Amuka is the stage name used by singer/songwriter Sheila Brody. The name was coined by artist/producer Jahkey B, when they co-wrote the song "Appreciate Me" (the original title is: Jahkey B presents Amuka). Originally from Detroit, she was discovered by funk musician George Clinton and became a member of the Brides of Funkenstein, a P-funk spin-off act.
Although she has performed as a rock and funk singer, Brody has earned the most success as a Club/Dance vocalist. In 1999 (as Blackwood) she released a best-selling album (Friday Night) and single ("Peace") in Italy and knocked Madonna out of the #1 position on the Billboard charts before returning to the United States. Teaming with producer/remixer Peter Rauhofer she has released several singles that have charted well on the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Brody's 2003 song "Appreciate Me" (produced and co written with artist/producer Jahkey B, remixed by Peter Rauhofer and his Austrian fellow remixer Rainer Pototschnig known as "Airmale"), appeared on the television soundtrack Queer as Folk: Club Babylon. It also became a #1 Dance radio hit. In 2006, Brody earned her first number-one U.S. dance hit with her third single, the song "I Want More (Cling on to Me)". Amuka's second solo single, "U Ain't That Good" was produced by producer/remixer Peter Rauhofer. While "Craving" was Produced by Al B. Rich, and the vocal sessions were recorded and engineered by John Cassidy.
Amuka has also collaborated with musician, producer and engineer John Cassidy from Beat City Records in Miami, Florida. Contributing remixer and vocal production. Amuka has released singles that have charted well on the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play and more recently, the Hot Dance Airplay chart. Amuka's 2007 is called "My Man." It is also the first of her singles to have an accompanying music video. Amuka's current song, "I Miss You" is active on charts.
She also performed the song "Everything Changes" on the 1999 soundtrack album Pokémon 2.B.A. Master .
In 2012, she performed on rap group Public Enemy's albums The Evil Empire of Everything and Man Plans God Laughs, singing on the song "Everything" and "Honkey Talk Rules" respectively. She is signed to rapper Chuck D.'s Spit Digital label and is being produced by Chuck and Gary G-Wiz.
| Year | Song | U.S Club Play | U.S. Dance Airplay | U.S. Dance Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Appreciate Me" | 7 | 1 | - |
| 2005 | "U Ain't That Good" | 3 | - | - |
| 2005 | "Craving" | 2 | 10 | - |
| 2006 | "I Want More (Cling on to Me)" | 1 | 10 | - |
| 2007 | "My Man" | 4 | - | - |
| 2008 | "I Miss You" | 23 | - | - |
| 2019 | "Don't Fall For It" (with Grapefruit Sound Lab) | 14 | - | - |
Richard Morel is an American singer-songwriter, DJ, remixer and record producer from the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. He has worked extensively with Washington D.C.-based duo Deep Dish, co-writing, co-producing, performing and singing on many of their tracks, most notably on their albums Junk Science and George Is On. Richard Morel's songs are represented by Downtown Music Publishing.
Brides of Funkenstein member Sheila Horne was hired as a back-up singer for original Brides Lynn Mabry and Dawn Silva in 1978. She became a main singer with Silva and Jeanette McGruder in 1979 for the second Brides album Never Buy Texas from a Cowboy and joined Rick James on tour in 1981 as an original Mary Jane. Horne wrote songs for George Clinton's solo albums on Capitol in the mid-1980s and, As of 2005, continues to tour with P-Funk All-Stars. In Italy in 1997 she released an album under the name Blackwood.
New jack swing, new jack or swingbeat is a fusion genre that fuses the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop with the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was most popular from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the New York club scene.
Robin Stone, better known by her stage name Robin S., is an American house music singer and songwriter, who scored success in the 1990s with such hit singles as "Show Me Love" and "Luv 4 Luv". She has had three number ones on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.
Cecilia Veronica "CeCe" Peniston is an American singer and former beauty queen. In the early 1990s, she scored five number one hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play. Her signature song "Finally" reached the number 5 spot on the Hot 100 and number 2 in UK Top 75.
Peter Rauhofer was an Austrian-American disc jockey (DJ), remixer and producer who formerly went under the moniker Club 69 as well as Size Queen. A native of Vienna, Austria, he was famous for a variety of his remixes including Cher's "Believe" and a number of Madonna's songs including "Nothing Really Matters", "American Life", "Nothing Fails", "Nobody Knows Me", "Get Together", "Impressive Instant" and "4 Minutes", as well as her collaboration with Britney Spears, "Me Against the Music" and various collaborations with Janet Jackson. He has also provided remixes for Kylie Minogue, Whitney Houston, Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Yoko Ono, Pink, Tori Amos, Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Book Of Love, Soft Cell, Duran Duran and Mariah Carey, among others. He was also behind the tribal house record label Star 69 and was a frequent producer of the label's releases.
Steve W. "Silk" Hurley, also known as J. M. Silk, is an American club DJ, pioneering house music producer, songwriter, and four-time Grammy Award nominee; two times as Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical, and twice for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical.
Marc Kinchen, known by his initials MK, is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He hit number-one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1993 and 1994 with the songs "Always" and "Love Changes". Lead vocals on both of those tracks were performed by Alana Simon. The combo also recorded the underground house music classic anthem "Burning". "Always" peaked at number 69 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1995. MK also hit the dance chart with "4 You", using the pseudonym 4th Measure Men.
Sandra Barber is a house music singer from New York City who uses the stage name Sandy B.
Christian Jay "C. J." Bolland is an English-Belgian electronic music producer and remixer with British roots.
Suzanne Palmer is an American electronic dance music singer, songwriter and producer born in Chicago, Illinois. She is best known as the lead vocalist on Peter Rauhofer's Club 69 project, most specifically on the hits "Much Better", "Alright" and a remake of the Michael Jackson-penned Diana Ross song "Muscles".
Celeda is an American dance music singer and drag performer. She was born in Chicago, Illinois.
Eric Miller is an American house music DJ, record producer and remixer. As E-Smoove, he worked for a number of years with Steve "Silk" Hurley and Maurice Joshua, before he hit the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1998 with "Deja Vu", which climbed to #16. The song reached #63 in the UK Singles Chart. His next U.S. dance chart entry came in 2002, when "Insatiable" hit #1. "Insatiable" was released under the pseudonym Thick Dick. It peaked at #35 in the UK. Both tracks featured lead vocals by Latanza Waters.
Latanza Waters is a female house music singer who has been featured on several big club hits by various producers and remixers. Her first record, Love Struck, was produced by Dewey B and released in 1995. This union led to the creation of The House Music group Love Tribe which included vocalist Latanza Waters, producer Dewey Bullock, and musician Victor Mitchell. Signed by renowned music A&R Simon Dunmore to AM:PM records in the U.K, Love Tribe's 1996 cult classic single “Stand Up” reached #1 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart, and #23 on the U.K. singles chart in July of that year.
"So Gone" is a song by American R&B recording artist Monica. It was one out of several tracks rapper-producer Missy Elliott wrote and produced along with Kenneth Cunningham and Jamahl Rye from production duo Spike & Jamahl for Monica's fourth studio album, After the Storm (2003), following the delay and subsequent reconstruction of her 2002 album, All Eyez on Me. Incorporating elements of hip hop and 1970s-style smooth jazz as well as soul music, it features a sample from the 1976 song "You Are Number One", penned by Zyah Ahmonuel and performed by The Whispers.
Freemasons are an English DJ duo from Brighton, East Sussex, England. The act consists of the producers Russell Small and James Wiltshire.
"Tell Me" is the second single from Diddy's 2006 album, Press Play. The song features Christina Aguilera and is produced by Just Blaze. According to All Access, the single hit radio stations on November 7, 2006.
Dave Audé is an American DJ, producer and remixer. He operates his own label Audacious Records, and is known for having more number ones than any other producer on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. He has done production for artists such as U2, will.i.am, t.A.T.u., Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Barenaked Ladies, Faith No More, Rihanna, Yoko Ono, Alexis Jordan, Madonna, CeCe Peniston, Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion, LeAnn Rimes, Selena Gomez, Olivia Holt, Laura Pausini and Beyoncé. As an artist, Audé has scored 14 hit singles so far on the Billboard charts, and an unprecedented 132 #1 remixes on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. In 2016, Audé won a Grammy Award in the Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical category for his remix of "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars. Dave Audé's songs are represented by Downtown Music Publishing. Audé is managed by record executive, producer, songwriter and publisher Martin Kierszenbaum.
Hector Fonseca is an internationally acclaimed house music DJ. In addition to his production and DJ work, Fonseca is one of the music industry's most requested remixers due to his ability to transform many commercially released songs into club hits.
Ceri Evans, better known as Sunship, is an English record producer, DJ, remixer and jazz pianist.
