It's fairly inoffensive in the same way as The Key, The Secret is. I hardly ever listen to it but wouldn't turn it off if it came on.

Edited June 13, 20169 yr by Colm

Shaft - (Mucho Mambo) Sway

 

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c32/tonyttt31/sway.png

 

Date 29nd August 1999

1 Week

Official Chart Run 2-3-6-9-12-17-23-28-37-48-62-69 (12 weeks)

*Positions in red are the weeks when the track would be number 1 if just dance music was chart eligible.

 

Another trend of 1999 was the infiltration of latin flavoured music to the very highest reaches of the charts. Ricky Martin, Jenifer Lopez and Geri Halliwell had all graced the Top 5 with their latino efforts in the Summer of '99. As dance music is usually always there to take advantage of emerging pop music trends (as pop often does in return, it should be noted), in stepped Shaft.

 

Sway was originally written 46 years earlier by Luis Demetrio and Pablo Beltrán Ruizm, two Mexican composers in 1953. At that point it was a mambo instrumental. In 1954 it was given a high profile release when Dean Martin sang a vocal version with English lyrics provided by song-writer Norman Gimbel, who went on to write Killing Me Softly. Much like Mas Que Nada, Sway has become a staple of latin and big band singers over the decades and has been covered hundreds of times. Wikipedia lists over 40 - some instrumental and many not sung in English.

 

Shaft were Alex Rizzo and Elliot Ireland, two British electronic musicians. Rizzo and Ireland operated under various guises. Before Shaft they were Da Muttz and they were also known as Skeewiff. They started out working at the Power Studios in Acton and undertook remixes for Björk and produced tracks for Alison Limerick and Schooly D.

 

Having built up their own home recording studio, the duo compiled a database of samples and sound clips. Their first product was a white label called Machine Gun in 1998. For their re-interpretation of Sway they originally sampled the Perez Prado version of the song which featured a vocal sample of Rosemary Clooney but Rizzo and Ireland were unable to clear the sample, so the vocal on the final track was sung by Claire Vaughan from Huddersfield. The song also contains a sample from La Lupe's 1963 cover of Fever.

 

Perhaps sensing the potential commercial clout that the word "Mambo" would have in '99 they re-christened the track Much Mambo (Sway) and released it on promo 12" on the back of Yomanda's Synth and Strings.

 

The track drew heavy club play in 1999 and so a full release was given on Wonderboy Records in late Summer and took the number 1 dance single title for one week. It was beaten in the Official chart by Mambo Number 5 by Lou Bega and sitting at number 3 was Geri Halliwell's Mi Chico Latino marking the first time that the Top 3 were all latin music based songs.

 

They followed this into the Top 20 with the slightly harder Mambo Italiano in 2000 but they never again graced the Top 40.

 

An album of fun covers of latin music called Pick Up On This arrived in 2001 but failed to chart.

 

Edited June 15, 20169 yr by Colm

From where was the "Ay bikini!" part sampled?

Edited June 14, 20169 yr by N-S

From where was the "Ay bikini!" part sampled?

 

 

Where in the song is that? I'm not over familiar with it - I listened a few times yesterday.

That was La Lupe’s 1963 track “Fever” - right at the end of the song. I always thought it sounded like Bart Simpson Ay caramba!

 

I bought this at the time on CD Single (from Our Price!) and played it to my Grandad as he always loved Dean Martin, I vividly remember the simultaneous words 'that's nice' with the look of complete horror dawning on his face as he realised what had been done to such a beloved classic of his..

That was La Lupe’s 1963 track “Fever” - right at the end of the song. I always thought it sounded like Bart Simpson Ay caramba!

 

I bought this at the time on CD Single (from Our Price!) and played it to my Grandad as he always loved Dean Martin, I vividly remember the simultaneous words 'that's nice' with the look of complete horror dawning on his face as he realised what had been done to such a beloved classic of his..

 

 

:D

 

 

There was an act named Shaft who had a top 10 hit in 1991 with a rave mix of the Roobarb theme. When this came out I assumed they were one and the same as I didn't think it would be allowed for an act to use the same name so soon.

 

It's not too irritating - and I do prefer it to the Deano version which I'm really not fond of.

There was an act named Shaft who had a top 10 hit in 1991 with a rave mix of the Roobarb theme. When this came out I assumed they were one and the same as I didn't think it would be allowed for an act to use the same name so soon.

 

It's not too irritating - and I do prefer it to the Deano version which I'm really not fond of.

 

 

Wasn't that 1992?

It entered at the very end of 1991 - I guess they thought they might have a Christmas number one.

They followed this into the Top 20 with the slightly harder Mambo Italiano in 2000 but they never again graced the Top 40.

 

They did reach #11 later on in 2000 with Wassuup under the name Da Muttz.

They did reach #11 later on in 2000 with Wassuup under the name Da Muttz.

 

 

Well spotted, Paul.

DJ Jean - The Launch

 

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c32/tonyttt31/DJ_Jean_-_The_Launch.jpg

 

Date 5th Sept 1999

1 Week

Official Chart Run 2-3-6-8-12-19-24-34-45-59-72 (11 weeks)

*Positions in red are the weeks when the track would be number 1 if just dance music was chart eligible.

 

More dance music from the Netherlands. DJ Jean started out in 1988 as a hip-hop DJ. He entered and won the national mixing championships in 1989. By 1991 he had starting playing house tunes in the clubs and in the mid-90s he started releasing mix albums - several per year - total domestic sales of which topped 1 million. He became a superstar DJ at home willing multiple awards and accolades.

 

His first releases were on the iT Records imprint, Let Yourself Go in 1997 and U Got My Love in 1998 in the Netherlands. These were modest hits in his home country but that would all changed when he smashed with The Launch, which was co-produced by Klubbheads who we saw in 1996 in this very rundown. The track was popular around the continent and as with other hits in 1999 began to chart on imports alone, for multiple weeks. Again, this was an indication of massive demand and The Launch opened with 113,000 sales in week 1.

 

The main riff in the track was taken from the bassline in The Horn Song, a dance track by The Don.

 

In the UK The Launch would remain a one hit wonder for Jean, as it did in many other countries. He could only sustain interest in The Netherlands and Belgium with future re;eases. He still releases single tracks and mix albums to this day in his home country.

 

 

Edited June 15, 20169 yr by Colm

Imports became a bit ridiculous in 1999, Lou Bega (who prevented DJ Jean from reaching #1) had already spent 3 weeks in the Top 40 as an import moving 40-33-31.. and this week (which I have down as 5th September, not 29th August 1999?) a certain act who may be appearing here soon made its Top 40 debut (up from 51) at 39 leading me to think that it had flopped massively.

Edited June 14, 20169 yr by Doctor Blind

Great production on the song which is nice to hear every now & then.

Still sounds like a much weaker version of "Pullover" by Speedy J which came out almost a decade earlier.

and this week (which I have down as 5th September, not 29th August 1999?)

 

 

I had my dates mixed up - I'd only moved on 4 weeks for Better Off Alone and not 5 weeks. :teresa:

Still sounds like a much weaker version of "Pullover" by Speedy J which came out almost a decade earlier.

 

 

I think it's awful; as you can probably tell from my perfunctory write up :lol:

Edited June 15, 20169 yr by Colm

That's 5 weeks in a row that the best selling dance single was number 2 in the official charts.

Imports became a bit ridiculous in 1999, Lou Bega (who prevented DJ Jean from reaching #1) had already spent 3 weeks in the Top 40 as an import moving 40-33-31.. and this week (which I have down as 5th September, not 29th August 1999?) a certain act who may be appearing here soon made its Top 40 debut (up from 51) at 39 leading me to think that it had flopped massively.

 

I remember thinking the same about Mambo No.5. The week it was #40 on imports was the first time I'd ever heard it, and I recall thinking it sounded like a much bigger hit and was amazed that it had done no better than #40 (I had no idea it was charting on import so had of course just assumed that like everything else, it would disappear from its entry point after one week).

 

As for The Launch, I was addicted to it, and was one of the 113,000 people that bought it first week out.

Edited June 15, 20169 yr by gooddelta

I remember thinking the same about Mambo No.5. The week it was #40 on imports was the first time I'd ever heard it, and I recall thinking it sounded like a much bigger hit and was amazed that it had done no better than #40 (I had no idea it was charting on import so had of course just assumed that like everything else, it would disappear from its entry point after one week).

 

 

I think I was listening to that chart too. I was convinced it only had one days sales at that point as I had expected it to be huge.