The Beatmasters | |
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Origin | London, England |
Genres | Electronica, house, hip house, dance-pop |
Years active | 1986–present |
Labels |
Rhythm King SBK EMI Records London Records ARS Entertainment Belgium Loverush Digital Sire/Warner Bros. Records |
Associated acts | Bomb the Bass, S'Express |
The Beatmasters are an English electronic music group who were successful as artists in their own right in the UK in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They then went on to produce and remix records for many other groups. As artists, the team had a string of chart hit singles, including "Burn It Up", "Hey DJ! (I Can't Dance to that Music You're Playing)", "Who's in the House" and "Rok Da House", the latter having been recorded in 1986, being one of the earliest examples of hip house, a subgenre of house music which features rap vocals performed over a house rhythm track.
Their initial success brought comparisons with pop record producers , but the Beatmasters cited rival producers Coldcut as their major competitor.
Manda Glanfield and Paul Carter (both regulars on the London club scene) were working in the TV commercial jingle industry. Signing to the burgeoning record label Rhythm King, the duo joined labelmates Bomb the Bass and S'Express in regularly appearing in the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart during 1988 and 1989.
The group had seven UK chart singles, including the #14 hit "Burn It Up", which featured P. P. Arnold and "Rok Da House", with the Cookie Crew, which was their first and biggest hit, peaking at #5 in early 1988. Another notable single was "Hey DJ - I Can't Dance to that Music You're Playing" / "Ska Train", which introduced the rapper/singer Betty Boo to the general public and gave the group a #7 chart hit in 1989.
They released two albums under The Beatmasters moniker: Anywayawanna (1989) and Life and Soul (1992). These albums were later repackaged on BMG records under the title Anywayawanna - The Best of The Beatmasters (2000).