A lot of important things were happening in the first part of the 90s. The end of apartheid in South Africa and the transition to democracy. My transition from primary to high school. And the rise of Eurodance. Eurodance actually originated in the late 80s but really saw a surge in popularity in the early 90s. The genre is difficult to define but basically comprises electronic music that includes elements of techno, house and Euro disco and vivid vocals and/or raps, catchy hooks and a thumping bass. Eurodance is definitely not everyone's cup of tea but there's no denying its impact on pop culture and mainstream music. As Miriam Malek from Crack Magazine says, "It would be easy to shrug Eurodance off as a cheesy collection of one-hit wonders confined to our school disco memories and grainy images on MTV, but the genre was instrumental in popularising dance music with mainstream audiences."
I'm pretty sure Urban Cookie Collective is in the top 10 list of groups with the most bizarre names of all time. Quirky name aside, they also produced one of my favourite 90s Eurodance hits: The Key, The Secret. I was obsessed with this song and it never failed to put me in a good mood. Granted, the lyrics are not particularly inspired: she has a key, she has a secret aha yeah yeah. But sometimes you just want to lose yourself to the beat (in this case the techno beat of a club anthem) and the lyrics are secondary. The Key, The Secret was a massive hit around the world, charting in the top 10 in countries like Germany, Switzerland and the UK, where it reached a peak of number 2. Other popular songs of theirs include Feels Like Heaven, Sail Away and High On A Happy Vibe.
Urban Cookie Collective was formed in 1990 by Rohan Heath. Other members included vocalist Diane Charlemagne, Simon Bentall, Peter Samson, Johnny Jay, Mark Hadfield and Neil Claxton (hence the "collective" part of their name). Sadly Diane Charlemagne passed away in 2015 at the age of 51 after a long battle with cancer. Since her collaborations with Urban Cookie Collective she had continued to record and release music and worked on projects with Moby's live band, British band D:Ream (the band that brought you Things Can Only Get Better in the 90s) and Welsh drum and bass producer High Contrast. The band still tours with Danielle Barnett in the role of lead vocalist.
My other favourite Eurodance duo from that era was Twenty 4 Seven, a Dutch Eurodance group formed in 1989. Their biggest hit was Slave To The Music. The song opens with Nancy "Nance" Coolen chanting "Oh, nay, na na na, nay, na – na, na, nay-ah" before the beat drops and the party really gets started. Like many Eurodance acts, their songs were formulaic, with Nance typically leading with a vocal introduction, Stacey Seedorf (Stay-C) following with a rapped verse and a repetitive and super catchy chorus bringing it all together. Some of their other hits include: Is It Love, Take Me Away and I Can't Stand It.
I was surprised to learn that the project was revived in 2007 by original founding producer, Ruud van Rijen and singer Elle, resulting in a cover of the 1986 Berlin song Like Flames. Twenty 4 Seven fizzled out again until 2010, with Stay-C returning to the group along with two new vocalists, Li Ann (Lianne van Groen) and Miss Cherry (Sharon Doorson), and a new version of Slave To The Music being released that year. Another single, The Reason, was released in 2012.
Listening to some of these songs that defined the golden era of Eurodance (as well as my adolescence) was certainly a fun trip down memory lane. And I'm not ashamed to say I still love them three decades later. The reminiscence also led me to explore some of my other favourite of the era (anyone else remember these?):
Dreams by 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor (dreams are not the only thing that do survive - so too does my love of this song!)
No Limit by 2 Unlimited (they were successful in their efforts to convince me that there is no no no no no no no no no limit to what I can do in life)
Rhythm is a Dancer by Snap! (the rhythm really is your soul's companion)
Mr Vain by Culture Beat (I get Mr Wrong and Mr Vain but I still have no idea who Mr Raider - perhaps a reference to Indiana Jones?)
Cotton Eyed Joe by Rednex (did anyone ever find out where he came from or where he went?)
Good times!
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