Snap!

Snap! is a German eurodance group from Frankfurt am Main, formed in 1989 by producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The project is active from 1989 to the present and works across dance-pop, electronic, euro house, eurodance, hip house and house. Münzing and Anzilotti also use the aliases Benito Benites and John “Virgo” Garrett III, a choice they make to distance the act from stereotypes about German music.

Line-up and vocals

The group goes through several line-up changes. Its strongest commercial period comes when Turbo B fronts the act. Other members and vocalists associated with Snap! include Penny Ford, Thea Austin, Niki Haris, Benjamin Lowe and Niki Haris’s later collaborator line-up, along with Jackie Harris and Paula Brown, known as Summer. Penny Ford becomes the full-time lead singer after Jackie Harris leaves. Later performances also feature Loc, credited as Damien Behanan, and Maxayn.

Early singles and breakthrough

Snap!’s debut single, “The Power”, blends house and hip-hop and uses several samples, including a drum loop from “King of the Beats” by Mantronix, rap lines from “Let the Words Flow” by Chill Rob G, and the phrase “I’ve got the power” from Jocelyn Brown’s “Love’s Gonna Get You”. Because of legal concerns, the group records a new version with Turbo B on rap vocals and Penny Ford on extra vocals, although Brown’s voice remains on the final track. “The Power” reaches number 2 in Germany, spends two weeks at number 1 in the UK, reaches number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, and is certified platinum in several countries.

Snap!’s next single, “Ooops Up”, is a reworking of The Gap Band’s “I Don’t Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops!)”. It reaches number 2 in Germany and number 5 in the UK. Further singles include “Cult of Snap” and “Mary Had a Little Boy”, followed by the album World Power, which sells over seven million copies worldwide. The album reaches number 10 in the UK, where it is certified platinum, and number 30 in the US, where it is also certified platinum.

Rhythm Is a Dancer and later 1990s work

Thea Austin joins in 1991 and co-writes “Rhythm Is a Dancer”. Turbo B initially prefers “Colour of Love” for release, but “Rhythm Is a Dancer” comes out in July 1992 and becomes Snap!’s most successful single. It tops the charts in the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy, and reaches number 5 in the US. The second album, The Madman’s Return, sells in multi-million numbers, but tensions lead to Turbo B’s departure. Penny Ford and Thea Austin also leave.

The group continues with new singers, including Niki Haris, who appears on “Exterminate!” and “Do You See the Light (Looking For)”. For the third album, the producers recruit Paula Brown, known as Summer, who appears in the television series Fame and the film School Daze. Snap! moves towards a progressive house sound with “Welcome to Tomorrow (Are You Ready?)” in 1994, followed by the album Welcome to Tomorrow. Later singles such as “The First The Last Eternity (Till The End)”, “World in My Hands” and “Rame” have mixed commercial results.

Disbandment, reunions and later releases

Snap! performs an Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1 on 1 January 1994. The group disbands in 1996 and issues the compilation Snap! Attack: The Best of Snap!, which includes a new version of “The Power”. In 2000, Snap! returns with “Gimme a Thrill”, featuring Turbo B and vocalist Maxayn, though it does not chart, and the planned album One Day on Earth is never released.

A remix of “Do You See the Light” reaches number 14 in the UK in 2002. In 2003, the group releases the remix compilation The Cult of Snap! and updated versions of several hits, including new mixes of “Rhythm Is a Dancer”, “The Power” and “Ooops Up”; the new “Ooops Up” features the Swedish girl group NG3. “The Power” also appears on the soundtrack of the film Bruce Almighty in 2003.

In 2005, Snap! releases “Beauty Queen” with vocalist Loc, followed by “Excited” and “We Want Your Soul” in 2006. In 2008, renewed interest in “Rhythm Is a Dancer” follows a UK television commercial featuring a character from Thunderbirds, and the song re-enters the UK singles chart, peaking at number 23. A new version with Loc appears in June 2008, and “Jumping” follows in August. The group later signs with Hard2Beat Records. In 2010, Snap! performs at Glastonbury Festival with Penny Ford and Benjamin Lowe.