Technotronic
{{short description|Belgian electronic music project}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| background = group_or_band
| name = Technotronic
| image = Jo Bogaert, ook bekend als Thomas De Quincey.jpg
| caption = Jo Bogaert, creator of Technotronic
| image_size =
| alias =
| origin = Aalst, Belgium
| genre = {{hlist|Eurodance|hip house|new beat|tech house}}
| years_active = 1987–2001
| label = {{hlist|ARS Entertainment Belgium|SBK/EMI|Swanyard Records|Telstar Records|WorX{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/26486/technotronic/|title=Technotronic | full Official Chart History |website=Officialcharts.com|access-date=28 June 2021}}}}
| website =
| past_members =
- Jo Bogaert
- Manuela "Ya Kid K." Kamosi
- Eric "MC Eric" Martin
- Melissa Beckford
- Colin "Einstein" Case
- Réjane "Reggie" Magloire
}}
Technotronic was a Belgian electronic music project formed in 1987 by Jo Bogaert and best known for their 1989 single, "Pump Up the Jam", which features vocals by Ya Kid K. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Later that year, the single was followed by the album of the same name, which peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200. Technotronic achieved further success with the singles "Get Up! (Before the Night Is Over)" and "Move This". They went on to release the albums Body to Body (1991) and Recall (1995), and they have been inactive since 2001.
History
=1987–1990: Formation and ''Pump Up the Jam''=
Technotronic was formed in 1987 by Belgian musician, songwriter, and record producer Jo Bogaert, who had gained popularity in Europe as a solo artist with various new beat projects, including Acts of Madmen and Nux Nemo. Congolese–Belgian rapper Ya Kid K joined Technotronic on vocals, Bogaert adopted the stage name Thomas De Quincey, and in September 1989, they released the single "Pump Up the Jam", though Ya Kid K was initially uncredited for her contributions to the song. A front for the act was put together (in a way similar to other Eurodance acts like Black Box and Milli Vanilli), utilizing Congolese-born fashion model Felly Kilingi, who was presented as the group's vocalist.{{cite news |first= Dennis |last= Hunt |title= Technotronic's Bogaert Is Pumped Up by U.S. Hit |newspaper= Los Angeles Times |date= 15 April 1990 |access-date= 25 March 2015 |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-15-ca-1652-story.html |archive-date= 2 April 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150402184337/http://articles.latimes.com/1990-04-15/entertainment/ca-1652_1_dance-music |url-status= live }} She featured on the single's cover art, which was credited as "Technotronic featuring Felly", and she also appeared in the music video for the song. The track became a worldwide success, eventually reaching No. 2 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart in late 1989 and early 1990.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}
Technotronic issued their debut studio album, Pump Up the Jam, in late 1989, which included vocals by Ya Kid K and MC Eric but still featured Kilingi on the cover. The record peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 in the US{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}} and reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart.{{cite book| first= David| last= Roberts| year= 2006| title= British Hit Singles & Albums| edition= 19th| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited| location= London| isbn= 1-904994-10-5| page= 551}} Following the release of the album, Ya Kid K was revealed to be the group's main vocalist, with Bogaert admitting that "[Felly] didn't have much to do with the record. Me, Eric and Ya Kid did it all. We needed Felly to help promote the group at first — to create this image". In January 1990, they issued their second single, "Get Up! (Before the Night Is Over)", which was a No. 7 hit in the US and a No. 2 hit in the UK.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}} The music video featured both Ya Kid K and Kilingi. That year, Technotronic made appearances on Saturday Night Live, The Arsenio Hall Show, and It's Showtime at the Apollo.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}} In February 1990, Ya Kid K and Bogaert collaborated with the group Hi Tek 3 and released the single "Spin That Wheel", credited as "Hi Tek 3 featuring Ya Kid K". Further singles from Pump Up the Jam included "This Beat Is Technotronic", with vocals by MC Eric, and "Rockin' Over the Beat". Beginning in April 1990, Technotronic was an opening act for Madonna's Blond Ambition World Tour.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}} Following the tour, Ya Kid K departed the group.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}
In September 1990, a megamix compiling Technotronic's previous hits was released as a single and peaked at No. 6 in the UK and No. 1 on the Eurochart Hot 100.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}} This was the first single from the remix album Trip on This: The Remixes, released in late 1990, which included the new song "Turn It Up", featuring vocals by new group members Melissa Beckford and Colin "Einstein" Case.{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/24753/simon-harris/|title=Simon Harris | full Official Chart History|website=Officialcharts.com|access-date=28 June 2021}} "Turn It Up" was not as successful as the group's prior releases, and Melissa and Einstein later left the group.
=1991–1994: ''Body to Body'' and ''The Greatest Hits''=
In 1991, Technotronic released their second studio album, Body to Body, which featured new main vocalist Réjane "Reggie" Magloire.{{cite book|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Virgin Books|date=1998|edition=First|isbn=0-7535-0252-6|pages=335/6}} Reggie provided vocals for six tracks on the album, which also featured singer Riv and rapper Colt 45 on two tracks. Several singles were released in Europe, the UK, and Australia, including "Move That Body", "Work", and "Money Makes the World Go Round".{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}
In 1992, the song "Move This" from Pump Up the Jam became popular through its use in a Revlon television commercial. Ya Kid K rejoined the group, and the song was released as a single.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}} In 1993, Technotronic issued The Greatest Hits, which included the new songs "Hey Yoh Here We Go" and "One + One", both featuring vocals by Ya Kid K.
=1995–2001: ''Recall'' and later releases=
{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2025}}
Continuing with Ya Kid K as frontwoman, Technotronic released the single "Move It to the Rhythm" in 1994. It was followed in 1995 by the album Recall and the further singles "Recall" and "I Want You by My Side", the latter of which features the singer Black Diamond. The album also included vocals by Daisy Dee, on two tracks.
In 1996, the group released the remix EP Pump Up the Jam – The '96 Sequel, followed in 1998 by the single "Get Up – The '98 Sequel", as well as the compilations This Beat Is Technotronic (Hits & Mixes) and Pump Up the Hits.
Technotronic returned in 1999 with the new singles "G-Train" and "Like This", featuring Monday Midnite on vocals. In 2000, Ya Kid K returned as the group's vocalist once more, releasing the non-album single "The Mariachi". In 2001, Technotronic released the standalone single "Runaway Blues".
Discography
=Studio albums=
=Remix and compilation albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| rowspan="2" style="width:14em;"| Title
! rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Details ! colspan="2"| Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2"| Certifications |
|---|
| style="font-size:smaller;"
! style="width:45px;"| AUS ! style="width:45px;"| UK |
| scope="row"| Trip on This: The Remixes
|
| 50 | 7 | |
| scope="row"| The Greatest Hits
|
| 48 | — | |
| scope="row"| This Beat Is Technotronic (Hits & Mixes)
|
| — | — | |
| scope="row"| Pump Up the Hits
|
| — | — | |
| scope="row"| Greatest Remix Hits
|
| — | — | |
| scope="row"| Best of
|
| — | — | |
| colspan="15" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |
=Singles=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |
| rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Single ! colspan="10"| Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2"| Certifications ! rowspan="2"| Album |
|---|
| style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="35"| BEL (FL) ! width="35"| AUS ! width="35"| AUT ! width="35"| GER ! width="35"| IRE ! width="35"| NED ! width="35"| NZ ! width="35"| SWI ! width="35"| UK ! width="35"| US |
| 1989
| align="left"| "Pump Up the Jam" (featuring Ya Kid K) | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| align="left" rowspan="4"| Pump Up the Jam – The Album |
| rowspan="5"| 1990
| align="left"| "Get Up! (Before the Night Is Over)" (featuring Ya Kid K) | 1 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
|
| align="left"| "This Beat Is Technotronic" (featuring MC Eric)
| 7 | 27 | — | 10 | 5 | 7 | 38 | 8 | 14 | — | |
| align="left"| "Rockin' Over the Beat" (featuring Ya Kid K)
| 16 | 53 | — | 18 | 11 | — | — | 10 | 9 | 95 | |
| align="left"| "Megamix"
| 8 | 13 | — | 9 | 4 | 18 | — | 7 | 6 | — | | align="left" rowspan="2"| Trip on This – The Remixes |
| align="left"| "Turn It Up" (featuring Melissa and Einstein)
| 39 | 87 | — | — | 26 | — | — | — | 42 | — | |
| rowspan="3"| 1991
| align="left"| "Move That Body" (featuring Reggie) | 18 | 27 | — | 19 | 3 | 38 | — | 10 | 12 | — | | align="left" rowspan="3"| Body to Body |
| align="left"| "Work" (featuring Reggie)
| 21 | 92 | — | — | 12 | — | — | 24 | 40 | — |
| align="left"| "Money Makes the World Go Round" (featuring Reggie)
| — | 117 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1992
| align="left"| "Move This" (featuring Ya Kid K) | — | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | | align="left" rowspan="3"| The Greatest Hits |
| 1993
| align="left"| "Hey Yoh, Here We Go" (featuring Ya Kid K) | 48 | 102 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 120 | — | |
| rowspan=2| 1994
| align="left" | "One + One" (featuring Ya Kid K) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| align="left"| "Move It to the Rhythm" (featuring Ya Kid K)
| 50 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 83 | | align="left" rowspan="3"| Recall |
| 1995
| align="left"| "Recall" (featuring Ya Kid K) | — | 123 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| rowspan=3| 1996
| align="left"| "I Want You by My Side" | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| align="left" | "Crazy"
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | rowspan="1" align="left" | non-album single |
| align="left" | "Pump Up the Jam – The '96 Sequel"
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 36 | — | | rowspan="2" align="left" | Pump Up the Hits |
| 1998
| align="left"| "Get Up – The '98 Sequel" | 42 | — | — | 91 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1999
| align="left" | "Like This" (featuring Monday Midnite) | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | rowspan="6" align="left" | non-album singles |
| rowspan=2| 2000
| align="left" | "The G-Train" (featuring Monday Midnite) | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| align="left" | "The Mariachi" (featuring Ya Kid K)
| 27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2005
| align="left" | "Pump Up the Jam" (D.O.N.S. featuring Technotronic) | 46 | 77 | 34 | 25 | — | 43 | — | — | 22 | — | |
| 2007
| align="left" | "Get Up" (Global Deejays featuring Technotronic) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2022
| align="left" | "Otro Jam" (Kembo Music featuring Technotronic){{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/ng/album/otro-jam-feat-technotronic/1654451035?i=1654451036|title=Otro Jam (feat. Technotronic) – Single|website=Apple Music|date=18 November 2022|access-date=19 November 2022}} | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| colspan="17" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released |
See also
References
{{Reflist|2}}
- Pump Up the Jam: The Album – sleeve notes
External links
- {{discogs artist}}
{{Technotronic}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Belgian new beat music groups
Category:Belgian Eurodance groups
Category:Belgian house music groups
Category:Belgian techno music groups
Category:English-language musical groups from Belgium
Category:Musical groups established in 1987
Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2001
Category:Hip house music groups