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girlsaloudjunkie

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Posts posted by girlsaloudjunkie

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    Edited by girlsaloudjunkie

    Urban Cookie Collective - The Key: The Secret

     

    http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/TheMagicPosition86/rsz_the_key_the_secret_zpsdvnfd7rv.png

     

    Date 1st August 1993

    3 Weeks

    Official Chart Run 40-29-20-11-6-2-2-4-6-7-13-20-33-42-56-67 (16 weeks)

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

     

    We continue with more eurodance in the summer of 1993, though this time its origins are British and it has fewer and even more memorable lyrics than “No Limit”!

     

    Urban Cookie Collective, were exactly that, a collective of Manchester-based record producers, songwriters, and musicians brought together by Rohan Heath - probably the most well-known and successful of which was Neil Claxton, aka Mint Royale - who now provides amusing commentary of the UK midweeks on twitter. Heath was himself influenced heavily by the Manchester dance scene that was tied closely to the hugely successful Haçienda nightclub and its co-founders New Order. He had previously worked with Together (who hit #12 in August 1990 with “Hardcore Uproar”) and toured as keyboardist with Gerald Simpson (aka, A Guy Called Gerald) who was responsible for the early acid house classic “Voodoo Ray” which also got to #12 in the summer of 1989.

     

    Wanting to go it alone, Rohan set up Urban Cookie in 1992 and wrote/produced the hip-hop influenced track “Pressin’ On”. Both that single and follow-up “Lucky Stars” failed to chart, along with the original “The Key: The Secret”. Step forward into 1993 and the development of the ‘collective’ which included Mark Hadfield and the aforementioned Neil Claxton, who were both just starting out, but also Simon Bentall, Peter Samon and Johnny Jay. Perhaps the biggest coup however was the extremely talented vocalist Diane Charlemagne who had been the lead vocalist with 52nd Street during the 1980s, and was approached to provide the vocals on a remixed club ready version of “The Key: The Secret” which was based on Glam “Hell's Party”.

     

    Despite its understated chart debut at 40, it quickly became the soundtrack to the summer with Diane Charlemagne’s soulful vocals elevated by the uplifting piano house melody, providing indie label Pulse-8 with their biggest hit when it went all the way to #2. The near identical follow-up “Feels Like Heaven” went to #5 in the autumn but diminishing returns soon set in. Charlemagne went on to record Goldie’s brilliant early D&B classic “Inner City Life” (which charted at an unfairly low #39 in 1995), and Neil Claxton went on to form Mint Royale with Chris Baker in 1997, who belatedly reached #1 in 2008 thanks to a dance by George Sampson on Britain’s Got Talent.

     

     

    Great tune but I've always preferred Feels Like Heaven :heart:

    I'm LOVING this thread :wub:

    As an Aussie, some of these songs weren't hits in Australia so I've found a couple of new JAMS here :)

    Am living for Oceanic's 'Insanity', The Shamen's 'Move Any Mountain' ('Ebeneezer Goode' was their only hit back in Oz) and Shut Up & Dance's 'Raving I'm Raving'.

    The rest I either knew or have found to be absolute shit :P

    I prefer Guetta's, love early Black Eyed Peas but Hey Mama is one of their weakest.

     

    I'm just gonna stop you right there. It's easily in BEP's top 3 best. Meet Me Halfway is their finest moment for me personally.

    This isn't one of Guetta's finest moments.

    Girlicious - Maniac & 2 In The Morning were BANGERS

    Mini Viva - One Touch is pop perfection

    Neon Hitch - f*** U Betta & Get Over U were brill

    Phixx - Hold On Me & Love Revolution were absolute JAMS

    The Presets - They had the 1 HUGE album in Australia, would've thought they'd crossover with it into the UK too

    I'm not tired of the updates, it just seems a bit one-sided to only do it this week.

    I use to always hear this song on MTV Base & Channel U back in the day, one of my favourite songs of the early-mid 00's

    #111? that is very surprising.

    Surprised it only made #111, it was HUGE in Australia. Absolutely love that song :)

    'Motivation' is nowhere near her best for me. That title is taken by 'Can't Nobody'. :heart:

     

     

    Work (Single Mix) has always been Kelly's best song :heart: Her new songs could neva

     

    Ummm I'm gonna stop ya'll right there. Commander SLAYS everything else she has ever done.

    Sean Kingston f/ Cher Lloyd "Rum and Raybans" is a hit waiting to happen, not sure what's happening with the release. Could do big things both sides of the pond, it's got a 'party holiday' feel to it.

    Sadly, I think that ship has sailed. He's now moved onto the next single :(

    Yes.

     

    For some reason, I don't think Icona Pop will be the massive smash everyone is expecting. Although if radio get behind the song, it should chart top 5 with some decent longevity

     

    I think MKTO 'Thank You' might have a chance of taking off and going top 10 at some point

     

    That MKTO song is soooo generic. Don't know how that was just a big hit here in Australia :/

    'I Love It' was definitely THE anthem of Summer just gone here so would be dumbfounded if the UK don't follow suit.