The Shamen

If you are looking for the type of healer, see Shaman. If you are looking for the other band with a similar name, see Shaaman.

Related Topics:
Shaman - Shaaman

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The Shamen were a British indie dance group that was most active during the early and mid-1990s. Initially formed in Aberdeen, Scotland by Colin Angus, Keith McKenzie, Derek McKenzie, Will Sinnott and Peter Stephenson in the 1980s as a psychedelic-influenced indie rock act, they debuted with the 1987 album Drop.

Related Topics:
British - 1990s - Aberdeen - Scotland - 1980s - Psychedelic - Indie rock - 1987

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Derek McKenzie, Keith McKenzie and Stephenson left the group following release of the 1989 album In Gorbachev We Trust, which saw the group flirting with the indie dance formula popular in the Madchester era. By the time En Tact was released in 1990, they had recruited DJ and rapper Mr C. (real name Richard West), and had completed the transformation to a rave act, but Sinnott tragically drowned in an accident off the coast of Tenerife following the release of the album, yet Angus and West decided to continue. This album was perhaps their most popular, spawning several hit singles such as "Move Any Mountain", "Hyperreal" and "Make It Mine".

Related Topics:
1989 - Madchester - 1990 - Mr C. - Rave

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Boss Drum followed in 1992. The album featured a noted spoken-word collaboration, "Re:Evolution" with Terence McKenna, and one major, although controversial, hit: "Ebeneezer Goode".

Related Topics:
Boss Drum - 1992 - Terence McKenna

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The song was accused of promoting drug use due to the refrain Ezer Goode, Ezer Goode -- implying the phrase 'E's are good ('E' being slang for the dance drug Ecstasy, aka MDMA) -- and due to similar double-entendre drug references throughout the song. The subsequent storm of publicity helped place the song at the top of the UK charts for 4 weeks. This echoes similar references in previous songs such as Synergys "M D M A-zing... we are together in ecstasy".

Related Topics:
Ecstasy - MDMA - Double-entendre

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Axis Mutatis in 1995 did not make as much of an impact in the charts. Early special editions of this album featured a bonus disk, "Arbor Bona Arbor Mala", a bizarre ambient album. The Shamen continued recording into the late 1990s, releasing several LPs with an increasingly experimental bent. Their penultimate studio album, "Hempton Manor", followed an acrimonious split with their label One Little Indian. The first letter of each track spell out "Fuck Birket", referring to label founder Derek Birket. Releasing their final album UV in 1998, they have now split. Mr C. has since become a moderately successful House music DJ.

Related Topics:
1995 - 1990s - One Little Indian - Derek Birket - UV - 1998 - House music - DJ

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