萨满乐团

The Shamen ( SHAY-men) were a Scottish psychedelic band, formed in 1985 in Aberdeen, who became a chart-topping electronic dance music act on the UK Singles Chart by the early 1990s. The founding members were Colin Angus, Derek McKenzie and Keith McKenzie. Peter Stephenson joined shortly after to take over on keyboards from Angus. Several other people were later in the band. When rapper Mr. C joined, the band moved on to international commercial success with "Ebeneezer Goode" and their 1992 Boss Drum album.

History

1980s

The Shamen were preceded by Alone Again Or, the Love-inspired name under which they recorded their first psychedelic electronic pop singles. After their name change, further singles picked up airplay from John Peel. Released in June 1987, the Shamen's first album, Drop, demonstrated their love of 1960s psychedelia.

By mid-1987, frontman Colin Angus was discovering the sounds of early house music pioneers, such as S-Express and M/A/R/R/S, and increasing his knowledge of the latest studio equipment. By September 1987, the Shamen were applying these techniques to their own music, mixing rock guitars, techno and hip-hop rhythms and sampled radio voices, which was to prove influential to groups like Jesus Jones and EMF. Their single "Christopher Mayhew Says", released in late 1987, was their first to experiment with beat machines and samples, fused with their psychedelic rock sound. However, the newfound sound proved too radical for co-founder and vocalist Derek McKenzie, who left the band in late 1987 to study at university. Glaswegian Will Sinnott (23 December 1960 – 23 May 1991), aka Will Sin, joined the group in October 1987, on bass and keyboards, freeing up Angus to handle vocals and guitar. Sinnott's musical background was an extensive one. He had already made an impression as part of the Can/SAHB influenced improvisation troupe Edith and the Ladies, and his father, a master wood craftsman, had made guitars for the Incredible String Band and John Martyn.

"Knature of a Girl" was the first record by the Shamen to feature Sinnott, but it was not until June's "Jesus Loves Amerika" single that the techno influence began to show. By this stage, Angus and Sinnott had become hooked on the acid house movement taking place in London, and its music and clubs were to exert an influence on the pair. Keith McKenzie and Peter Stephenson were less impressed by these new developments, and left the group the following summer, after the January 1989 release of the In Gorbachev We Trust album, which saw the group further enhancing their sound. Over summer 1988, they met Mr. C and Evil Eddie Richards, who later both worked with the Shamen to help them transition their music into the rave scene.

Angus and Sinnott relocated to London, allowing them to start afresh, and plunge into the emerging rave scene. 1989 was a busy year, as they set out on their Synergy tour, a nightclub experience, combined with live music from the Shamen and others like Orbital, and with DJing from Paul Oakenfold, Mixmaster Morris, Mr C, and Evil Eddie Richards. The tour was to last nearly two years. Synergy was innovative at the time, as a touring rock dance club introducing live bands to clubbers, and house, techno and ambient DJs to rock fans. The Shamen also released the Phorward mini album, produced by ex-Fiction Factory singer/songwriter Kevin Patterson.

1990s

Their third album, En-Tact, was released in 1990, and it spawned the hit singles "Move Any Mountain (Progen '91)", "Hyperreal" and "Make It Mine". Also notable was the appearance of rapper, DJ and producer Mr. C, as well as incorporation of a female vocalist, Plavka Lonich – who was intended to become the focal point of the group. The transformation into a successful rave party act was complete. Tensions had already begun to show, however – the band's barely concealed espousal of the then-fashionable new psychedelic drugs and the artistic pressures of altering direction from that of an acceptably skilled guitar band to an electronic dance act. As they continued their Synergy tour, their popularity in the United Kingdom began to rapidly expand. "Hyperreal", released in March 1991, reached number 28 on the UK Singles Chart. By this time, they realised they were on their way to reaching mainstream popularity. Every Synergy Live show on the fifth and sixth leg of tours were sold out.