Shut Up and Dance

The group was formed in 1988 in Stoke Newington, London, England by Philip 'PJ' Johnson and Carl 'Smiley' Hyman.[2] In 1990, they made the lower end of the UK chart with two singles, "£20 To Get In" and "Lamborghini", both released on their own Shut Up and Dance record label. In 1992, they reached No. 43 with their double A-side single "Autobiography Of A Crackhead" / "The Green Man", before hitting the headlines in May of that year when they released "Raving I'm Raving". The track is based on Marc Cohn's hit single "Walking in Memphis", but the sample had not been given clearance. The single soared to No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart, but was then quickly banned, causing the single to plummet to No. 15 the following week, before leaving the chart completely. Proceeds from the single were ordered to be given to charity. The German dance group, Scooter reached No. 33 in 1996 when they covered the track as "I'm Raving". Shut Up and Dance released one further single from their Death Is Not The End album, "The Art Of Moving Butts". The album itself reached No. 38 in the UK Albums Chart in June 1992. In 1995, they made the chart with two further singles, including the No. 25 hit "Save It 'Til The Mourning After", sampling Duran Duran's "Save a Prayer" whilst retaining its original chorus. The success brought copyright lawyers from at least six major labels, responding to obvious transgressions against their artists. Shut Up & Dance spent two years of legal wrangling, in similar fashion to their American hip hop contemporaries like Biz Markie and De La Soul; the hassles eventually bankrupted their label. After re-emerging in 1994 with their response (an EP entitled Phuck the Biz), the duo recorded a third album, Black Men United for Pulse 8 in 1995. Heiner Kruse, one of the best known German drum and bass record producers, took his moniker 'The Green Man' from the Shut Up and Dance single of the same name.