Pump Up the Jam

"Pump Up the Jam"
Common variant of the standard artwork
Single by Technotronic
from the album Pump Up the Jam: The Album
Released18 August 1989
Genre
Length5:20
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Thomas De Quincey
Technotronic singles chronology
"Pump Up the Jam"
(1989) 		"Get Up! (Before the Night Is Over)"
(1990)
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.[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]

  1. ^ a b Owen, Frank (March 1990). "Belgium in the House". Spin. Vol. 5, no. 12. p. 21. ISSN 0886-3032. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b Bogdanov, Vladimir, ed. (2003). All Music Guide to Hip-hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap & Hip-hop. Backbeat Books. p. 568. ISBN 978-0-8793-0759-2. 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.
  3. ^ Breihan, Tom (1 September 2021). "The Number Ones: Michael Bolton's "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You". Stereogum. Retrieved 2 December 2023. Technotronic's...hip-house throb "Pump Up The Jam" peaked at #2 behind "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You
  4. ^ Leber, Sebastian (20 December 2007). "Die entstaubte Bassdrum". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  5. ^ "Pump up the Jam: Het verhaal van een wereldhit die ontstond in de traphal". 7 March 2018.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference BPI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Ross, Annabel (14 June 2013). "'Pump up the Jam' mix master in the house". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  8. ^ Hunt, Dennis (15 April 1990). "Technotronic's Bogaert Is Pumped Up by U.S. Hit". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  9. ^ "A History of Modern Music: Dance". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Slant was invoked but never defined (see the help page).