A native of Zimbabwe, Rozalla first gained success in the early '90s as a vocalist for the Band of Gypsies production team. The single "Everybody's Free" became a big hit in 1993, leading to her nickname "Queen of Rave." She released an album soon after and remained a familiar name on European and American dance charts during the 1990s, though... [+] Read More

A native of Zimbabwe, Rozalla first gained success in the early '90s as a vocalist for the Band of Gypsies production team. The single "Everybody's Free" became a big hit in 1993, leading to her nickname "Queen of Rave." She released an album soon after and remained a familiar name on European and American dance charts during the 1990s, though 1995's Look No Further featured more R&B and soul elements than previous productions. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Combining swirling psychedelic rock with hardcore hip-hop rhythms, the Shamen were one of the first alternative bands to appeal to dance clubs as much as indie rockers. Comprised of Colin Angus, Peter Stephenson, Keith McKenzie, and Derek McKenzie, the Scottish quartet had its roots in the early-'80s neo-psychedelic group Alone Again Or. The... [+] Read More

Combining swirling psychedelic rock with hardcore hip-hop rhythms, the Shamen were one of the first alternative bands to appeal to dance clubs as much as indie rockers. Comprised of Colin Angus, Peter Stephenson, Keith McKenzie, and Derek McKenzie, the Scottish quartet had its roots in the early-'80s neo-psychedelic group Alone Again Or. The Shamen officially formed in 1986 and released their first album, Drop, the following year. Drop was filled with varying guitar textures, recalling many late-'60s rock groups. After the record's release, Angus immersed himself in the emerging acid house/hip-hop club scene, which prompted the departure of Derek McKenzie; he was replaced with William Sinnott, who helped reshape the band's sound into a dense, rhythmic pulse that relied heavily on samples, drum machines, and loud guitars. The band debuted their revamped sound in 1988 with a stage show that featured sexually explicit visuals along with impassioned political rhetoric. During 1988, Peter Stephenson and Keith McKenzie departed, leaving Angus and Sinnott to perform as a duo.

With their 1989 album In Gorbachev We Trust, the Shamen expanded their following in Britain and began attracting American listeners. The duo continued to concentrate on dance music throughout 1989, adding rappers to their live shows. Just as the band was heading toward mainstream acceptance, Will Sinnott drowned off the coast of the Canary Islands on May 23, 1990. With the Sinnott family's encouragement, Angus continued the Shamen and the group did indeed begin to score hits, particularly in the U.K. where they amassed five Top 20 singles between 1991 and 1992; "Move Any Mountain (Progen 91)" managed to make it into the American Top 40 at the end of 1991, as well. However, the Shamen fell out of favor during 1993 and their 1994 album Different Drum failed to gain much of an audience. Nevertheless, the group continued to record, releasing Axis Mutatis in 1995, Hempton Manor in 1996, and UV in 1998. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide

One of the first rave-pop groups with live-performance abilities as well, Sunscreem formed around Paul Carnell and Lucia Holm (both on keyboards and vocals) with a handful of contributors including guitarists Darren Woodford and Wayne Simms, bassist Rob Fricker, drummer Sean Wright and Baz the DJ. Holm was a session cellist -- with credits... [+] Read More

One of the first rave-pop groups with live-performance abilities as well, Sunscreem formed around Paul Carnell and Lucia Holm (both on keyboards and vocals) with a handful of contributors including guitarists Darren Woodford and Wayne Simms, bassist Rob Fricker, drummer Sean Wright and Baz the DJ. Holm was a session cellist -- with credits including Dream Academy's "Life in a Northern Town" -- when she met Carnell at a warehouse rave in Essex and agreed to form a band. Early singles "Walk On" and "Pressure" became moderate British hits and dancefloor favorites, while 1993's "Love U More" became their trademark song (and biggest hit). The debut Sunscreem album O3 was released in 1993, earning American release through Columbia. The "Perfect Motion" single also became a hit, but the group had disappeared from the charts by the mid-'90s. Their second album Change or Die was finally released in 1996, while the retrospective Looking at You: Club Anthems appeared in 1998. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The Netherlands techno/dance-pop phenomenon 2 Unlimited was one of the most popular groups in Europe during the early '90s, selling 18 million records and charting number one singles in every European country. (In England, 11 consecutive singles topped the charts.) America, however, remained unaffected, bringing only "Get Ready for This" to... [+] Read More

The Netherlands techno/dance-pop phenomenon 2 Unlimited was one of the most popular groups in Europe during the early '90s, selling 18 million records and charting number one singles in every European country. (In England, 11 consecutive singles topped the charts.) America, however, remained unaffected, bringing only "Get Ready for This" to number 38 in late 1994, over two years after it was first released.

In 1990, producers Phil Wilde and Jean-Paul DeCoster had previously gained success with AB Logic, and were looking for another vehicle for their songs. 2 Unlimited formed when Wilde and DeCoster were introduced to rapper Ray Slijngaard (b. June 28, 1971, Amsterdam) and vocalist Anita Doth (b. December 28, 1971, Amsterdam) by Marvin D., who had featured both in his rap group in the past. In 1991, debut single "Get Ready for This" reached number two on several European charts; the following year Get Ready was released.

The modest success of the first few singles prepared the way for 2 Unlimited's 1993 sophomore album No Limits. The title track hit number one in 15 European countries plus Canada, and other singles from the album also did well, including "Faces," "Maximum Overdrive" and "Let the Beat Control Your Body." Third album Real Things and the singles "The Real One," "No One," "Here I Go" continued the hit-making. The best-of album Hits Unlimited was the group's last release, as Slijngaard left to manage his X-Ray label and Doth moved into TV and radio talk shows (though she has recorded with Mad Cobra.) ~ John Bush, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The Prodigy navigated the high-wire, balancing artistic merit and mainstream visibility with more flair than any electronica act of the 1990s. Ably defeating the image-unconscious attitude of most electronic artists in favor of a focus on nominal frontman Keith Flint, the group crossed over to the mainstream of pop music with an incendiary live... [+] Read More

The Prodigy navigated the high-wire, balancing artistic merit and mainstream visibility with more flair than any electronica act of the 1990s. Ably defeating the image-unconscious attitude of most electronic artists in favor of a focus on nominal frontman Keith Flint, the group crossed over to the mainstream of pop music with an incendiary live experience that approximated the original atmosphere of the British rave scene even while leaning uncomfortably close to arena-rock showmanship and punk theatrics. True, Flint's spiky hairstyle and numerous piercings often made for better advertising, but it was producer Liam Howlett whose studio wizardry launched the Prodigy to the top of the charts, spinning a web of hard-hitting breakbeat techno with king-sized hooks and unmissable samples. Despite electronic music's diversity and quick progression during the 1990s -- from rave/hardcore to ambient/downtempo and back again, thanks to the breakbeat/drum'n'bass movement -- Howlett modified the Prodigy's sound only sparingly; swapping the rave-whistle effects and ragga samples for metal chords and chanted vocals proved the only major difference in the band's evolution from their debut to their worldwide breakthrough with their third album The Fat of the Land. Even before the band took its place as the premiere dance act for the alternative masses, the Prodigy had proved a consistent entry in the British charts, with over a dozen consecutive singles in the Top 20.

Howlett, the prodigy behind the group's name, was trained on the piano while growing up in Braintree, Essex. He began listening to hip-hop in the mid-'80s and later DJed with the British rap act Cut to Kill before moving on to acid house later in the decade. The fledgling hardcore breakbeat sound was perfect for an old hip-hop fan fluent in up-tempo dance music, and Howlett began producing tracks in his bedroom studio during 1988. His first release, the EP What Evil Lurks, became a major mover on the fledgling rave scene in 1990. After Howlett met up with Keith Flint and Leeroy Thornhill (both Essex natives as well) in the growing British rave scene, the trio formed the Prodigy later that year. Howlett's recordings gained the trio a contract with XL Records, which re-released What Evil Lurks in February 1991.

Six months later, Howlett issued his second single "Charly," built around a sample from a children's public-service announcement. It hit number one on the British dance charts, then crossed over to the pop charts, stalling only at number three. (It wasn't long before a copycat craze saw the launch of rave takeoffs on Speed Racer, The Magic Roundabout and Sesame Street) Two additional Prodigy singles, "Everybody in the Place" and "Fire/Jericho," charted in the U.K. during late 1991 and early 1992.

The Prodigy showed they were no one-anthem wonders in late 1992, with the release of The Prodigy Experience, one of the first LPs by a rave act. Mixing chunky breakbeats with vocal samples from dub legend Lee "Scratch" Perry and the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, it hit the Top Ten and easily went gold. During 1993, Howlett added a ragga/hip-hop MC named Maxim Reality (Keeti Palmer) and occupied himself with remix work for Front 242, Jesus Jones and Art of Noise. He also released the white-label single "Earthbound" to fool image-conscious DJs who had written off the Prodigy as hopelessly commercial. Late 1993 brought the commercial release of "Earthbound" (as the group's seventh consecutive Top 20 singles entry, "One Love").

After several months of working on tracks, Howlett issued the next Prodigy single, "No Good (Start the Dance)." Despite the fact that the single's hook was a sped-up diva-vocal tag (an early rave staple), the following album Music for the Jilted Generation provided a transition for the group, from piano pieces and rave-signal tracks to more guitar-integrated singles like "Voodoo People." The album also continued Prodigy's allegiance to breakbeat drum'n'bass; though the style had only recently become commercially viable (after a long gestation period in the dance underground), Howlett had been incorporating it from the beginning of his career. Music for the Jilted Generation entered the British charts at number one and went gold in its first week of release. The album was also nominated for a Mercury Music Prize, as one of the best albums of the year.

The Prodigy spent much of 1994 and 1995 touring around the world, and made a splashy appearance at the 1995 Glastonbury Festival, proving that electronica could make it in a live venue. The group had already made a transition from the club/rave circuit to more traditional rock venues, and the Glastonbury show set in stone the fact that they were no longer just a dance group. Flint's newly emerged persona -- the consummate in-your-face punk showman and master of ceremonies for the digital-age crowd -- provided a point of reference for rock critics uncomfortable covering Howlett (whom they saw as a glorified keyboard player).

The Prodigy's incessant road schedule left little time to record, but Howlett managed to bring out the next new Prodigy single in March 1996. "Firestarter" entered the British charts at number one, though the video was almost banned due to complaints about arson fixation; many Top of the Pops viewers also complained that Keith Flint had scared their children. An unmissable guitar hook and Flint's catcall vocal antics -- his first on record -- made it a quick worldwide hit and though "Firestarter" wasn't a major success in the U.S., its high-profile spot in MTV's Buzz Bin introduced the Prodigy to many Americans and helped fuel the major-label push for electronica during the following year (though the Prodigy did reject collaborative offers from David Bowie, U2 and Madonna). In the middle of the electronica buzz, the Prodigy dropped their third album, The Fat of the Land. Despite rather obvious attempts to court mainstream rock fans (including several guest-vocalist spots and an L7 cover), the LP entered both British and American charts at number one, shifting several million units worldwide. The next Prodigy full-length was 1999's The Dirtchamber Sessions, a mix album helmed by Howlett.

The "Baby's Got a Temper" single -- one Howlett would later disown -- appeared in 2002 and soon after Leeroy Thornhill left the band. Maxim and Keith Flint were still in the band but they weren't to be found on 2004's Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned. Instead the album featured guest spots from Oasis' Liam Gallagher, Kool Keith, Twista, and actress Juliette Lewis. Flint and Maxim did join Howlett for a worldwide tour to support the album that launched in October 2004. A year later Their Law: Singles compiled the big hits. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Hits Unlimited collects all of the biggest hits from the dance outfit 2 Unlimited, including "Let the Beat Control Your Body," "Get Ready for This," and "Workaholic," making it a perfect introduction, as well as the only necessary album for casual fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Hits Unlimited collects all of the biggest hits from the dance outfit 2 Unlimited, including "Let the Beat Control Your Body," "Get Ready for This," and "Workaholic," making it a perfect introduction, as well as the only necessary album for casual fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Besides being one of the few early British dance albums worth its weight in artistry as well as sound, En-Tact is a truly historical gathering of the cream of the new dance music; mixing and production come from a cast including Paul Oakenfold, William Orbit, Graham Massey, Orbital, Evil Eddie Richards, the Beatmasters, Meat Beat Manifesto, Joey... [+] Read More

Besides being one of the few early British dance albums worth its weight in artistry as well as sound, En-Tact is a truly historical gathering of the cream of the new dance music; mixing and production come from a cast including Paul Oakenfold, William Orbit, Graham Massey, Orbital, Evil Eddie Richards, the Beatmasters, Meat Beat Manifesto, Joey Beltram, Tommy Musto, the Irresistible Force and Caspar Pound. The Shamen fare well also on their own productions, and the singles "Move Any Mountain," "Make It Mine" and "Hyperreal Orbit" are infectious techno-pop anthems, while "Omega Amigo" is an early ambient classic. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide [-] Hide

O3 displays a techno act with something of a heart and focus (plus a real drummer from time to time). While the energy level does get pumped from time to time, the accent is more on solid song design and upfront female vocals that do more than provide just another element of the mixes, putting this firmly into the Deee-Lite camp. Highlights are... [+] Read More

O3 displays a techno act with something of a heart and focus (plus a real drummer from time to time). While the energy level does get pumped from time to time, the accent is more on solid song design and upfront female vocals that do more than provide just another element of the mixes, putting this firmly into the Deee-Lite camp. Highlights are the singles "Love U More," "Perfect Motion" and a Marianne Faithfull cover of "Broken English." ~ Steven McDonald, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The only album released (so far) by Acen is a period piece, solid in its own right but including far too many versions of the same singles for its own good. Multiple remixes of "Trip II the Moon" and "Close Your Eyes" can be expected, but no less than half of the album's twelve tracks are versions of what was (probably) going to be the next... [+] Read More

The only album released (so far) by Acen is a period piece, solid in its own right but including far too many versions of the same singles for its own good. Multiple remixes of "Trip II the Moon" and "Close Your Eyes" can be expected, but no less than half of the album's twelve tracks are versions of what was (probably) going to be the next single, "Window in the Sky." That leaves space for two "album" tracks, both of which prove that the best place to hear Acen is on a hardcore compilation. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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