Bizarre Inc
| Bizarre Inc | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Stafford, England |
| Genres | Acid house, breakbeat hardcore, rave |
| Years active | 1989–1996 |
| Labels |
Blue Chip Records (1989) Sony Records (1992-1995) Some Bizzare / Mercury Records (1996) |
| Associated acts | Angie Brown |
| Members |
Andrew Meecham (1990–to date) Dean Meredith (1989 - to date≈) |
| Past members | Mark Archer (1989–1990) Carl Turner (1990 - 1996) |
Bizarre Inc were a house band from Stafford, England. Originally formed in 1989 as a duo between English DJs Dean Meredith and Mark "Aaron" Archer (not to be confused with the film producer of same name), they later re-formed as a trio consisting of Andrew Meecham, Dean Meredith and Carl Turner in 1990.
Career
The group formed as Meredith and Archer formed a duo to start an acid-house/techno project under 'Blue Chip Records'. The first releases were (and still are) only available on 12'' vinyl: "It's Time to Get Funky" (BLUE C14R), later renamed to a mere "Time to Get Funky" (BLUE C14RR); and the 6-track debut album Technological, both written and produced by Meredith and Archer.
By 1990, Archer left Meredith to work as producer and writer with different house and techno projects, a greater part of which were for Network Records. He was also known as DJ Nex for a long time; later on he released material under names such as Mr. Nex, O.P.D., Xen Mantra, and others (including Nexus 21 and Altern-8 with co-producer Chris Peat). Still in the same year, two other experienced DJs – Andrew Meecham and Carl Turner – joined Bizarre Inc, thus forming a new trio. The first 12'' they released together was "Bizarre Theme" / "X-Static" on the now-defunct record label, Vinyl Solution. This first track got a moderate acceptance, but the next, "Playing with Knives", was to be their greatest success, whose vinyl (7'' and 12'') releases were issued on a couple of different European labels.
One year later, the album Energique followed. In 1993 Bizarre Inc twice went to number one on the United States Hot Dance Club Play chart. "I'm Gonna Get You" spent two weeks at number one in January (also hitting number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100) and was followed by "Took My Love", which was number one for two weeks in late April. Both tracks featured lead vocals by female session singer Angie Brown. A third song, "Love in Motion" (featuring Yvonne Yanney), peaked at #4 on the U.S. dance chart in late 1993. All three of Bizarre Inc's hit singles appeared on Energique in 1992.
They also released a third album, the more commercial Surprise, in 1996. This album credits the singer Angie Brown as part of the band line-up, rather than as a featured artist, and she was also the co-writer on several tracks. It featured three singles: "Keep the Music Strong", "Surprise" and "Get Up Sunshine Street".
Meecham and Meredith have continued releasing new music together under the name Chicken Lips. In the UK, their biggest singles remain "Playing with Knives" (#4) and "I'm Gonna Get You" (#3), the latter of which was a crossover dance-pop hit and was one of the biggest sellers of that year.[1]
Discography
Albums
- Technological (Blue Chip Records, 1989)
- Energique (Sony Records, 1992)
- The Super People (Warner Bros. Records, 1994) [unreleased]
- Surprise (Some Bizzare / Mercury Records, 1996)
Singles
| Year | Title | UK [1] |
US Dance [2] |
US [2] |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | "It's Time to Get Funky" | |
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Non-album singles |
| "Technological" | |
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| 1990 | "Bizarre Theme" / "X-Static" | |
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| 1991 | "Playing with Knives" | |
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| "Such a Feeling" (b/w "Raise Me") | |
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| "Playing with Knives" (b/w "Plutonic") | |
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Energique | |
| 1992 | "I'm Gonna Get You" | |
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| 1993 | "Took My Love" | |
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| "Love in Motion" | |
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| "Agroovin'" | |
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| 1996 | "Keep the Music Strong" | |
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Surprise |
| "Surprise" | |
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| "Get Up Sunshine Street" | |
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| 1999 | "Playing with Knives" (remixes) | |
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N/A |