The Shamen

The Shamen
Mr. C, Victoria Wilson James, Colin Angus (from left to right)
Background information
Origin	Aberdeen, Scotland
Genres	Electronica, house, techno, psychedelic rock, alternative dance
Years active	1985–1999
Labels	Moksha, One Little Indian Records, Epic
Past members	Colin Angus Bob Breeks John Delafons Gavin Knight Plavka Derek McKenzie Keith McKenzie Angus Oakey Allison Morrison Richard Sharpe Will Sinnott (deceased) Peter Stephenson Richard West (Mr C) Victoria Wilson James Cheryl Melder

For the 'The Shaymen' see F.C. Halifax Town

The Shamen were a Scottish electronic dance music band, formed in 1986 in Aberdeen. The founding members are Colin Angus (born 24 August 1961), Derek McKenzie (born 27 February 1964) and Keith McKenzie (born 30 August 1961). Peter Stephenson (born 1 March 1962) joined shortly after to take over on keyboards from Angus. Several other people were later in the band. Angus then teamed up with Will Sinnott, and together they found credibility as pioneers of rock/dance crossover. When Mr. C joined, the band moved on to international commercial success with "Ebeneezer Goode" and their 1992 Boss Drum album.

The Shamen were preceded by Alone Again Or, the Love-inspired name under which they recorded their first psychedelic electronic pop singles. After their name change, further singles picked up airplay from John Peel. Released in June 1987, The Shamen's first album, Drop demonstrated their love of 1960s psychedelia, with influences such as Love, Syd Barrett and the 13th Floor Elevators.

By mid-1987, frontman Colin Angus was discovering the sounds of early house-music pioneers, such as S-Express and M/A/R/R/S, and increasing his knowledge of the latest studio gadgetry. By September 1987, The Shamen were applying these techniques to their own music, mixing rock guitars, techno and hip-hop rhythms and sampled radio voices which was to prove so influential to groups like Jesus Jones and EMF. Their single "Christopher Mayhew Says", released in late 1987 was their first single to experiment with beat machines and samples, fusing them with their psychedelic rock sound. However, the newfound sound proved too radical for co-founder and vocalist Derek McKenzie, who left the band in late 1987 to study at university. The Shamen were suddenly one crucial player short. Help was at hand in the charismatic form of Glaswegian Will Sinnott (23 December 1960 – 23 May 1991), aka Will Sin, who joined the group in October 1987, on bass and keyboards, freeing up Angus to handle vocals and guitar. Sinnott's musical background was an extensive one. He had already made an impression as part of the Can/SAHB influenced improvisation troupe Edith and the Ladies, and his father, a master wood craftsman, had made guitars for The Incredible String Band and John Martyn. At the start of 1988, the first music videos were shot for The Shamen, those being "Christopher Mayhew Says" and "Knature of a Girl".