Retro Spins: Technotronic - Pump Up The Jam

Technotronic was the brain child of Belgian beats producer, Jo Bogaret. Though Ya Kid K (born Manuela Barbara Kamosi) would provide lead vocals on the tracks, she would be replaced on the single cover for Pump Up The Jam, as well as during performances and music videos by model Felly Kilingi. In fact, the singer wouldn't even be credited on the early project, with it being credited to Technotronic featuring Felly.

Through the success of the single, the full album, Pump Up The Jam was released, and while it would continue to feature Ya Kid K (and MC Eric), Felly would once again take the cover. When the album became a top ten in the UK, Bogaret was forced to reveal Felly's overall lack of involvement, and finally gave Kid and Eric their due credit. His defense for the ruse was that he needed Felly to create the image of the group, and promote the album.

Being released in November of 1989, Pump Up The Jam, the album, often gets mistaken as a 90's release. That freshman year of the decade is after all where the majority of its popularity hit, so the confusion is understandable.

My brother would play this album all the time when he first got it on cassette, and it was here that I got most of my exposure. Despite this, I dare say it had been over thirty years since I'd heard it, and doing so was quite nice. Like meeting up with an old friend, but seamlessly picking up right where we left off.

There are awesome tracks on the album, but it would be difficult to say which ones they are. Pump Up The Jam is something I like from front to back. Each song either delivers on catchy lyrics which get stuck in your head, or thumping beats that keep your head bopping. Ya Kid K sums it up perfectly in the lyrics to Move This, "Toes be tappin', fingers snappin', hands clappin', my mouth rappin'."

In my book, it truly is one of the last great albums of my favorite decade. Not much more I can really say about it.

Rather than focus on an immediate follow up album, Technotronic would instead release the 1990's remix album Trip on This: The Remixes. It was here that the track, Spin That Wheel, which would also be featured on the soundtrack for the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie would be born. However, when released on the film's soundtrack it was credited to Hi Tek 3.

1991 would see Technotronic join Madonna for the Blonde Ambition Tour as her opening act. However, upon its completion, Ya Kid K would leave the group. She is not featured on their follow up album from that same year, Body To Body. Her hiatus would be brief, as thanks to a Revlon commercial in 1992 which made the song, Move This, a hit that year, she would rejoin. She would also return to the world of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with the self credited, Awesome (You Are My Hero) as the opening track for the soundtrack to Secret Of The Ooze.

Pump Up The Jam would be re-released in 1993, this time with the singer's face on the cover. This was followed in 1995 by their final studio album, Recall. Since then, Technotronic emerges sporadically to release a single, remix or compilation album, but to date have not delivered any full studio releases.

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