The Chakachas
Encyclopedia
The Chakachas were a Belgian
based group
of Latin soul
studio
musicians
. Also known as 'Les Chakachas' or 'Los Chakachas', they were formed by band leader Gaston Bogaert, ex-Los Juano Boengs and The Continentals, percussion (conga
and tumba
); Tito Puente's singer wife
Kari Kenton, vocals and maracas
; Vic Ingeveldt (a Dutchman from Liege), saxophone
; Charlie Lots, trumpet
; Christian Marc, piano
; Henri Breyre, guitar
and backing vocals; and Bill Raymond, bass guitar
. All were native to Schaarbeek
(a district of Brussels
), or nearby Charleroi
, Willebroek
and Liege.
They started out in the late 1950s, and had a Belgian #1
in 1958 with "Eso es el amor", which was sung in Spanish
. In 1959 they recorded "Rebecca" (a.k.a. "Rebekka"), featured in the film
The Battle of Algiers. In 1962, they crept into the UK Singles Chart
for the first time with "Twist Twist", which reached #48. Although they issued numerous recordings
, they are best remembered as a one-hit wonder
for their hit
disco
single
"Jungle Fever" from 1972, which sold over one million copies in the United States
, and was awarded a gold disc
by the R.I.A.A. in March 1972. It also reached #8 in the US
Billboard Hot 100
. In the UK
it fared less well: despite some airplay soon after release it was later pulled from airplay by the BBC
, which took exception to the song's moaning and heavy breathing, as if sexual intercourse were being done. It peaked at #29. The song was banned on some radio stations in the United States, due to its risque content.
The song was featured in the movie
Boogie Nights
. It was sampled
on the song "Put Her in the Buck" on the As Nasty as They Wanna Be
album
by 2 Live Crew
, Ambassador's "Honor and Glory", Antoinette
's "I Got an Attitude", Beatnuts' "Story 2000", CEO's "Hit Me with the Beat", Public Enemy's "Cold Lampin' with Flavor"; and featured on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack
, being played on fictional radio station Master Sounds 98.3. More recently, Louie Vega used the track as the basis for a remix
incorporating new vocals by American poet Ursula Rucker
on "The Elements of Life" (2004).
The Chakachas song "Yo soy Cubano" was sampled in the Mighty Dub Katz' song "Magic Carpet Ride" ("Son of Wilmot Mix") in 1995.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
based group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
of Latin soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
musicians
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
. Also known as 'Les Chakachas' or 'Los Chakachas', they were formed by band leader Gaston Bogaert, ex-Los Juano Boengs and The Continentals, percussion (conga
Conga
The conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
and tumba
Tumba (drum)
The tumba is a kind of long, thin drum, whose pitch depends on the part of the head being hit. Tumbas appear in Leroy Anderson's Jazz Pizzicato and Fiddle-Faddle , as well as the music of various Latin American dance bands and in Hans Werner Henze's opera The English Cat....
); Tito Puente's singer wife
Wife
A wife is a female partner in a marriage. The rights and obligations of the wife regarding her spouse and others, and her status in the community and in law, varies between cultures and has varied over time.-Origin and etymology:...
Kari Kenton, vocals and maracas
Maracás
Maracás is a town and municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil.-References:...
; Vic Ingeveldt (a Dutchman from Liege), saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
; Charlie Lots, trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
; Christian Marc, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
; Henri Breyre, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and backing vocals; and Bill Raymond, bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. All were native to Schaarbeek
Schaarbeek
Schaerbeek or Schaarbeek is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. The first mention of the name was Scarenbecca, recorded in a document from the Bishop of Cambrai in 1120...
(a district of Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
), or nearby Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
, Willebroek
Willebroek
Willebroek is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Blaasveld, Heindonk, Tisselt, Klein Willebroek and Willebroek proper. On January 1, 2006 Willebroek had a total population of 23,044...
and Liege.
They started out in the late 1950s, and had a Belgian #1
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in 1958 with "Eso es el amor", which was sung in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. In 1959 they recorded "Rebecca" (a.k.a. "Rebekka"), featured in the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
The Battle of Algiers. In 1962, they crept into the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
for the first time with "Twist Twist", which reached #48. Although they issued numerous recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
, they are best remembered as a one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
for their hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Jungle Fever" from 1972, which sold over one million copies in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the R.I.A.A. in March 1972. It also reached #8 in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. In the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
it fared less well: despite some airplay soon after release it was later pulled from airplay by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, which took exception to the song's moaning and heavy breathing, as if sexual intercourse were being done. It peaked at #29. The song was banned on some radio stations in the United States, due to its risque content.
The song was featured in the movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Boogie Nights
Boogie Nights
Boogie Nights is a 1997 drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley, the script focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic films, and chronicles his rise and fall from the Golden Age of Porn of the 1970s...
. It was sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
on the song "Put Her in the Buck" on the As Nasty as They Wanna Be
As Nasty As They Wanna Be
As Nasty As They Wanna Be is the third album by Miami rap group 2 Live Crew. It was released in 1989, and became their largest seller, going 2x Platinum. In 1990, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida ruled that the album was legally obscene; this ruling was later...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by 2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew was a hip hop group from Miami, Florida. They caused considerable controversy with the sexual themes in their work, particularly on their 1989 album As Nasty As They Wanna Be.- Early career :...
, Ambassador's "Honor and Glory", Antoinette
Antoinette (rapper)
Antoinette was an American rapper from Queens, New York who released two albums, during the late 1980s and early 1990s. She made her first appearance on producer Hurby Azor's 1987 compilation album, Hurby's Machine, with her song "I Got An Attitude". She has been mentioned in the Vibe Hip-Hop...
's "I Got an Attitude", Beatnuts' "Story 2000", CEO's "Hit Me with the Beat", Public Enemy's "Cold Lampin' with Flavor"; and featured on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack
The soundtrack of the computer and video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which is set in 1992 in the fictional U.S. West Coast state of San Andreas, required that the game's radio stations reflect the music tastes of the time and area, in addition to covering current events in the state of San...
, being played on fictional radio station Master Sounds 98.3. More recently, Louie Vega used the track as the basis for a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
incorporating new vocals by American poet Ursula Rucker
Ursula Rucker
Ursula Rucker is an American spoken word recording artist. Rucker is known for a diverse repertoire, and for utilizing techniques that catch her listeners' attention.-Biography:...
on "The Elements of Life" (2004).
The Chakachas song "Yo soy Cubano" was sampled in the Mighty Dub Katz' song "Magic Carpet Ride" ("Son of Wilmot Mix") in 1995.