Apollo 440 are a English electronic music group formed in Liverpool in 1990. The group has written, recorded, and produced five studio albums, collaborated with and produced other artists, remixed as Apollo 440 and as ambient cinematic alter-ego Stealth Sonic Orchestra, and created music for film, television, advertisements and multimedia. They notched up ten UK top 40 singles with three top-tens, and had a chart presence worldwide.
"Good Life" is a song by American electronic music group Inner City, featuring vocals by Paris Grey, and was released in November 1988 by Virgin and 10 Records as the second single from their debut album, Paradise (1989). It is written and produced by Kevin Saunderson, and became a hit all over the world, reaching number one in Finland and number four on the UK Singles Chart. In the US, it peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Its music video is directed by Neil Thompson and filmed in London. "Good Life", along with "Big Fun", have been considered prototypes for Belgian act Technotronic's 1989 hit "Pump Up The Jam", and is today widely considered a classic of its genre.
"Poison" is a song by English electronic music group the Prodigy, released on 6 March 1995 by XL and Mute as the fourth and final single from their second studio album, Music for the Jilted Generation (1994). It was written by Liam Howlett and Maxim Reality, and produced by Howlett. Reality performs the vocals on the track. "Poison" was a number one hit in Finland, while peaking inside the top five in Ireland and Norway. Additionally, it peaked within the top-30 in Sweden and Switzerland. The music video for the song was directed by Walter Stern.
"Firestarter" is a song by British electronic dance music band the Prodigy, released on 18 March 1996 by XL Recordings as the first single from their third album, The Fat of the Land (1997). It was co-written and produced by Liam Howlett and features vocals by Keith Flint. It also was the group's first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, staying on top for three weeks, and their first big international hit, topping the charts in the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, and Norway. The music video was directed by Walter Stern and filmed in the London Underground, in black-and-white. Melody Maker ranked the song number two in their list of "Singles of the Year" in 1996. 24 years later, The Guardian ranked it number eight in their list of "The 100 Greatest UK No 1 Singles".
"Ain't Talkin' 'bout Dub" is a song by English electronic music group Apollo 440. It was released in February 1997 as the second single from their second studio album, Electro Glide in Blue (1997). Successful on the charts in Europe, it peaked at number one in Romania and within the Top 10 in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the UK.
"Release the Pressure" is the third single by the English electronic duo Leftfield and the first to involve Paul Daley with writing duties after he joined the group. The song was released exclusively on 12" in 1992. Unlike previous releases that had been released on the Outer Rhythm record label, Leftfield had now officially split from Outer Rhythm. Major labels had offered them deals but neither member wanted to give up creative control to any major company. They formed the Hard Hands record label with "Release the Pressure" being the label's first official release. The song featured reggae singer Earl Sixteen on vocals, with a lyric taken from his 1981 single "Trial and Crosses". "Release the Pressure" made the top 20 in the UK charts and featured at number one in the Melody Maker "Stone Free Chart of the Year". It was used in Telefónica O2 and O2 (UK) commercials during its first year.
"Into the Blue" is a song by American electronica musician Moby, released on June 19, 1995 by Mute Records, as the fourth single from his third studio album, Everything Is Wrong (1995). American musician Mimi Goese co-wrote the lyrics with Moby and provided the vocals. The song is slow and melancholy, a stark contrast to the first four singles from the album.
"Feeling So Real" is a song by American electronica musician Moby, released in October 1994 by Mute and Elektra, as the second single from the musician's third studio album, Everything Is Wrong (1995). The song, both written and produced by Moby, features the phrases "sound system rocking my....." and "set it up DJ!" spoken by Kochie Banton, who also appears in Moby's following single, "Everytime You Touch Me". The guest vocalist for the song is Rozz Morehead. It peaked at number 30 on the UK Singles Chart, number nine on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart, and number one on the Finnish Singles Chart. Julie Hermelin directed the song's accompanying music video. Spin ranked "Feeling So Real"/"Everytime You Touch Me" number one in their list of the 20 best singles of 1995.
"Go" is a song by American electronica musician Moby, released in March 1991 by record label Instinct as the first single from his self-titled debut album (1992). It was co-written and produced by Moby, built around a sample from the American TV-series Twin Peaks. The single peaked within the top ten of the charts in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, as well as peaking at number one on the Music Week Dance Singles chart and number 18 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The accompanying music video was directed by Ondrej Rudavsky. NME ranked "Go" number 41 in their list of "Singles of the Year" in December 1991.
"Sesame's Treet" is a 1992 single by the English rave group Smart E's. It is a remix of "Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?", with the song's title being a pun on "Sesame Street". The song reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1992 and peaked within the top 10 in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand. In the United States, it reached No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and topped the Billboard Maxi-Singles Sales ranking.
"U Got 2 Let the Music" is a song by Italian Eurodance group Cappella, released in September 1993 by label Media as the fourth single from their second studio album, U Got 2 Know (1994). The track samples "Sounds Like a Melody" by German musical group Alphaville and charted in various countries around the world, including the UK, where it reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the 36th-best-selling single of 1993 in the UK. In Austria, Finland and Switzerland, it peaked at number one. Its accompanying music video received heavy rotation on MTV Europe in January 1994. "U Got 2 Let the Music" was re-released in 1998, 2004 and 2006, in remixed versions.
"When You Made the Mountain" is an "environmentally themed" electronica/dance song recorded by English electronic music group Opus III with vocals by Kirsty Hawkshaw. It was released in 1994 as the lead single from their second album, Guru Mother (1994), and received positive reviews from music critics. The track got as far as number 75 on the UK Singles Chart, but it would go all the way to number-one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, giving the act their second and final chart-topper in the United States.
"Your Body's Callin'" is a song by American singer and songwriter R. Kelly, released in March 1994 by Jive as the third single from his debut album, 12 Play (1993). The song, both written and produced by Kelly, peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 40 in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Kelly also released a remix as a B-side to the single featuring Aaliyah called the "Your Body's Calling His N Hers Mix". Millicent Shelton directed the song's music video.
Selected Ambient Works 85–92 is the debut studio album by the British electronic music artist and producer Richard D. James under the alias of Aphex Twin. It was released on 9 November 1992 through Apollo Records, a subsidiary of the Belgian label R&S Records. The album consists of ambient techno tracks that were recorded on cassette as early as 1985, when James was 13-14 years old. On release it received widespread acclaim and entered the Dance Albums Chart at No. 6 on 26 December 1992.
"Playing with Knives" is a song by British electronic dance music group Bizarre Inc. It was their second single released through Vinyl Solution, as well as their second single to be written and produced as a trio. It is also the first single from their debut full-length album, Energique (1992). The song originally reached number 43 in the UK Singles Chart in March 1991. It was re-released later the same year and peaked at number four in the UK charts. In 1999, the song was released for a third time, charting at a peak of number 30.
"Crying in the Rain" is a song recorded by German Eurodance band Culture Beat, released on 12 February 1996 by Dance Pool as the second single from their third studio album, Inside Out (1995).. It was co-written by band members Tania Evans and Jay Supreme with Doug Laurent and Robert Gerding, and produced by Laurent. The single charted in many countries, reaching its best chart positions in Hungary, Germany and Denmark, where it was a top-10 hit. "Crying in the Rain" also reached number-one on the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart. The music video for the song was directed by Oliver Sommer and filmed in Hong Kong, China. A CD maxi-single containing remixes was also released under the name "Crying in the Rain Remixes".
"U R the Best Thing" is the debut single of Northern Irish musical group D:Ream, included on their first album, D:Ream On Volume 1 (1993). Originally a club hit released in 1992, the song has been remixed and re-released twice: in 1993 and in 1994. The 1994 version, also known as the Perfecto mix, was most successful peaking at number three in Scotland, number four on the UK Singles Chart and number six in Ireland. It also peaked at number 13 on the Eurochart Hot 100. The 1993 version reached number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in the US. There were made three different music videos to promote the single; the 1994 version was directed by Marcus Nispel.
"Feel the Sunshine" is a song by British drum and bass producer Alex Reece featuring vocals by singer Deborah Anderson, who also co-wrote the lyrics. It received critical acclaim and was included on Reece's debut album, So Far, which was released in September 1996. The song was released in December 1995 as a single by Blunted and Island Records, peaking at number 69 on the UK Singles Chart. A re-release in May 1996 containing remixes charted higher, peaking at number 26. On the UK Dance Singles Chart, "Feel the Sunshine" was more successful, peaking at number two (1995) and four (1996). It is now widely regarded as one of the most classic drum and bass songs.
"When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'" is a song by American band Sparks, released in October 1994 by Logic Records as the first single from their 1994 album Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins. Written and produced by band members Russell and Ron Mael, the song references Frank Sinatra's signature song "My Way" and was a number seven hit in Germany. In the United States, it reached number nine on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, and it was also a top 40 hit in the United Kingdom. The song was re-released as a single the following year, this time peaking at number 32 in the UK. Its accompanying music video was directed by Sophie Muller.
"Stars" is a song by English indie dance trio Dubstar, released in 1995 by EMI and Polydor as the debut single from their first album, Disgraceful (1995). The song received critical acclaim, peaking at number 40 in the UK. But after being re-released in 1996, it was far more successful, reaching number 15 on the UK Singles Chart and number 18 in Scotland, as well as number 69 on the Eurochart Hot 100. Outside Europe, the song was a hit in Israel, peaking at number-one for three weeks. It received a great deal of play time in clubs and many remixes were also created. There were produced three different music videos to promote the single. Italian metal band Lacuna Coil covered it on their 2000 EP Halflife.
