Urban Cookie Collective

Urban Cookie Collective formed in Manchester as a techno and house outfit whose very first release, "The Key, The Secret," quickly established itself among the era's most enduring dancefloor anthems of the 1990s. Classical pianist Rohan Heath conceived the project after earlier stints in the Hacienda-affiliated band Together and as a session player behind acid-house figure A Guy Called Gerald plus Jamaican reggae performer Eek-A-Mouse. He brought aboard Diane Charlemagne, formerly the singer for 1980s funk group 52nd St, along with producers Neil Claxton, Peter Samson, and Simon Bentall, and issued the track on independent imprint Unheard Records. Once it exploded in clubs, Pulse 8 acquired the single, propelling it to number two in the U.K., number five in Germany, and a Top 30 showing on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The follow-up "Feels Like Heaven" also charted strongly, prompting the 1994 unveiling of debut album High on a Happy Vibe, yet subsequent efforts never recaptured that momentum. Both Tales from the Magic Mountain in 1995 and Cookie Monster in 2007 attracted minimal attention, leaving a 2005 remix of the breakthrough hit as the act's sole later chart entry. Charlemagne contributed vocals to Goldie's landmark jungle set Timeless and joined Moby on tour on multiple occasions, while Claxton went on to establish the big-beat project Mint Royale.