Marie-Claire Cremers known professionally as Amber is a Dutch-born singer, songwriter, label owner, and executive producer. She is best known for her hits "This Is Your Night", "If You Could Read My Mind", and "Sexual ". In December 2016, Billboard ranked her as the 34th-most successful dance artist of all time. The magazine later declared her the #7 Dance Singles Sales Artist of the 2000s.
Qkumba Zoo is a South African dance music duo from Johannesburg, South Africa, consisting of vocalist Levannah and musician/producer Owl. The band was originally formed by Owl and Levannah as a duo called Ocean Road.
"Get Ready for This" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch music group 2 Unlimited. It was released in 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, Get Ready! (1992). Originally, the single was produced as an instrumental, titled the "Orchestral Mix". It became a hit and conscious of their popularity, Wilde & De Coster wanted a more accessible, formatted formula for their project to grow. Ray was then asked to write lyrics and add a rap to the track. On Ray Slijngaard's suggestion, Anita Doth joined as the female vocalist.
"Finally" is a song by American singer-songwriter CeCe Peniston, released in September 1991 as her debut single from her first album of the same name (1992). It received critical acclaim, becoming Peniston's first hit song, peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1992. It is also her only US top-ten hit to date. Prior to that, the track was a major success on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, where it spent two weeks at number one in late 1991. In addition, a dance remix of the song, the "Choice Mix", peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart in March 1992. The remix appeared on many dance music compilations in the early '90s. Its music video was directed by Claude Borenzweig. Billboard ranked "Finally" among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in 2023.
"HIStory" is a 1995 song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was composed by Jackson, James Harris III and Terry Lewis, and was included on his album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. Although the original version of "HIStory" was not released as a single, it was later remixed in 1997 as part of Jackson's remix album project Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. These remixes would be released as part of "HIStory/Ghosts", a double A-side single with the newly recorded song "Ghosts" as the second single from that album.
"Not Over Yet" is a song by British dance act Grace. Originally released in 1993 under the band name State of Grace, it was re-released in March 1995 as the first single from their only album, If I Could Fly (1996). It received critical acclaim from music critics, peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart and number-one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Lead vocals and backing vocals were performed by singer Patti Low. In 1995, the lead vocals were replaced by new frontwoman and singer, Dominique Atkins for the album release, although Low's backing vocals remained in place. This Atkins/Low combination appeared on all subsequent re-releases and remixes of the track. The woman who appears in the accompanying music video is Low.
"Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released as the second single from their eighth studio album, Cowboy (1997). It is an uptempo dance music song written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. Mute Records issued the single in the UK. For the song's release in the United States, Maverick Records requested a remix for radio. The US single version of "Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me" is different from what is on the Cowboy album; the song's intro was changed, as well as the middle eight section. An entire verse, edited out of the album version, is restored on the American single release.
"Bump n' Grind" is a song written, produced, and performed by American singer-songwriter R. Kelly. It was released on January 28, 1994 by Jive Records, as the second single from his debut solo studio album, 12 Play (1993). The track became a number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100, and it also spent twelve weeks at number one on the US Hot R&B Songs chart as Kelly's third number-one R&B hit, becoming the longest-running number-one of 1994 in the US, and the longest-running R&B single at that time. The song also reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart, following the massive success of his previous single, "She's Got That Vibe".
"Missing" is a song by English musical duo Everything but the Girl, taken from their eighth studio album, Amplified Heart (1994). It was written by the two band members, Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, and was produced by Watt and John Coxon. It was taken as the second single off the album on 8 August 1994 by Blanco y Negro Records in the United Kingdom and by Atlantic Records in the United States. It initially did not achieve much success until it was remixed by Todd Terry and re-released in 1995, resulting in worldwide success, peaking at or near the top of the charts in many countries. The release of the remixed version of "Missing" gave an indication of the band's future experimentation with more electronic dance music on subsequent albums.
"Pony" is a song by American singer Ginuwine, released as the debut single from his first album, Ginuwine...The Bachelor (1996). Ginuwine co-wrote the song with Swing Mob associates Static Major and Timbaland; the latter made his breakthrough as a producer with the song. It peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart.
"Love One Another" is a song recorded by Dutch singer Amber in 1999 for her self-titled album. The track was released in 2000, by Tommy Boy Records, as the album's third and final single. It topped the US dance charts. Cher recorded a cover in 2001 on which Amber shared a Grammy nomination as co-songwriter.
"Insomnia" is a song by British musical group Faithless. Released as the band's second single, it became one of their most successful. It was originally released in 1995 and reached number 27 on the UK Singles Chart, topping the UK Dance Chart in the process. When re-released in October 1996, the song achieved a new peak of number three in the United Kingdom and topped the charts of Finland, Norway, and Switzerland, as well as the American and Canadian dance charts. It also featured on Faithless's 1996 debut album, Reverence.
"Push the Feeling On" is a house song by the Scottish music group Nightcrawlers and American DJ Marc Kinchen (MK). The original version released in 1992 was also partially disco and acid jazz-influenced and was a minor chart hit in the United Kingdom. The song was later remixed extensively by Kinchen, creating a series of additional remixes for the song. One remix known as "Push the Feeling On (MK Dub Revisited Edit)" became an international chart hit in 1995, reaching the top 10 in various European countries, including the UK, where it peaked at number three.
"Baby Baby" is a song by Italian band Corona, released in February 1995 by ZYX Music as the second single from their debut album, The Rhythm of the Night (1995). The song, written by Francesco Bontempi and Antonia Bottari, was originally a hit in 1991 for Italian project Joy & Joyce as "Babe Babe". Both tracks were produced by Bontempi under his Lee Marrow guise. It was very successful on the singles charts around the world, peaking at number-one in Italy, and on the RPM Dance/Urban chart in Canada. In the UK, it peaked at number five for two weeks. Two different music videos were produced for the song.
"The Rhythm of the Night" is a song by Italian Eurodance group Corona. It was released as their debut single in 1993 in Italy, then elsewhere the following year. The song is the title track of the group's debut studio album, The Rhythm of the Night (1995), and was written by Francesco Bontempi, Annerley Emma Gordon, Giorgio Spagna, Pete Glenister and Mike Gaffey. It was produced by Bontempi, and the vocals were performed by Italian singer Giovanna Bersola, who is not credited on the single and does not appear in the music video. The woman who appears in the video is the group's frontwoman Olga Souza. The video was A-listed on Music TV-channels, such as Germany's VIVA. The song was a worldwide hit in 1994, peaking at number-one in Italy, and within the top five in most of Europe, while in the US, it fell short of the top ten, reaching number eleven on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100.
"Keep On Jumpin'" is a song written by musician Patrick Adams and Ken Morris. This track has been remade, remixed, and sampled numerous times, but only the 1978 original by Adams's group Musique and Todd Terry's 1996 updated version with Martha Wash & Jocelyn Brown reached number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play charts. Musicians on the tracks include Rich Tannenbaum on drums, Ken Mazur on guitar, and Norbert Sloley on bass. Listed here are the most notable versions.
"Right Here" is the debut single of American R&B girl group SWV, released on August 20, 1992 by RCA, as the lead single from their debut album, It's About Time (1992). A remixed version, referred to as "Right Here (Human Nature Remix)" and based around a feature of Michael Jackson's 1982 song "Human Nature", was released in July 1993, and charted on the US Billboard charts as a double-A-side with "Downtown". This version, produced by Teddy Riley, became a number-one R&B single, selling 1,000,000 copies and earning a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was also a number-one hit in Zimbabwe. The music video for the song was directed by Lionel C. Martin, featuring SWV riding horses and fishing.
"Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" is a song by Zambian-born Zimbabwean singer Rozalla, released in August 1991 as the second single from her second album, Everybody's Free (1992). It had been a staple in the clubs in Ibiza and Mallorca in the summer of 1991, and hordes of recovering ravers were delighted to find "that tune about being free to feel good and stuff" was available to buy back home. Upon its release, the song reached number two in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain, while entering the top 10 in Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. On the Eurochart Hot 100, the single reached number six, and in Zimbabwe, it peaked at number four. It also topped the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Several music videos have been made to promote the song. It is widely regarded as one of the biggest dance anthems of the 1990s and it has been remixed and re-released several times.
"The Child (Inside)" is a song by South African trio Qkumba Zoo, released in August 1995 as their first single from the international debut album, Wake Up and Dream (1996). The song shot straight to the top of the charts in South Africa, earning them the Best New Band award at the 1996 South African Music Awards. Same year, it was a hit in the US, reaching number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as peaking at number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The trio was the first South African group to top the Hot 100 in over 17 years. The track also peaked at number 34 on the Radio & Records contemporary hit radio chart on October 18, 1996. A music video was also produced to promote the single.
"Colour of Love" is a song recorded by Dutch-German singer-songwriter Amber. It was released in 1996 by Tommy Boy as the second single from the singer's debut album of the same name (1996), and is the follow-up to her successful hit, "This Is Your Night". The song is co-written by Amber with Berman Brothers, who also produced it, and charted in several countries, like Australia, Iceland and New Zealand. In the latter, it was a bigger hit than "This is Your Night, peaking at number 31. On the US Billboard Hot 100, the song reached number 105, but later number 74, in 1997. On the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, it peaked at number five. The accompanying music video for "Colour of Love" sees Amber performing in what appears to be a yellow submarine.
