Urban Dance Squad
Encyclopedia
Urban Dance Squad was a Dutch
rap rock
band formed after what was originally intended as a one-time jam-session at a festival in Utrecht
on December 20, 1986. Band members were rapper Rudeboy Remmington (Patrick Tilon), guitarist Tres Manos (René van Barneveld), bassist Silly Sil (Silvano Matadin), drummer Magic Stick (Michel Schoots) and DJ DNA (DoNotAsk) (Arjen de Vreede).
The band's music is described as a blend of genres, including funk
, soul
, heavy metal
, hip hop
, reggae
, jazz
and ska
and is often compared to that of Rage Against the Machine
, the Red Hot Chili Peppers
and Fishbone
. They are widely known for their hit single "Deeper Shade Of Soul
", which charted at number 21 in the United States on Billboard Hot 100
.
In the middle of the band's career, to capitalize on the success of grunge
and alternative rock
, Urban Dance Squad released Persona Non Grata
in January 1994. All of the tracks feature heavy use of distortion and guitar. In particular, the singles "No Honestly" and "Candy Strip Exp." were released. The latter single features a radio edit that cuts most of the pre-song noise.
Artantica
saw release in 1999, and was a return to the band's hip-hop roots, and received critical acclaim.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
rap rock
Rap rock
Rap rock is a cross-genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock is often confused with rap metal and rapcore, subgenres that include heavy metal-oriented and hardcore punk-oriented bands, respectively....
band formed after what was originally intended as a one-time jam-session at a festival in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
on December 20, 1986. Band members were rapper Rudeboy Remmington (Patrick Tilon), guitarist Tres Manos (René van Barneveld), bassist Silly Sil (Silvano Matadin), drummer Magic Stick (Michel Schoots) and DJ DNA (DoNotAsk) (Arjen de Vreede).
The band's music is described as a blend of genres, including funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, 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...
, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
and is often compared to that of Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
, the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
and Fishbone
Fishbone
Fishbone is a U.S. alternative rock band formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California, which plays a fusion of ska, punk rock, funk, hard rock and soul. Critics have noted of the band: "Fishbone was one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative rock bands of the late '80s...
. They are widely known for their hit single "Deeper Shade Of Soul
Deeper Shade of Soul
"Deeper Shade of Soul" is the debut single by Dutch band Urban Dance Squad. It was taken from their debut album Mental Floss for the Globe and samples the Ray Baretto song with a similar name . Originally released in 1989, the single reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1991 and...
", which charted at number 21 in the United States on 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 middle of the band's career, to capitalize on the success of grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, Urban Dance Squad released Persona Non Grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
in January 1994. All of the tracks feature heavy use of distortion and guitar. In particular, the singles "No Honestly" and "Candy Strip Exp." were released. The latter single features a radio edit that cuts most of the pre-song noise.
Artantica
Artantica
Artantica is the fifth and last album by Dutch band Urban Dance Squad. The album marked the return of DJ DNA, who had been absent on the band's two previous recordings. Stylistically the album is very diverse , with vocalist Rudeboy often singing and rapping in the same song. The single "Happy Go...
saw release in 1999, and was a return to the band's hip-hop roots, and received critical acclaim.
Band members
- Rudeboy Remmington (Patrick Tilon) - vocals
- Tres Manos (Renè van Barneveld) - guitar
- Sil (Silvano Matadin) - bass guitar
- Magic Stick (Michel Schoots) - drums
- DJ DNA (DoNotAsk) (Arjen de Vreede) - DJ
Discography
- Mental Floss For The GlobeMental Floss for the GlobeMental Floss For The Globe is the debut album by Dutch band Urban Dance Squad. Released in 1989, the album features a crossover of several music genres, such as rock, hiphop and funk. It spawned the hit single "Deeper Shade Of Soul" for which the band is most famous for in the United States. Other...
(1989) - Life 'n Perspectives Of A Genuine CrossoverLife 'n Perspectives of a Genuine CrossoverLife 'n Perspectives Of A Genuine Crossover is the second album by Dutch band Urban Dance Squad. The album showcases an even more diverse mix of music genres than their debut album, genres including hard rock, hip hop, funk, blues, ska, Caribbean music and an Indian flavour on "Bureaucrat Of...
(1991) - Persona Non GrataPersona Non Grata (album)Persona Non Grata is the third studio release by Dutch crossover band Urban Dance Squad. With the departure of DJ DNA, the band decided to maintain a more aggressive approach than on their previous two albums, resulting in their most hard rock and heavy metal influenced album. The stylistic change...
(1994) - Planet UltraPlanet UltraPlanet Ultra is the fourth studio album by Dutch band Urban Dance Squad. Released in 1996, the album marked another stylistic change for the band after their hard rock and heavy metal based previous album Persona Non Grata. Though DJ DNA had not yet returned by this point, the band once again made...
(1996) - Beograd Live (1997)
- ArtanticaArtanticaArtantica is the fifth and last album by Dutch band Urban Dance Squad. The album marked the return of DJ DNA, who had been absent on the band's two previous recordings. Stylistically the album is very diverse , with vocalist Rudeboy often singing and rapping in the same song. The single "Happy Go...
(1999) - The Singles Collection (2006)
Music
- "Fast Lane" appears in the 1990 film Pump Up the VolumePump Up the Volume (film)Pump Up the Volume is a 1990 comedy-drama film written and directed by Allan Moyle and starring Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis.- Plot summary :...
but does not appear on the soundtrack album.
- The song "Good Grief" appears on the soundtrack of the 1995 film HackersHackers (film)Hackers is a 1995 American thriller film directed by Iain Softley and starring Angelina Jolie, Jonny Lee Miller, Renoly Santiago, Matthew Lillard, Lorraine Bracco and Fisher Stevens...
. The band has a cameo appearance in the film with the same song. "Good Grief" is often mislabeled as a song by Rage Against the MachineRage Against the MachineRage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
, occasionally mistitled as "Good Morning Vietnam."
- The song "Demagogue" appears on the soundtrack of the 2001 film Crazy/BeautifulCrazy/BeautifulCrazy/Beautiful is a 2001 American drama/romance film starring Kirsten Dunst and Jay Hernandez. It is largely set at Palisades Charter High School and the surrounding area, including Downtown Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades, Malibu , and East Los Angeles .-Plot:Nicole — the spoiled, rich,...
and in 2003 on Gigli.
- An Urban Dance Squad track is used in an episode of The SopranosThe SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
.
Movies
- 5 jaar wanorde (5 years of mayhem) is a two-part documentary about Urban Dance Squad by director Bram van Splunteren for Dutch national television VPROVPROThe VPRO was established in the Netherlands in 1926 as a religious broadcasting organization. Falling under the Protestant pillar, it represented the Liberal Protestant current...
's Onrust, originally broadcasted in 1992.