Pump Up the Volume (song)
A landmark British house single built on samples.
"Pump Up the Volume" is the sole single by the British act MARRS, released in August 1987. It became a number-one hit in multiple countries and is considered a key milestone in British house music and the use of sampling. The title comes from a sample of "I Know You Got Soul" by Eric B. & Rakim.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- MARRS
- B-side
- Anitina (The First Time I See She Dance)
- Released
- 3 August 1987
- Recorded
- 1987
- Genre
- Hip hop; hip house
- Length
- 4:08 (7-inch/video edit); 6:28 (12-inch mix)
- Label
- 4AD
- Writer
- Martyn Young; Steve Young
Facts from the source article.
Background
A.R. Kane had released an EP on One Little Indian Records in late 1986. Dissatisfied with the label's support, Alex Ayuli approached 4AD's Ivo Watts-Russell about signing. One Little Indian's Derek Birkett, believing 4AD was poaching his band, confronted Watts-Russell at the 4AD offices with label designer Paul White and Einar Örn Benediktsson. A 4AD staff member assembled warehouse workers to back Watts-Russell. After a heated argument, A.R. Kane signed to 4AD for a single release. Following the Lollita EP, the band expressed disappointment that One Little Indian had not fulfilled a promise to let them work with Adrian Sherwood. Watts-Russell then suggested they collaborate with Colourbox's Martyn Young.
Production
The collaboration between Colourbox and A.R. Kane did not proceed smoothly. Their differing working methods and personalities clashed in the studio, and producer John Fryer could not mediate. Instead of working jointly, each group recorded a track and then exchanged them for additional input. Colourbox created "Pump Up the Volume", a percussion-driven near-instrumental that used a sample from Eric B. & Rakim for its title. A.R. Kane produced "Anitina (The First Time I See She Dance)" in a separate studio. Colourbox added a heavy drum-machine rhythm and effects to "Anitina", while A.R. Kane overdubbed guitar onto "Pump Up the Volume". DJs Chris "C.J." Mackintosh and Dave Dorrell contributed scratch mix effects and samples. Colourbox objected to including "Anitina" as the B-side and wanted the track released solely under their name. Watts-Russell overruled them, partly due to Martyn Young's slow work rate, and issued the single as MARRS as originally intended. The tracks were sent to UK dance clubs in July 1987 on an anonymous white label. "Pump Up the Volume" became the more popular side. The 12-inch single was released on 24 August and entered the UK chart at number 35. A remix released a week later, which added samples from Public Enemy, Criminal Element Orchestra and the Bar-Kays, became the best-known version and was edited for the 7-inch single.
Legacy and influence
As one of the first major British house hits, "Pump Up the Volume" marked a shift in the genre's popularity. Eric B. & Rakim's "Paid in Full" also reached the top 20 in November, and both tracks borrowed from Coldcut's earlier UK success "Say Kids What Time Is It?". The record industry was caught off-guard by the rapid impact of "Pump Up the Volume". The floodgates for British house hits on independent labels opened in February 1988, four months after the track reached the top ten. Many of these early hits were influenced by MARRS. While some early house records used minimal sampling, the sampling angle captured public attention. Follow-up hits included "Beat Dis" by Bomb the Bass, "Bass (How Low Can You Go?)" by Simon Harris, "Theme from S-Express" by S'Express, and "Doctorin' the House" by Coldcut featuring Yazz and the Plastic Population. These inspired imitators across Europe and the U.S. The sample montage trend soon faded as later records recycled the same samples, notably on Tolga Flim Flam Balkan's "Best of Joint Mix". Litigation over unlicensed samples led to the adage "Where there's a hit — there's a writ". The sampling style was parodied by Star Turn on 45 (Pints) with "Pump Up the Bitter" and by Harry Enfield's "Loadsamoney" single. Les Adams, as LA Mix, released "Check This Out", which replayed soundbites from "Pump Up the Volume" before a voice yells "Oh not again! Get off!" Tastes then shifted toward acid house.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Pump Up the Volume (song) released?
Pump Up the Volume was released on 3 August 1987.
Who wrote Pump Up the Volume (song)?
Pump Up the Volume was written by Martyn Young and Steve Young.
More in 4th & B'way Records Singles
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