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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The New York-based urban soul vocal group Allure was the first band to be signed to Mariah Carey's Crave Records. Such connections ensured that Allure would be promoted well and that their eponymous 1997 debut would have cameos by such stars as Nas, L.L. Cool J, Raekwon, 112, Q-Tip, and Carey herself, but it didn't ensure that the record itself... [+] Read More

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His concept of epic house inspired by the classical training he received from an early age, Brian Transeau revitalized the British dance community in the mid-'90s and provided a point of entry for later dream house merchants like Robert Miles, Sash!, and BBE (though Transeau had, for the most part, left the style behind by the time of its pop... [+] Read More

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An excellent vocalist in either dance or urban contemporary settings, Caron Wheeler first gained fame singing with Soul II Soul. She initially sang in such reggae bands as Brown Sugar and Afrodiziak before doing sessions with Phil Collins, Erasure, and Elvis Costello. Her leads on the songs "Keep on Movin'" and "Back to Life" were featured on... [+] Read More

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Chanté Moore, the daughter of a minister, grew up on gospel music and the innovative recordings of George Duke and Lee Ritenour, sometimes applying her lyrics to their music. Moore decided as a teenager that she wanted to become a singer after an inspirational performance in a high school rendition of The Wiz. In addition to her writing and... [+] Read More

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A native of Toronto, Deborah Cox began singing for TV commercials at age 12, also entering various talent shows with her mother's help. She performed in nightclubs as a teenager, and around this time, she also began to write her own material with the help of writer, producer, and future romantic interest Lascelles Stephens. Much like Whitney... [+] Read More

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A prime house-pop group and consistent club act, Faithless is at its core a duo of producers Rollo and Sister Bliss. Before the group officially came together in 1995, Rollo had produced a previous club hit ("Don't You Want Me" as Felix in 1992), plus an album for Kristine W. and remixes for the Pet Shop Boys, Björk and Simply Red. Sister Bliss,... [+] Read More

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English vocalist Lisa Stansfield was the lead singer of the group the Blue Zone and featured on Coldcut's "People Hold On" in 1989. She zoomed into the spotlight with Affection in 1990. The album went platinum and earned her a number three pop and number one R&B single with "All Around the World." Affection and its follow-up, Real Love, were... [+] Read More

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From early Berlin techno and house through to progressive trance, producer/DJ Paul Van Dyk has soundtracked the German electronic dance scene ever since he moved to the city and began mixing in 1988. A native of a German town near Frankfurt, Van Dyk first heard house music on the radio during the mid-'80s. Soon he was experimenting with a... [+] 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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