The Shamen

The Shamen fused swirling psychedelic rock textures with hardcore hip-hop rhythms, becoming one of the earliest alternative acts to draw equal interest from dance clubs and indie rock listeners. The Scottish quartet—Colin Angus, Peter Stephenson, Keith McKenzie, and Derek McKenzie—traced its origins to the early-'80s neo-psychedelic outfit Alone Again Or. The group officially came together in 1986 and issued its debut album, Drop, the next year. Filled with shifting guitar textures, Drop evoked numerous late-'60s rock ensembles. Following the album's release, Angus plunged into the rising acid house and hip-hop club circuit, leading Derek McKenzie to exit; William Sinnott stepped in and helped steer the sound toward a dense, rhythmic pulse built on samples, drum machines, and loud guitars. The revamped lineup unveiled its new approach in 1988 through live performances that mixed sexually explicit visuals with impassioned political rhetoric. Later that year Peter Stephenson and Keith McKenzie left, reducing the band to the duo of Angus and Sinnott.

Their 1989 album In Gorbachev We Trust broadened the Shamen's British audience while beginning to draw American listeners as well. Throughout 1989 the pair focused on dance music and incorporated rappers into their concerts. Just as mainstream acceptance loomed, Will Sinnott drowned off the coast of the Canary Islands on May 23, 1991. Encouraged by the Sinnott family, Angus carried on, and the Shamen soon achieved hits, especially in the U.K., where they notched five Top 20 singles between 1991 and 1992; "Move Any Mountain (Progen 91)" also reached the American Top 40 by the close of 1991. Popularity waned during 1993, and the 1994 album Different Drum attracted little notice. The group nonetheless persisted, delivering Axis Mutatis in 1995, Hempton Manor in 1996, and UV in 1998.