A pioneer of the acid house sound, 808 State formed in Manchester, England in 1988 when Martin Price, the owner of the city's legendary record store Eastern Bloc and the founder of the independent label Creed, first joined forces with local musician and producer Graham Massey. After teaming with collaborator Gerald Simpson, 808 State recorded... [+] Read More

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Leaders of the Italian house music movement of the late '80s, Black Box was primarily comprised of club DJ Daniele Davoli, computer whiz Mirko Limoni and classical clarinetist Valeric Semplici, a trio of studio musicians known collectively as the Groove Groove Melody production team. Acclaimed among the most successful producers in all of... [+] Read More

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Best remembered for the international smash "Unbelievable," the British dance-rock quintet EMF formed in Cinderford, England, in October 1989. All five members -- vocalist James Atkin, guitarist Ian Dench, keyboardist Derry Brownson, bassist Zachary Foley, and drummer Mark Decloedt -- were veterans of the local music scene before founding EMF,... [+] Read More

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Ethyl Meatplow was a short-lived, yet enormously accomplished, pseudo-industrial alternative/dance-rock outfit comprised of vocalist Carla Bozulich, guitarist Biff Barefoot Sanders, and drummer John Napier. Formed circa 1990, the group released three independent singles before their only album, 1993's Happy Days Sweetheart. The group earned a... [+] Read More

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Along with the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays were the leaders of the late-'80s/early-'90s dance club-influenced Manchester scene, experiencing a brief moment in the spotlight before collapsing in 1992. While the Stone Roses were based in '60s pop, adding only a slight hint of dance music, Happy Mondays immersed themselves in the club and rave... [+] Read More

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Jesus Jones' murky mix of samples, pop, dance tracks, and techno resulted in one huge international hit single, "Right Here, Right Now" (taken from their second album, Doubt), that pretty much sums up all of the band's virtues -- a strong melody and hook, with a flair for making the dance club overtones mesh with the rock guitar. For their... [+] Read More

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Ned's Atomic Dustbin's stylish fusion of punk and funk earned them a fair number of fans in the early '90s, just as England's Stone Roses-inspired "Madchester" scene was drawing to a close. Comprised of Jonn Penney (vocals), Rat (guitar), Matt Cheslin (bass), Alex Griffin (bass), and Dan Warton (drums), the group began as a neo-goth rock outfit... [+] Read More

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Before Scotland's Soup Dragons hit the mainstream with their reggae-infused cover of the Rolling Stones' "I'm Free," the Glasgow four-piece were poised to carry the torch first lit by the Buzzcocks and the Adverts. Formed in the mid-'80s around singer/guitarist -- and eventual programmer -- Sean Dickson, the band included guitarist Jim... [+] Read More

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Tom Tom Club began life as a side project for Talking Heads members Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, who adopted a light, tropical dance style that won them a gold album in Tom Tom Club in 1981 and a Top 40 single in "Genius of Love." They continued to make albums under this moniker between Heads production projects: Close to the Bone (1983) and... [+] Read More

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Formed in Leeds, England in 1991, the dance-metal duo Utah Saints was led by Jez Willis, a onetime member of the industrial group Cassandra Complex who during the late '80s had turned to DJing in local clubs. While working the club circuit he met fellow DJ Tim Garbutt, whose passion for house music inspired Willis to begin creating house tracks... [+] Read More

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