The Chakachas

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The Chakachas were a Belgium based group of Latin Soul studio musicians.

Also known as Les Chakachas or Los Chakachas, they were formed by band leader Gaston Bogaert, ex-Los Juano Boengs and ex-The Continentals, percussion (conga & tumba); Tito Puente's singer wife Kari Kenton, vocals & maracas; Vic Ingeveldt (Dutchman from Liege), saxophone; Charlie Lots, trumpet; Christian Marc, piano; Henri Breyre, guitar & backing vocals; and Bill Raymond, bass guitar. All were native in Schaarbeek (a district of Brussels), or nearby Charleroi; Willebroek and Liege.

They started out in the late 1950s, and had a Belgian #1 in 1958 with "Eso Es El Amor", which was sung in Spanish.

In 1962, they crept into the UK Singles Chart for the first time with "Twist Twist", which reached #48.

Although they issued numerous recordings, they are best remembered as a one-hit wonder for their hit disco single "Jungle Fever" from 1972, which sold over a million copies in the U.S. and reached #8. In the UK# it fared less well: despite some airplay soon after release it was later banned by the BBC, who took exception to the moaning and heavy breathing heard on the record, first by a woman and later by a man as well. It peaked at #29.

The song was featured in the movie Boogie Nights, it is sampled on the song entitled "Put Her in the Buck" on the As Nasty as They Wanna Be album by 2 Live Crew, Ambassador's "Honor And Glory", Antoinette's "I Got an Attitude", Beatnuts' "Story 2000", Bigg Ocean Mobb's "Cops Hate Kids", Breeze's "Great Big Freak", Brothers Like Outlaw "Deja Vu", CEO's "Hit Me with the Beat", Public Enemy's "Cold Lampin' with Flavor" and featured on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack, being played on fictional radio station Master Sounds 98.3. More recently, DJ "Little" Louie Vega used the track as the basis for a remix incorporating new vocals by British jazz poet Ursula Rucker on "The Elements Of Life" (2004). Their song "Yo Soy Cubano" is sampled in the Mighty Dub Kats's "Son of Wilmot".