View source for The Shamen

{{Short description|Scottish band (1985–1999)}}
{{distinguish|Shaman|Shamen|Samen|the Shaymen}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{More citations needed|date=August 2009}}
{{Fan POV|date=March 2021}}
}}
{{Use Scottish English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See WP:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name                = The Shamen
| image               = The Shamen (1990).jpg
| caption             = The Shamen performing in Oxford (1990)
| image_size          =
| landscape           = yes
| background          = group_or_band
| origin              = [[Aberdeen]], Scotland
| instrument          =
| genre               = {{flatlist|
* [[Psychedelic music|Psychedelia]]
* [[indie dance]]
* [[Electronic music|electronic]]
}}
| occupation          =
| years_active        = 1985–1999
| label               = {{flatlist|
* [[Moksha Records|Moksha]]
* [[One Little Indian Records|One Little Indian]]
* [[Epic Records|Epic]]}}
| associated_acts     =
| website             =
| current_members     =
| past_members        = Colin Angus<br />Bob Breeks<br />John Delafons<br />Gavin Knight<br />[[Plavka|Plavka Lonich]]<br />Derek McKenzie<br />Keith McKenzie<br />Allison Morrison<br />Richard Sharpe<br />Will Sinnott<small> (deceased) </small><br />Peter Stephenson<br />[[Mr C|Richard West (Mr C)]]<br />[[Victoria Wilson-James]]<br />Jhelisa Anderson
}}

'''The Shamen''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʃ|eɪ|m|ɛ|n}} {{Respell|SHAY|men}}) were a Scottish psychedelic band,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://drownedinsound.com/artists/The_Shamen|title=The Shamen|website=Drownedinsound.com|access-date=22 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.moksha.co.uk/moksha-management/the-shamen/|title=moksha management : the shamen|website=Moksha.co.uk|access-date=22 August 2025}}</ref> formed in 1985 in [[Aberdeen]], who became a chart-topping [[electronic dance music]] act on the [[UK Singles Chart]] by the early 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/26087/shamen/|title=SHAMEN &#124; full Official Chart History &#124; Official Charts Company|website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]]}}</ref> The founding members were Colin Angus, Derek McKenzie and Keith McKenzie. Peter Stephenson joined shortly after to take over on keyboards from Angus. Several other people were later in the band. Angus then teamed up with Will Sinnott, and together they found credibility as pioneers of [[dance-rock|rock/dance]] crossover.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}} When rapper [[Mr. C]] joined, the band moved on to international commercial success with "[[Ebeneezer Goode]]" and their 1992 ''[[Boss Drum]]'' album.

==History==
===1980s===
The Shamen were preceded by [[Alone Again Or]], the [[Love (band)|Love]]-inspired name under which they recorded their first [[psychedelic music|psychedelic]] [[electropop|electronic pop]] singles.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=1074}}</ref> After their name change, further singles picked up airplay from [[John Peel]].{{citation needed|date=December 2023}} Released in June 1987, the Shamen's first album, ''[[Drop (Shamen album)|Drop]]'', demonstrated their love of 1960s [[psychedelia]],<ref name="Larkin"/> with influences such as Love, [[Syd Barrett]] and [[the 13th Floor Elevators]].

By mid-1987, [[frontman]] Colin Angus was discovering the sounds of early [[house music|house-music]] pioneers,<ref name="Larkin"/> such as [[S-Express]] and [[M/A/R/R/S]], and increasing his knowledge of the latest studio equipment. By September 1987, the Shamen were applying these techniques to their own music, mixing rock guitars, techno and hip-hop rhythms and sampled radio voices, which was to prove influential to groups like [[Jesus Jones]] and [[EMF (band)|EMF]]. Their single "Christopher Mayhew Says", released in late 1987, was their first to experiment with beat machines and samples, fused with their psychedelic rock sound. However, the newfound sound proved too radical for co-founder and vocalist Derek McKenzie, who left the band in late 1987 to study at university.<ref name="Larkin"/> The Shamen were suddenly one crucial player short. Help was at hand from the Glaswegian Will Sinnott (23 December 1960 – 23 May 1991), aka Will Sin, who joined the group in October 1987, on bass and keyboards,<ref name="Larkin"/> freeing up Angus to handle vocals and guitar. Sinnott's musical background was an extensive one. He had already made an impression as part of the [[Can (band)|Can]]/[[The Sensational Alex Harvey Band|SAHB]] influenced improvisation troupe Edith and the Ladies, and his father, a master wood craftsman, had made guitars for [[the Incredible String Band]] and [[John Martyn]]. At the start of 1988, the first music videos were shot for the Shamen: "Christopher Mayhew Says" and "Knature of a Girl".

"Knature of a Girl" was the first record by the Shamen to feature Sinnott, but it was not until June's "Jesus Loves Amerika" single that the techno influence began to show.<ref name="Larkin"/> By this stage, Angus and Sinnott had become hooked on the [[acid house]] movement taking place in London, and its music and clubs were to exert an influence on the pair. Keith McKenzie and Peter Stephenson were less impressed by these new developments, and left the group the following summer, after the January 1989 release of the ''[[In Gorbachev We Trust]]'' album, which saw the group further enhancing their sound. Over summer 1988, they met Mr. C and Evil Eddie Richards, who later both worked with the Shamen to help them transition their music into the rave scene.

Angus and Sinnott relocated to London, allowing them to start afresh, and plunge into the emerging rave scene. 1989 was a busy year, as they set out on their Synergy tour, a nightclub experience,<ref name="Larkin"/> combined with live music from the Shamen and others like [[Orbital (band)|Orbital]], and with DJing from [[Paul Oakenfold]], [[Mixmaster Morris]], Mr C, and [[Eddie Richards|Evil Eddie Richards]]. The tour was to last nearly two years. Synergy was innovative at the time, as a touring rock dance club introducing live bands to clubbers, and house, techno and ambient DJs to rock fans.<ref name="Larkin"/> The Shamen also released the ''[[Phorward]]'' mini album, produced by ex-Fiction Factory singer/songwriter Kevin Patterson.

===1990s===
Their third album, ''[[En-Tact]]'', was released in 1990, and it spawned the hit singles "[[Move Any Mountain]] (Progen '91)", "Hyperreal" and "Make It Mine". Also notable was the appearance of rapper, DJ and producer Mr. C, as well as incorporation of a female vocalist, [[Plavka|Plavka Lonich]] – who was intended to become the focal point of the group. The transformation into a successful [[rave]] party act was complete. Tensions had already begun to show, however – the band's barely concealed espousal of the then-fashionable new psychedelic drugs and the artistic pressures of altering direction from that of an acceptably skilled guitar band to an electronic dance act. As they continued their Synergy tour, their popularity in the United Kingdom began to rapidly expand. "Hyperreal", released in March 1991, reached number 28 on the [[UK Singles Chart]]. By this time, they realised they were on their way to reaching mainstream popularity. Every Synergy Live show on the fifth and sixth leg of tours were sold out. On the sixth leg of Synergy in April 1991, Gavin Knight and Richard Sharpe joined as the live drummer and keyboardist for the Shamen respectively.

In May 1991, with the increased popularity of their band, Will Sin decided to release an EP entitled "U Make Me Feel" with an unknown female singer under the pseudonym Elsi Curry, and it was released as a promotional record. Later that same month, after the Sixth Mark of the Synergy Tour, and a one-week tour of Russia, the Shamen headed to [[Tenerife]], to film a video for "Move Any Mountain". On 23 May, Will Sinnott drowned whilst swimming off the coast of [[La Gomera]].<ref>Bainbridge, L. (2013). The True Story of Acid House: Britain's Last Youth Culture Revolution. London: Omnibus Press.</ref> Colin Angus later said: "When it first happened, I was still reeling from the shock of Will's completely unexpected and tragic death, and I couldn't think about the Shamen at all, couldn't see how anything could continue. But as I came to terms with it and thought about the situation I realised that what the Shamen was about was positivity and that positivity is like the spirit of the music and positivity acknowledges the need for change. So for those reasons I elected to carry on and also I knew that the name Shamen really meant a lot to Will and that was one of the main attractions for joining the band for him."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chaoscontrol.com/content_article.php?article=shamen |title=Archive of over 20 years of musician and band interviews |website=Chaoscontrol.com |access-date=2016-02-16}}</ref>

In July 1991, Plavka Lonich chose to leave the band, because she was planning to start on her solo career.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.plavka.com/notw.jpg |access-date=1 June 2008 |url-status=dead |date=July 1991 |title=Shamen Shambles as Singer Hops It |website=Plavka.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221211444/http://www.plavka.com/notw.jpg |archive-date=21 February 2007 }}</ref> After finding a new female singer, Cheryl Melder, the Shamen embarked on the start of their Progeny tour.
With Mr. C now a full-time member of the Shamen, and Soul Family Sensation's{{#tag:ref|This One Little Indian act featuring [[Republica|Republica's]] Johnny Male were also known as Sensation when Jhelisa left the band.<ref>Sensation – ''Burger Habit'' 1993 One Little Indian catalogue number TPLP45CD</ref>|group="nb"}}  [[Jhelisa Anderson]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uk.blastingnews.com/entertainment/2021/10/musical-maverick-jhelisa-anderson-releases-long-awaited-new-concept-album-7-keys-003381714.html|title = Musical Maverick Jhelisa Anderson releases long awaited new concept album '7 Keys'|website=Uk.blastingnews.com|date = 11 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/27006/soul-family-sensation/|title=SOUL FAMILY SENSATION &#124; full Official Chart History|website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/jhelisa|title=JHELISA|website=Jazzmusicarchives.com|access-date=22 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://intothepopvoid.com/2015/04/30/soul-family-sensation-the-day-you-went-away/|title = Soul Family Sensation – the Day You Went Away|website=Intothepopvoid.com|date = 30 April 2015}}</ref> (who was chosen to replace Plavka, as she was already a One Little Indian artist) providing guest vocals, the ''[[Boss Drum]]'' album followed in 1992.<ref name="Larkin"/> ''Boss Drum'' featured a spoken-word collaboration, "Re:Evolution" with [[Terence McKenna]], and the Shamen's biggest and most controversial hit: "[[Ebeneezer Goode]]".<ref name="Larkin"/> "Ebeneezer Goode" was accused of promoting drug use, owing to the refrain, 'Ezer Goode, Ezer Goode' as [[homophony|homophonic]] with 'E's are good' (E being slang for the drug [[MDMA|ecstasy]]), 'He
s ever so good, he's Ebenezer Goode' (using the homophony of "he" and "E"), and to [[double entendre]] drug references throughout the song.<ref name="Larkin"/> This echoed similar references in previous songs such as "Synergy"'s '[[MDMA]]-zing... we are together in ecstasy'. Despite – or maybe because of – the subsequent storm of publicity, the song reached the top of the UK Singles Chart and stayed there for four weeks.<ref name="Larkin"/>

Subsequent singles such as "Boss Drum" and "Phorever People" were chart hits, but Terence McKenna observed:
:Nothing ruins you for the underground like success. So when ''Boss Drum'' went double platinum, they were obviously 'establishment'...  I've talked to Colin about this, and he agrees. It would have been wonderful to hit it big at 23. At 35 it becomes a pain in the ass, and you just have to manage the money and the image.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.capnasty.org/taf/issue4/mckenna.htm |title=Interview with Terrence McKenna, ICA, London, 11/10/96, by Gyrus & John Eden |journal=The Annihilation Fountain |issue=#4 |access-date=3 March 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060106092948/http://www.capnasty.org/taf/issue4/mckenna.htm |archive-date=6 January 2006 }}</ref>

However, the Shamen's new mainstream popularity enabled them to release an unusually large number of remix singles, EPs, and LPs during the ''Boss Drum'' era, including the "Face EP", the "S.O.S. EP", and the ''On Air'' and ''Different Drum'' albums. ''On Air'' featured a series of popular tracks from ''En-Tact'' and ''Boss Drum'' as performed live on BBC radio; ''Different Drum'' was a remix album containing alternate versions of every track from ''Boss Drum''.  The tracks "Boss Drum", "[[LSI (Love Sex Intelligence)]]", "[[Phorever People]]", "Ebeneezer Goode", and "Re:Evolution" were all released as singles in their own right. It was however impossible for the band to fully escape the shadow that Sinnot's death had cast across them. At a time and in a scene when performers were often both masked and anonymous, the emerging early 1990s dance music world had lost one of its more notable personalities.<ref name="Larkin"/>

''[[Axis Mutatis]]'' was released in 1995,<ref name="Larkin"/> with new vocalist [[Victoria Wilson-James]] replacing [[Jhelisa Anderson]]. Early special editions of this album featured a bonus disk, ''Arbor Bona Arbor Mala'', an experimental ambient album.

Always seeking to push out musical and communication boundaries, the Shamen saw themselves as an information band. Their Internet site ''Nemeton''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nemeton.com/static/nemeton/axis-mutatis/ |title=Welcome to Axis Mutatis |website=Nemeton.com |access-date=2016-02-16}}</ref> was amongst the first British music sites to host unique Web based events, e.g. releasing the first ever single and LP on the net in 1995<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/seancuttlefish/2658102305/in/photostream/ |title=Internet Today Issue 11 – Sep 1995 &#124; Flickr – Photo Sharing! |website=Flickr.com |date=11 July 2008 |access-date=4 April 2012}}</ref> and it also features a remarkable piece of software devised by Angus to convert the DNA structures of human life into electronic music. "S2 Translation", a track on ''Axis Mutatis'', was generated using this software.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nemeton.com/static/nemeton/axis-mutatis/s2.html |title=S2 Translation |website=Nemeton.com |access-date=4 April 2012}}</ref>

The Shamen continued recording into the late 1990s, releasing two additional LPs with an increasingly experimental bent. Their penultimate studio album, the instrumental ''[[Hempton Manor]]'', followed an acrimonious split with their label [[One Little Indian]]. It is alleged to have been recorded in seven days to conclude the recording contract with One Little Indian, and the first letter of each track spells out "Fuck Birket", referring to label founder [[Derek Birket]], who wanted the group to move back into more commercial territory.<ref name=dcog/> ''[[UV (album)|UV]]'', in 1998, was their last album. ''UV'' was released independently on [[Moksha Records|Moksha Recordings]].

Mr. C has since continued as a [[house music]] DJ and became a [[nightclub]] owner of [[The End (club)|The End]] club. As of 2007, he was also recording as a member of Sycophant Slags, with Francis Harris a.k.a. Adultnapper on Mr. C's Superfreq Records label. Colin Angus worked on a project called Pablo Sandoz, from 2004 to 2008.

==Band members==
===Final lineup===
* Colin Angus – [[vocals]], [[guitar]], [[keyboard instrument|keyboards]], [[bass guitar]] (1985–1999)
* Bob Breeks – keyboards (1992–1999)
* Gavin Knight – drums, electronic percussion (1991–1999)
* Richard West ([[Mr. C]]) – vocals, keyboards (1990–1999)
* [[Victoria Wilson-James]] – vocals (1993–1999)

===Former members===
* Alexis Blackmore ([[Blue Boy (DJ)|Lex Icon]]) - vocals, keyboards, turntables (1990-1991)
* John Delafons – [[drum]]s, [[electronic drums|electronic percussion]] (1989–1990)
* [[Plavka|Plavka Lonich]] - vocals, (1990-1991)
* Derek McKenzie – vocals, guitar (1985–1987)
* Keith McKenzie – drums, electronic percussion (1985–1988)
* Allison Morrison – keyboards, vocals (1985–1986)
* Richard Sharpe – keyboards (1991–1992)
* Will Sinnott (Will Sin) – bass guitar, keyboards, vocals (1987–1991, his death)
* Peter Stephenson – keyboards (1986–1988)

===Touring members===
* [[Jhelisa Anderson]] – vocals (1992–1993)
* Cody "The Chuck" H. – vocals (1991–1993)
* Cheryl Melder – live vocals (1991–1992)
* DJ Stika – turntables (1990)

==Discography==
{{Main|The Shamen discography}}
* ''[[Drop (The Shamen album)|Drop]]'' (1987)
* ''[[In Gorbachev We Trust]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Phorward]]'' (1989)
* ''[[En-Tact]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Boss Drum]]'' (1992)
* ''[[Axis Mutatis]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Hempton Manor]]'' (1996)
* ''[[UV (album)|UV]]'' (1998)

==See also==
* [[List of Billboard number-one dance club songs|List of ''Billboard'' number-one dance club songs]]
* [[List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart]]
* [[List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1990s]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group="nb"}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="dcog">
   "Shamen, The – Hempton Manor (CD, Album) at Discogs"
   Discogs.com, 2009, webpage:
   [http://www.discogs.com/Shamen-Hempton-Manor/release/145358 DC]:
   notes "the first letter of each track spell...".
</ref>
}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite encyclopedia|url=https://archive.org/details/roughguidetorock0003unse/page/926|title=The Rough Guide to Rock|edition=3rd|editor-last=Buckley|editor-first=Peter|last1=Jacobs|first1=Daniel|last2=Wren|first2=David|year=2003|contribution=The Shamen|pages=[https://archive.org/details/roughguidetorock0003unse/page/926 926–927]|location=London|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=1-84353-105-4|via=the [[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{cite encyclopedia|url=https://archive.org/details/contemporarymusi00luan_1/page/209|last=Frentner|first=Shawn|contribution=The Shamen|editor-last=Brennan|editor-first=Luann|title=Contemporary Musicians: Profile of the People in Music|volume=23|location=Detroit, London|publisher=Gale|year=1999|pages=[https://archive.org/details/contemporarymusi00luan_1/page/209 209–211]|isbn=0-7876-2091-2|issn=1044-2197|via=the Internet Archive}}

==External links==
* [http://www.nemeton.com/ Shamen website]
* [https://www.youtube.com/ShamenTV/ Official Shamen YouTube channel]

{{The Shamen}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shamen}}
[[Category:The Shamen| ]]
[[Category:Scottish psychedelic rock music groups]]
[[Category:British electronic music groups]]
[[Category:One Little Independent Records artists]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1985]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1999]]
[[Category:1985 establishments in the United Kingdom]]