Technotronic
MC Eric & Ya Kid K
Technotronic is the brainchild of innovative Belgian producer Jo Bogaert, aka Thomas De Quincy.
Jo expertly devised the Technotronic sound in his humble attic studio about 20 miles north west of Brussels in the mid 1980s. At the time, Jo had already made his mark on the ‘Eurobeat’ scene with various high-profile dance concepts such as ‘Nux Nemo’ and ‘Acts Of Mad-men’.
The first devastating bars of ‘Pump Up The Jam’ permeating through the air-waves and night-clubs signalled the arrival of Technotronic. Their debut single would have a domino effect on the world’s charts, eventually hitting #2 on the Hot 100 in late 1989, becoming the first major house music record to break through to the pop mainstream.
‘Blue-lipped’ fashion model Felly was the first public face of Technotronic, appearing in the video for ‘Pump Up The Jam’ and on cover artwork. It wasn’t until the second earth-shattering single ‘Get Up’ that the public saw and heard Manuela Kamosi, or Ya Kid K, for the first time. She had already performed the original vocal on ‘Pump Up The Jam’ and now the world would bear witness to her vocal talent on ‘Get Up’.
‘Get Up’ surpassed all expectations; while ‘Pump Up The Jam’ netted over 3.5 million in world sales, the follow up grossed another 1.9 million, proof that Technotronic were not the ‘one hit wonders’ that many detractors had made them out to be. Their full sound was showcased on their debut album ‘Pump Up The Jam’ which notched up over 4 million sales worldwide following its release; it would go on to sell over 14 million copies.
The ‘Pump Up The Jam’ single continued to climb the charts, aided in part by the release of Technotronic’s album. By the end of 1990 it had reached pole position in the Billboard 12” singles dance chart. The last significant chart success was in 1992 when ‘Move That Body’ peaked at #5 in the US Billboard charts.
Technotronic then embarked on a new creative path. Producers Jo Bogaert and Patrick De Meyer teamed up with Phil Wilde and Peter Bauwens, two producers renowned for their success working with CB Milton and 2 Unlimited. Their collaboration spawned the 1994 hit ‘Move It To The Rhythm’.
After a long silence Technotronic returned in 1997 with the release of ‘Get Up ‘97’, a remix of their previous hit with the same name. 1997 also saw the release of ‘Crazy’ featuring Black Diamond while the following year Technotronic appeared on D.O.N.S.’s remix of ‘Pump Up The Jam’. 1998 finished with the re-release of ‘Get Up’ before Technotronic took another extended hiatus, reappearing in 2000 with a string of singles.
‘Like This/Get Up Da 2000 Sequel’, ‘The G Train’ and ‘Like This’ featuring Monday Midnite all signalled Technotronic’s return to greatness. ‘The Mariachi’, ‘Runaway Blues’ and ‘The Circle Unbroken’ were all to follow in the next two years, ensuring Technotronic remained firmly in the spotlight.
Now enjoying a resurgence in popularity, Technotronic are currently touring around Europe performing some of their greatest hits. Their live shows include extended version performances of ‘Pump Up The Jam’, ‘Move This’, ‘This Beat Is Technotronic’, ‘Yea Yea’, ‘Move That Body and ‘Get Up (Before The Night Is Over)’.
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