Remembering 1996: April

A stand out memory I have from April 1996 is being on holiday in a snack bar one afternoon and they had German techno playing. At least I assumed it to be German techno, I didn't know any of the tunes being played but it was definitely techno and sounded of the German variety. Then a few tunes later they had a complete change in music with 70s record "Jeans On" by David Dundas coming on, the first time I'd ever heard it and I didn't know what it was until years later.

Speaking of German techno it was the month "Forever Young" by Interactive chart. Not a German techno record as such but the members were key figures in the German techno scene. It was already 2 years old by this point.

You wouldn't be hearing it at the raves though, not only because of it's age (2 years was considered old in rave terms at the time) but because British DJs Jimmy J & Cru-L-T did their own version called "I Wanna Be Forever" that you'd hear instead.

It was the month that gave us the first Dance Nation compilation from the Ministry Of Sound. The DJs on the compilation were Pete Tong and Boy George, the former now very much a big name from his Radio 1 show and the latter a former pop star who was very much a DJ by this point. Not that either DJ actually mixed their CD but importantly with the tracklist like a lot of these big compilations its a mixture of classics and not so classics.

One In The Jungle returned to Radio 1 in Apr 96. It had previously aired for a few weeks in the summer of 1995 but was now back for a regular slot on a Friday night at 10pm after the Pete Tong show. It would be hosted by an MC, usually MC Navigator in the early days and include a jungle chart rundown and a guest mix from a different DJ each week.

March had seen the theme to The X-Files enter the Top 40 and in April we saw a dance version of the theme by DJ Dado. 

2Pac was a big name rapper in America and was on his 5th album but he didn't make his UK Top 40 debut until Apr 96, just 5 months before his death. The record was "California Love" in collaboration with Dr Dre who had left Death Row records the month before.

Another significant Top 40 debutant from the rap world was The Fugees. Their debut was "Fu-Gee-La" which only made number 21 even though it was pretty well known. They wouldn't chart any lower than number 3 for their remaining singles.

Remembering 1996: March

One of the most popular TV shows in 1996 was "The X-Files". I really tried to get into it myself but I didn't think much of it to be honest. It's popularity meant the theme tune by Mark Snow got to number 2 in the charts.

It was kept off the top spot by the comeback single by The Prodigy, "Firestarter". I was listening to the Evening Session on Radio 1 the evening it made it's premiere on the show. As someone who loved the first two albums I was looking forward to this but when I head it I was massively disappointed. I guess the issue was I'd gone from a rock music fan to a rave purist whereas this tune saw The Prodigy gravitating more towards rock music.

Speaking of Radio 1, it was around this time that Status Quo sued the station for refusing to play their latest single "Fun Fun Fun" with the Beach Boys.

It wasn't just Status Quo whose music was banned by Radio 1. The Beatles had what was to be their final single with "Real Love" which was using some John Lennon recordings for the remaining 3 members to work with and had Jeff Lynne produce the song. Despite not being playlisted it still made a respectable number 4 in the charts.

The Prodigy weren't the only 1991 rave act making a comeback with a different sound. Bizarre Inc had a comeback single with "Keep The Music Strong" which couldn't be any more different than "Playing With Knives". Again I didn't take to kindly to this new sound but it did grow on me eventually.

There was also a return to the Top 40 in the same week for 2 of the biggest name DJs of the early 90s. Carl Cox had the "Two Paintings And A Drum EP" where the lead track was "Phoebus Apollo". He had taken a new direction in music the previous year which was seen as a gamble but the techno he went on to do was quite groundbreaking.

Sasha returned with "Be As One" which had vocals from Maria Nayler and was the progressive house sound he'd become well known for. Also in the same week we had a remix of "Passion" by Gat Decor chart. The original in 1992 is credited with kicking off the progressive house sound.

One of the big Dutch techno records of 1995 found it's way into the Top 40 in Mar 96. "Access" by DJ Misjah & DJ Tim was very much an underground record that got popular.

Another underground record getting commercial success came from Ken-Doh. The record "Nakasaki" had been doing the rounds since 1994 but for its commercial release they added vocals and named it "Nakasaki (I Need A Lover Tonight)". I prefer the instrumental but the vocals do work on this record.

There was a happy hardcore record that appeared on TOTP2 but never made the Top 40. "I Kiss Your Lips" by Tokyo Ghetto Pussy gave the impression this was Japanese but it was actually an alias of German producers Jam & Spoon.

St Patrick's Day saw the tragic death of Dreamscape promoter Murray Beetson in a car crash. They were arguably the biggest rave promoter at the time and Dreamscape 22 was scheduled for April but cancelled out of respect. 

Remembering 1996: February

Another month another song getting into the charts due to featuring on an advert. "I Just Want To Make Love To You" by Etta James which was originally recorded in 1960 appeared on the Diet Coke advert. Can't say I thought much to the advert but it's a good song.

We had the first episode of TFI Friday and the first song to be played was "The Riverboat Song" by Ocean Colour Scene. The intro to this would be used when guests walked into the studio.

It was a show that was mostly associated with Britpop music but on that first show there was also easy listening music from Count Indigo with "My Unknown Love". Chris Evans played it frequently on his radio show but it failed to make the Top 40 and that's was the last we'd hear of him.

My first proper introduction to happy hardcore had come the previous year from a tape a mate had mixed. One of the tunes on that tape was "I Wanna Be A Hippy" by Technohead and in Feb 96 it entered the UK Top 40 to my surprise. What I didn't know at the time was that it topped the Dutch charts in 1995.

Another thing I didn't know at the time was "Have You Ever Been Mellow" by the Party Animals was topped the Dutch charts that month. The underground music I was listening to perhaps wasn't as underground as I thought it was.

Happy hardcore was getting more popular in 1996. It had well and truly split from jungle/drum & bass by this point. There was a rave called Hardcore Heaven which was run by DJ Seduction which was hardcore only and had been running since late 1994 at The Rhythm Station in Aldershot. Then in Feb 96 they held their first event at The Sanctuary in Milton Keynes.

On the techno side of things it was the month that gave us "Southside" by Dave Clarke which gave him his first Top 40 hit. The hardbag scene was still a thing and one such record was "Naughty North And Sexy South" by E-Motion which allegedly was a favourite of Prince William. It was rubbish though.

On the mellower side of dance music Feb 96 gave us "Children" by Robert Miles. A good record which is just as well because there was no escaping it for the rest of the year.

Mr.C from The Shamen had opened The End nightclub at the end of 1995 which had an underground music policy. The Shamen were still going though and in Feb 96 they released "Heal (The Separation)" which became their final original Top 40 hit to date.

I would have described myself as a rave purist at the time but there were non-rave songs that I liked too. One such song in Feb 96 was "One Of Us" by Joan Osborne. I have this memory of sitting outside a pub and hearing this playing and thinking what a tune.

Remembering 1996: January

Given how much we're bombarded with and irritated by adverts these days its strange to believe that songs used to get to number one in the charts simply because they appeared on an advert.

This is what happened in January 1996 with the then current Levi's advert. By this point the concept of the Levi's advert song was a big thing and this time it seemed like they had the best song ever to feature on their adverts.

Then we heard the song in its entirety only to find the 30 seconds worth of intro and outro which appeared on the advert were the only good bits of the song. What came in-between was completely different, the advert gave the impression it was a dance record but it was mostly a rock one. Many people went from praising it to calling it crap. Still those people who kept it at number one for a 5th week must have heard it in full by the time they purchased the record.

It was the moment in the spotlight for dub music with "Little Britain" by Dreadzone and "Release The Pressure". The concept of mixing reggae with dance music was nothing new but this was bringing to the mainstream an alternative to jungle music that used this concept.

Speaking of jungle, I had regularly been listening to a Best Of Jungle compilation and the final track on CD1 was "Retreat" by The Dubster which was very much a reggae influenced jungle track.

In January 1996 I was hearing the name Dubster being mentioned frequently. I wondered whether this tune had gone mainstream or another Dubster record had or if they were even talking about the same person (or group for that matter, I knew nothing about them).

Turned out they were in fact talking about Dubstar whose latest record was "Not So Manic Now". Not jungle at all then but a pleasant chilled out but upbeat record that I likened more to Saint Etienne. Not too similar though, the 2 blokes with a blonde female singer no doubt played its part in that comparison.

The Chemical Brothers released the "Loops Of Fury EP" which was a limited edition with 20,000 copies available which took it to a solitary week in the charts at number 13.

Their music had a crossover appeal between dance fans and rock fans and as such had been a good middle ground to make the transition from rock to dance music.

Another crossover record from Jan 96 was a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" by Goldbug. I was firmly in the dance music camp by Jan 96 so did question whether I should like a Led Zeppelin cover but it's essentially a dance record with sampled guitars and I loved it.

I was mostly listening to the rave music I acquired in 1995 but what we have here in the space of just one month are several examples of dance records that are a bit different and not part of the rave scene and not house music either. That includes 30 seconds worth of "Spaceman".

Remembering 1996

I recently read an article stating that 1996 was the best year ever. Whilst I think 1995 was better I still think 1996 has a good shout.

The article wasn't just about the music though that was the main focus. What I didn't agree with though were the reasons it gave.

From a music perspective they highlighted Oasis playing at Knebworth, the Jarvis Cocker incident at the Brit Awards, Spice Girls bringing us girl power and Robbie Williams kicking off his hugely successful solo career. 

Doubtless the millions of people who were into Oasis, Pulp, Spice Girls and Robbie Williams agree with some of that. Whilst I do like a few Pulp and Robbie Williams songs, it's far from my favourite music and I could never stand Oasis or Spice Girls.

What I thought I'd do is a month by month celebration of 1996 that goes deeper than the same handful of things you've kept hearing about since 1996.

I did my 25 years since 1996 posts in 2021 but that was picking 5 songs from the Top 40 each month I was enjoying at the time. This time it will be more about music in general and beyond the Top 40 because it played a significant part for me at the time.

I aim to do a post every 3 days or so.

Mis-Teeq

Mis-Teeq are back and they'll be doing a gig at Wembley Arena later this year.

The start of the 21st century saw the explosion of UK Garage and everyone was jumping on the bandwagon. Then at the start of 2001 we were introduced to Mis-Teeq.

Although they had no back catalogue as such they were presented as being an R&B group who were making a garage record in their debut single "Why". My initial reaction was not another one jumping on the bandwagon but conceded it wasn't bad. 

Then came "All I Want", another garage record and this time I thought this is rather good. In fact I thought it, "Why" and following single "One Night Stand" were good enough for me to buy their debut album "Lickin On Both Sides" later on in the year.

Admittedly it's not an album I really got into, but the singles are all good and there are a couple of album tracks that are to my liking.

In 2003 it was time for album number 2. By this point UK Garage was dead so it made perfect sense for them to come back with and R&B record which they did with "Scandalous". 

It was a decent comeback record but I didn't buy the album which quickly followed because I already had a long list on my want list with limited funds and I was conscious of the fact I'd never properly got into their debut album.

Then the next single "Can't Get It Back" came out, a cover of the Blaque record. I'm not a fan of the original, but it's the sort of cover that demonstrates the British not being very good at doing R&B.

Then came their final single "Style" which suggested to me they'd run out of steam because it was poor. Needless to say I never bothered with the album.

They called it a day a year or so later after their record label went bust though I suspect they would have done that anyway.

They were in the right place at the right time for the UK Garage explosion and "Scandalous" showed they weren't just relying on garage to make a good tune.

Do I think they're good enough to see in concert? I think they have enough good songs to go. Will I be going to see them at Wembley? at over £100 a ticket on the floor not a chance.

Most Top 40 Hits in 2020s so far

After Drake passed 100 Top 40 hits last week he's added another to his total this week bringing it to 103. It's considerably more than any other artist of the modern era, but the question I asked myself was has he had the most Top 40 hits in the 2020s alone?

A stupid question really, of course he has. But it lead to the wider question of who the other prolific artists of the 2020s are so here's the Top 20:

Drake (53) - to put that number into perspective, Queen have had 53 Top 40 hits overall and not too many acts have had more Top 40 hits

Central Cee (37) - his Top 40 career began in 2020 so it's the same number overall too. His total includes collaborations with Drake.

Taylor Swift (32) - she's become very prolific in more recent years but her total is helped by rerecording her earlier songs which make them technically count as new singles

Ed Sheeran (25) - it was 2017 when his entire album was in the Top 20 but even with the chart rules changing so that can't happen again he's still clocked up a good number of Top 40 hits

D-Block Europe (23) - they debuted at the end of 2018 and by the end of 2022 they had 27 Top 40 hits to their name. Just 3 have followed since with UK rap no longer having the same chart presence

Weeknd (22) - hit Top 40 debut was a collaboration with Drake so he learned from the master of clocking up Top 40 hits. Nothing in the last year though.

Doja Cat (20) - a 2020 Top 40 debutant, that's all I have to say

Ariana Grande (19) - a lot of her songs are written by the most prolific songwriter Max Martin so almost inevitable she'd appear in this list

Dave (19) - he was at his most prolific in 2019 but a decent number for the 2020s. 

KSI (18) - just 2 Top 40 hits to his name prior to the 2020s then he became prolific in 2020 and 2021 but nothing from him since 2024

Billie Eilish (18) - an artist who wasn't born until the 21st century so she has youth on her side, but nothing since 2024

Raye (18) - she's been around since 2016 but didn't really hit her stride until the 2020s and still seems to have momentum

Justin Bieber (17) - 14 of these came in 2020 and 2021 so he got off to a quick start this decade but has slowed considerably

Sabrina Carpenter (17) - she made her Top 40 debut in 2021, but 15 of these Top 40 hits have come since the start of 2024

Tate McRae (16) - another 2020s debutant, she's Canadian but don't know if she has anything to do with Drake

Aitch (15) - he made his debut in 2019 and was very prolific until 2022, just the 2 have followed since

Dua Lipa (15) - been around for 10 years now, nothing since 2024 though

SZA (15) - debuted in 2017 but took until 2021 to clock up hit number 3 and has kept going since

Olivia Rodrigo (15) - debuted in 2021 and clocked up 7 that year but has slowed down since

Charli XCX (15) - debuted in 2013 but became more prolific in 2024