Snap!

Biography

Snap! is a German Eurodance group formed in 1989 by record producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The act has had several lineup changes over the years, featuring American singers, songwriters, and rappers such as Thea Austin, Turbo B, Niki Haris, and Penny Ford. Their most popular hits include "The Power×The Power1 March 1990 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1The Power (single version)3:492The Power (dub mix)5:253The Power (maxi mix)5:41" (1990) and "Rhythm Is a Dancer×Rhythm Is a Dancer30 March 1992 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Rhythm Is a Dancer (Rhyth Kid version)5:402Rhythm Is a Dancer (Tee's Choice mix)6:223Rhythm Is a Dancer (instrumental rhythm)5:31" (1992), both of which topped the charts in multiple countries.

Previous projects

Luca Anzilotti and Michael Münzing began collaborating in 1985 in the group Off (Organisation for Fun), alongside Sven Väth. They recorded two albums, Organisation for Fun (1988) and Ask Yourself (1989), as well as a series of singles, including "Electrica Salsa", until 1990.
In 1986, the duo created the side project 16 BIT and found success with their first single, "Where Are You?" In 1987, they released the album Inaxycvgtgb for BMG.

Formation and first album: World Power

Anzilotti and Münzing officially formed Snap! in 1989, adopting the aliases Benito Benites and John "Virgo" Garrett III, as they believed the public harbored negative preconceived notions about German music. Their debut hit, "The Power×The Power1 March 1990 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1The Power (single version)3:492The Power (dub mix)5:253The Power (maxi mix)5:41", featuring the American rapper Turbo B and singer Penny Ford, peaked at No. 2 in Germany in April 1990 and remained in that position for five weeks, eventually earning Gold certification for sales of 250,000 units. The single topped the charts in the United Kingdom, earning a Silver award for sales of 200,000 units. In the U.S., it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Platinum for 1,000,000 units sold.
Jackie Harris was employed to mime Ford's vocals in "The Power" music video and left the group shortly thereafter, leading Ford to become the full-time lead singer. She recorded the second single, "Ooops Up×Ooops Up1 May 1990 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Ooops Up (Sphinx mix)6:452Ooops Up (live at the Royal Albert Hall)6:043Ooops Up (The Double Trouble mix)5:45", a reworking of "I Don't Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Ooops!)", a 1980 hit by the Gap Band, for which Ford had previously been a backing singer. "Ooops Up" also reached No. 2 in Germany, spending nine weeks in that position. The single entered the top five in the UK, earning another Silver award, and received Gold certification in the U.S. There were further hits, including the Middle Eastern-influenced "Cult of Snap×Cult of Snap1 September 1990 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Cult of Snap (The Modno 200 Mix)5:262Cult of Snap (The Virtual Dub Mix)4:413Cult of Snap (The Elektra Mix)5:24", which reached No. 3 in Germany and No. 8 in the UK, and "Mary Had a Little Boy×Mary Had a Little Boy10 December 1990 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Mary Had a Little Boy (radio edit)3:412Mary Had a Little Boy (club edit)6:043Believe the Hype (US edit)6:26", which peaked at No. 4 in Germany and again No. 8 in the UK. The band's debut album, World Power×World Power14 May 1990 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1The Power5:442Ooops Up6:423Cult of Snap5:214Believe the Hype4:515I’m Gonna Get You (To Whom It May Concern)5:206Witness the Strength4:577Mary Had a Little Boy4:548Blasé Blasé4:319Only Human3:1110The Power (Jungle Fever mix)7:24, reached No. 7 in Germany, No. 10 in the UK, and No. 30 in the U.S. It achieved Platinum status in Germany and Gold in the UK and U.S.

Second album: The Madman's Return

In 1991, Thea Austin, an American singer, composer, songwriter, and dancer, joined Snap!'s lineup and contributed to the writing of the song "Rhythm Is a Dancer×Rhythm Is a Dancer30 March 1992 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Rhythm Is a Dancer (Rhyth Kid version)5:402Rhythm Is a Dancer (Tee's Choice mix)6:223Rhythm Is a Dancer (instrumental rhythm)5:31". The track was initially intended to be the lead single from the group's second album but was postponed, resulting in "Colour of Love×Colour of Love1991 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Colour of Love (Massive 7" version)4:152Colour of Love (Massive version)5:333Colour of Love (String mix)5:084Colour of Love (Smoove version)5:30" being released in its place. This single peaked at No. 9 in Germany but stalled at No. 54 in the UK. "Rhythm Is a Dancer", which sampled the 1984 song "Automan" by the American electronic hip hop band Newcleus, was eventually issued as the second single in July 1992. The song became Snap!'s biggest hit to date, reaching No. 1 in Germany, the UK, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium. In the U.S., it peaked at No. 5, earning a Gold certification for sales of 500,000 units. In Germany, the single achieved Platinum status for 500,000 units sold and received Gold certification in the UK for sales of 400,000 units. The third single, "Exterminate", charted at No. 3 in Germany and No. 2 in the UK, also earning a Gold certification in Germany.
The Madman's Return, Snap!'s second album, performed well in the charts, peaking at No. 3 in Germany and entering the top 10 in the UK, the Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland. Around the time of its release, Turbo B left the project due to disagreements with the production duo. The album was certified Gold in Germany and the UK, with sales of 250,000 units and 100,000 units, respectively. Another single, titled "Do You See the Light×Do You See the LightNovember 2001 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksASee the Light (extended mix)7:04BSee the Light (club mix)7:03", featuring Niki Haris, was also released.

Third album: Welcome to Tomorrow

Münzing and Anzilotti recruited Washington, D.C.-born singer Summer (Paula Brown) to front the act for their third album. Snap! shifted towards a progressive house sound and released the first single, titled "Welcome to Tomorrow (Are You Ready?)", in September 1994. The track peaked at No. 4 in Germany and No. 6 in the UK, and the album, also titled Welcome to Tomorrow×Welcome to Tomorrow30 September 1994 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Green Grass Grows (Earth Follows)4:002It's a Miracle (People Need to Love One Another)4:353Rame (Beloved)4:344Dream on the Moon5:005Welcome to Tomorrow (Are You Ready?)4:166The World in My Hands (We Are One)4:227The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)5:108Waves5:039Where Are the Boys, Where Are the Girls?4:0810It's Not Over4:56 followed. The second single, "The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)×The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)1995 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1The First the Last Eternity (Till the End) (7″ edit)3:562The First the Last Eternity (Till the End) (GDC mix)6:293The First the Last Eternity (Till the End) (Notonom mix)6:52", achieved moderate success in the UK but reached No. 7 in Germany. Snap! released two more singles from the album: "The World in My Hands×The World in My Hands1995 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1The World in My Hands (7" mix)3:552The World in My Hands (12" mix)5:023The World in My Hands (extended instrumental mix)5:154The World in My Hands (We Are One)4:245The World in My Hands (dub mix)5:59" and "Rame" (featuring Rukmani), both of which experienced moderate chart entries.

Breakup and return

In 1996, the group officially disbanded after releasing a greatest hits compilation titled Snap! Attack: The Best of Snap!. This album included new versions of their two biggest hits, "The Power×The Power1 March 1990 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1The Power (single version)3:492The Power (dub mix)5:253The Power (maxi mix)5:41 '96" and "Rhythm Is a Dancer×Rhythm Is a Dancer30 March 1992 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Rhythm Is a Dancer (Rhyth Kid version)5:402Rhythm Is a Dancer (Tee's Choice mix)6:223Rhythm Is a Dancer (instrumental rhythm)5:31 '96". The act made a comeback in 2000 with a track entitled "Gimme a Thrill×Gimme a Thrill6 May 2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Gimme a Thrill (7″ mix)3:292Gimme a Thrill (12″ R.I.A.D. mix)4:433Gimme a Thrill (7″ instrumental)3:24", featuring rap lyrics performed by Turbo B and vocals from the band's newest singer, Maxayn. However, it did not garner much attention, peaking only at No. 11 in the German dance charts. A new album, titled One Day on Earth, was planned for release around this time but was never published.
In 2002, a new version of "Do You See the Light×Do You See the LightNovember 2001 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksASee the Light (extended mix)7:04BSee the Light (club mix)7:03", remixed by Plaything, was released. The following year, a remix album titled The Cult of Snap×Cult of Snap1 September 1990 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Cult of Snap (The Modno 200 Mix)5:262Cult of Snap (The Virtual Dub Mix)4:413Cult of Snap (The Elektra Mix)5:24! was issued, featuring reworked singles. "Rhythm Is a Dancer 2003" peaked at No. 7 in Germany and No. 17 in the UK, while "The Power (of Bhangra 2003)" achieved moderate success in Austria, Switzerland, and Denmark. Snap! also released a reworked version of "Oops Up!", featuring vocals by NG3, which entered the Swedish charts at No. 40 and the German top 100 singles chart at No. 69.
Buoyed by the success of the remixes, Münzing and Anzilotti returned to the studio with singer Damien Behanan, also known as Loc, and released the single "Beauty Queen×Beauty Queen2005 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Beauty Queen (7“ radio)3:312Beauty Queen (7“ version)3:463Beauty Queen (12“ original mix)6:374Beauty Queen (12“ Richard Grey club mix)5:295Beauty Queen (12“ Spoon club mix)6:446Beauty Queen (12“ Richard Grey dub mix)5:27" in September 2005 through Luma Music. This single peaked within the top 10 of the German dance charts but failed to enter the official charts. The band released another digital download single in 2008, featuring Loc, titled "Jumping×Jumping17 August 2008 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Jumping2:59!", but this also failed to chart. On 16 June 2008, a new version of "Rhythm Is a Dancer '08" was released as a CD single in the UK, peaking at No. 23. In 2018, the rights to all recordings of Snap!, previously owned by Münzing, were transferred to BMG Rights Management, an incarnation of BMG.