
— |
14 |
55 |
| 2003 |
The Cult of Snap! |
— |
— |
43 |
47 |
Singles
| Year |
Title |
Chart positions |
Performers |
| UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
|
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
DEUGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
|
SWESweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
|
| 1990 |
"The Power "The Power" is an electronic pop hit song for the group Snap! from its album World Power. It was released as a single in 1990 and achieved great success in many countries...
" |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
Turbo B, Penny Ford, Jackie Harris |
| "Ooops Up" |
5 |
35 |
2 |
2 |
Turbo B, Penny Ford |
| "Cult of Snap" |
8 |
— |
3 |
12 |
| "Mary Had a Little Boy" |
8 |
— |
4 |
7 |
| 1991 |
"Mega Mix" |
10 |
— |
15 |
17 |
| "Colour of Love" |
54 |
— |
9 |
6 |
| 1992 |
"Rhythm Is a Dancer "Rhythm Is a Dancer" is a song recorded by the act Snap!, released as a single in the second quarter of 1992, from the album The Madman's Return...
" |
1 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
Turbo B, Thea Austin |
| 1993 |
"Exterminate! "Exterminate!" is a 1992 song recorded by the German band Snap! featuring Niki Haris. Eighth single of the band, the song features on the 1992 album The Madman Return and was a hit in several countries, particularly in France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, though, most notably in...
" |
2 |
— |
3 |
7 |
Niki Haris Niki Haris is an American actress, dancer, and singer of pop, R&B, Dance music and jazz, perhaps best known for having been one of Madonna's famous backing vocalists for 14 years from 1987 to 2001.-Early life and family:...
|
| "Do You See The Light (Looking For) "Do You See the Light " is a 1993 song recorded by the German band Snap! featuring Niki Haris and was the ninth single of the band....
" |
10 |
— |
13 |
20 |
| 1994 |
"Welcome to Tomorrow (Are You Ready?)" |
6 |
— |
4 |
32 |
Summer |
| 1995 |
"The First The Last Eternity (Till the End)" |
15 |
— |
7 |
— |
| "The World in My Hands" |
44 |
— |
53 |
— |
| 1996 |
"Rame" |
50 |
— |
34 |
40 |
Rukmani |
| "The Power '96" |
42 |
— |
— |
40 |
Einstein |
| "Rhythm Is a Dancer '96" |
— |
— |
— |
58 |
Turbo B, Thea Austin |
| 2000 |
"Gimme a Thrill" |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Turbo B, Maxayn |
| 2002 |
"Do You See the Light 2002" |
14 |
— |
66 |
— |
Niki Haris Niki Haris is an American actress, dancer, and singer of pop, R&B, Dance music and jazz, perhaps best known for having been one of Madonna's famous backing vocalists for 14 years from 1987 to 2001.-Early life and family:...
|
| 2003 |
"Rhythm Is a Dancer 2003" |
17 |
— |
7 |
— |
Turbo B, Thea Austin |
| "The Power (Of Bhangra)" |
34 |
— |
21 |
— |
Turbo B |
| "Ooops Up 2003" |
— |
— |
69 |
3 |
Penny Ford, NG3 |
| 2005 |
"Beauty Queen" |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Loc |
| 2006 |
"Excited" |
promo-only |
promo-only |
promo-only |
promo-only |
Sarah Martin |
| "We Want Your Soul" |
promo-only |
promo-only |
promo-only |
promo-only |
| 2008 |
"Rhythm Is a Dancer 2008" |
23 |
— |
86 |
— |
Thea Austin, Loc |
| "Jumping" |
promo-only |
promo-only |
promo-only |
promo-only |
Loc |
| 2009 |
"Rhythm Is a Dancer 2009" |
promo-only |
promo-only |
promo-only |
promo-only |
|
See also
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
- Centory
Centory was a German 1990s eurodance/pop band of Gary Carolla, Alexander Strasser, Sven Kirschner, and Turbo B.Centory had 1 album Alpha Centory, which was released in 1994. It featured the singles Point Of No Return, Take It To The Limit, The Spirit and Eye In The Sky.Centory also remixed 2...
- Danceartistinfo.com
External links