Snap!

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Snap! is also an album by The Jam
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Snap! are an electronic music project created by German producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. However, due to the general public's preconceived notions of German music, they decided to credit their work as Benito Benites and John "Virgo" Garrett III, and, as Frank Farian had done with Boney M and Milli Vanilli, hired different singers to front the group's live appearances.


Contents

[edit] History

Snap!'s first hit, "The Power" (#1 UK, #2 Ger, #2 US), became instantly popular in both Europe and North America, thanks in part to the combination of house and hip hop elements, but a great deal in part to the unauthorized sampling of a track "Let the Words Flow" by US rapper Chill Rob G. None of the vocals were recorded specifically for the track. On their first album, World Power (#10 Ger), their vocalists were rapper Turbo B., the model Jackie Harris and the real singer Penny Ford. In 1990 some more hits followed: "Ooops up" (# 5 UK, #2 Ger, # 36 US), "Cult of Snap" (#8 UK, #3 Ger), "Mary had a little boy" (#8 UK, #4 Ger) and in 1991 "Snap - Megamix" (#10 UK, #15 Ger). Snap! returned to the charts in 1992 with The Madman's Return (#3 Ger), which featured four more hit singles in Europe, "The Colour of Love" (#9 Ger), "Rhythm is a Dancer" (#1 UK, #1 Ger, #5 US), "Exterminate" (#2 UK, #3 Ger) and the German Top 20 Hit "Do You See The Light?" (#10 UK, #13 Ger). However, by this stage, some friction had developed between the producers and the vocalists and eventually they would all leave the band. Thea Austin had already replaced Jackie and Penny, but she too had left by the time the third album came along.

Niki Haris, who had sung "Exterminate" and "Do You See The Light?", was retained, alongside newcomer Summer, for Welcome To Tomorrow (#6 UK, #4 Ger) which peaked at number 1 in France in 1994. But by now, the songs had evolved into a more European progressive house sound, and without the stage presence and raps of Turbo B., Snap! continued receiving airplay, but the project's popularity was decreasing. "The First, The Last, Eternity" (#15 UK, #7 Ger) ,although a Top 10 hit in Germany, never enjoyed the same level of recognition as "The Power". Snap! were officially disbanded after the release of the 1996 best-of album, Attack! (#14 Ger). A significant portion of their decline had to do with an informal black-listing of the band in the club scene due to an unfortunate remark from a band member that was perceived to be anti-gay. This issue haunted them up till 2003 when an apology was issued and the club scene welcomed them back aboard. This opened the door for their best of/remix album which was promoted in Germany on several Christopher-street-prides and together with the in Berlin famous drag queen Krylon Superstar who also appeared on Television for Snap!.

Münzing and Anzilotti tried a comeback in 2000, with Turbo B.'s return and a new vocalist, but the proposed album, One Day on Earth, was never released, due to various problems during production. Fortunately for Snap!, a few producers, such as Tom Novy from Germany and Motivo Productions from Italy, started remixing some of their old hits, which lead to the release of a remix/cover album, The Cult of Snap!, in 2003. The album included another remix hit in Europe: "The power of Bhangra" (at least Top 20 in Germany)(the video was filmed in Sri Lanka).

Throughout their career, they scored nine Top 10 singles, including two Number Ones in the United Kingdom ("The Power" and "Rhythm Is A Dancer"). The C.J. Stone remix of "Rhythm is a Dancer" reached number 7 in Germany, 17 in the UK in 2003. The track is still commonly played at nightclubs in the UK and Ireland, often as the last track in a set, and has become somewhat of a dance anthem.

The act returned in 2006 with a brand new single called "Beauty Queen", but the single has never been released outside the clubs.

[edit] Media occurrences of songs

[edit] "The Power"

[edit] Discography

  • World Power (1990)
  • The Madman's Return (1992)
  • Welcome To Tomorrow (1995)
  • Attack! (1996)
  • Attack! - The Remixes (1996)
  • One Day On Earth (2000, unreleased)
  • The Greatest Hits (2001)
  • The Power - Best Of Snap! (2002)
  • The Cult Of Snap! (2003, US release: The Power Of Snap!)

[edit] See also

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