| The Beatmasters | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genres | Electronica House Dance-pop |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels | Rhythm King SBK EMI Records London Records ARS Entertainment Belgium Loverush Digital Sire/Warner Bros. Records |
| Associated acts | Bomb The Bass, S'Express |
The Beatmasters are a team of dance music songwriters, musicians and producers who were successful as artists in their own right in the UK in the late 1980s and early 1990s and then went on to produce and remix records for many other groups.[1] As artists, the team had a string of chart hit singles, including "Burn It Up", "Hey DJ! (I Can't Dance to that Music You're Playing)", "Who's in The House" and "Rok Da House", the latter, having been recorded in 1986, being one of the earliest examples of hip-house, a sub-genre of house music which features rap vocals performed over a house rhythm track.
Their initial success brought comparisons with pop record producers Stock Aitken Waterman, but the Beatmasters cited rival producers Coldcut as their major competitor.[2]
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Manda Glanfield and Paul Carter (both regulars on the London club scene) were working in the TV commercial jingle industry when they were introduced to musician Richard Walmsley. Signing to the burgeoning record label, Rhythm King, the trio joined labelmates Bomb the Bass and S'Express in regularly appearing in the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart during 1988 and 1989.
The group had seven UK chart singles, including the #14 hit "Burn It Up", which featured P. P. Arnold and "Rok Da House", with the Cookie Crew, which was their first and biggest hit, peaking at #5 in early 1988. Another notable single was "Hey DJ - I Can't Dance To That Music You're Playing" / "Ska Train", which introduced the rapper/singer Betty Boo to the general public and gave the group a #7 chart hit in 1989.[3]
They released two albums under The Beatmasters moniker: Anywayawanna (1989) and Life and Soul (1990). These albums were later repackaged on BMG records under the title Anywayawanna - The Best of The Beatmasters (2000).
Following the departure of Walmsley in 1990, Carter and Glanfield forged a successful writing, remixing and production career. Their first success as a duo came in 1991 with a reworking of the re-released The Shamen single "Move Any Mountain/Progen91" which charted at #4. In 1992 production work commenced on the Shamen album, Boss Drum, which included the singles "LSI (Love Sex Intelligence)", "Phorever People" and the highly controversial "Ebeneezer Goode" - the latter spending a month at #1 in the UK Singles Chart.[4]
They went on to write, produce and remix for many other artists including Marc Almond, The Pet Shop Boys, Blur, Roachford, Betty Boo, Moby, Aswad, Eternal, Tina Turner, David Bowie and Girls Aloud. Still working, The Beatmasters continue to produce dance, pop and rock music.