"Pump Up the Jam" | ||||
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![]() a 1989 single cover artwork, with image of Felly Kilingi | ||||
Single by Technotronic | ||||
from the album Pump Up the Jam: The Album | ||||
Released | 18 August 1989 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:20 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Thomas De Quincey | |||
Technotronic singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Pump Up the Jam" on YouTube |
"Pump Up the Jam" is the opening track on Belgian act Technotronic's first album, Pump Up the Jam: The Album (1989). It was released as a single on 18 August 1989[6] by Swanyard and SBK Records and was a worldwide hit, reaching number two in the United Kingdom in late 1989 and on the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1990. It also peaked at number one in Belgium, Finland, Iceland, Portugal and Spain. "Pump Up the Jam" has been described as a fusion of hip hop and deep house elements,[7] as an early example of the hip house genre,[2] and it has been considered the first house song to become a hit in the US.[1]
Technotronic's vocalist Ya Kid K was initially overshadowed by Congolese model Felly Kilingi, who appears lip-syncing in the music video and was featured on the first album cover as a marketing tactic.[8] Ya Kid K was ultimately recognized upon a U.S. tour and a repackaged album cover that featured her instead of Felly appeared thereafter.[7] In 2005, the song was remixed by DJ-producer D.O.N.S. and reached number one on the British Dance Chart. The Guardian featured the song on their "A History of Modern Music: Dance" in 2011.[9] In 2020, Slant Magazine ranked it at number 40 in their list of "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time".[10]
Back then, hip-house tunes like Technotronic's 'Pump Up the Jam,' ... and AB Logic's 'The Hitman' were finding their way to pop stations.
Technotronic's...hip-house throb "Pump Up The Jam" peaked at #2 behind "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You
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