Years active 1986–20002006 | Website www.uds.nl | |
Labels AristaSony BMGTriple X Origin Utrecht, Netherlands (1986) Genres Rap rock, Rap metal, Funk metal Albums Life 'n Perspectives of a Genu, Mental Floss for the Globe, Persona Non Grata, Artantica, Planet Ultra | ||
Urban dance squad alienated
Urban Dance Squad was a Dutch rap rock band formed after what was originally intended as a one-time jam-session at a festival in Utrecht on December 20, 1986. The band consisted of a guitarist, bassist, drummer, rapper, and DJ. Their music is described as a blend of genres including funk, soul, heavy metal, hip hop, reggae, jazz and ska. Urban Dance Squad was one of the most successful Dutch bands of the nineties, releasing five studio albums.
Contents
- Urban dance squad alienated
- Urban dance squad five years of disorder subtitles
- Career
- Band members
- AlbumsCompilations
- Film
- Documentary
- Songs
- References
Urban dance squad five years of disorder subtitles
Career
Urban Dance Squad first got together in 1986, at a jam session in De Vrije Vloer, a club in Utrecht, a jam which resulted in the first Dutch rock band with a rapper (they borrowed the name from Parliament-Funkadelic's Urban Dancefloor Guerillas); a song, "Struggle for Jive"; and the blending of white and black music in the Netherlands, at the same time that Fishbone, Living Colour, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers were doing the same in the United States. The band recorded its first album, Mental Floss for the Globe, in Brussels in 1989 (produced by Jean-Marie Aerts, of TC Matic), and came to instant success. It won an Edison Award, and the single "Deeper Shade of Soul" was a hit in Europe and even in the United States, where it charted at number 21 in the United States on Billboard Hot 100. Two more singles were released from the album, and Urban Dance Squad toured the US in 1991, opening up for Living Colour--The Pittsburgh Press described their music as "refried Zeppelin riffs and neo-Hendrix guitar solos complete with sound effects and old soul records to produce an exceedingly loud, densely packed, dissonant garage-rock stew." The UDS had always been a volatile unit with the band members frequently arguing, and this came to a head while touring as the opening act for U2, after the release of Life 'n Perspectives of a Genuine Crossover, when DJ DNA quit abruptly.
In the middle of the band's career, to capitalize on the success of grunge and alternative rock, Urban Dance Squad released Persona Non Grata in January 1994. All of the tracks feature heavy use of distortion and guitar. The singles "No Honestly" and "Candy Strip Exp." were released, the latter single being released as a radio edit that cuts most of the pre-song noise.
Artantica saw release in 1999, and was a return to the band's hip-hop roots, and received critical acclaim. Urban Dance Squad disbanded the following year, though they did perform together again as late as 2006.
Band members
Albums/Compilations
Film
Documentary
Songs
Deeper Shade of SoulMental Floss for the Globe · 1990
DemagoguePersona Non Grata · 1994
Good GriefPersona Non Grata · 1994