“Oye Cómo Va” (“Listen to how”) is a 1962 cha-cha-cha by Tito Puente, originally released on El Rey Bravo. The block chord ostinato pattern that repeats throughout the song was most likely borrowed by Puente from Cachao’s 1957 mambo “Chanchullo”, which was recorded by Puente in 1959. The song achieved worldwide popularity in 1970, when it was recorded by American rock group Santana for their album Abraxas. This version was released as a single in 1971, reaching number 13 on the Billboard but did not chart in the UK. The song has been remixed by DJs as well. A remix of Tito Puente Jr & The Latin Rhythm’s 1996 version of the song reached No. 36 in the UK charts.
“Encore Une Fois” (“One more time”) is a song by German DJ group Sash!, released in January 1997 as the second single from their debut album, It’s My Life (1997). It features French vocals by German vocalist Sabine Ohmes and found huge success in clubs throughout the world. To date, it is one of Sash!’s biggest hits. In the UK, it was released in February 1997 and propelled itself to number two in the UK, quickly earning a Gold certification. Throughout Europe, the track became a top 10 smash in countries such as Belgium, Finland, France, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden. In Greece and Ireland, the song reached the top of the charts. In the United States, the song became a club smash and hit number one on the Billboard chart, staying on the chart for fourteen weeks.
“Inkanyezi Nezazi” (“The Star and the Wiseman”) is a song recorded by Ladysmith Black Mambazoa who are a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They became known internationally after singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album Graceland. In 1997, for a run of UK television advertisements, “Toast for Life”, for Heinz soups, baked beans and tomato ketchup, the group recorded an abridged version of “Inkanyezi Nezazi”. The adverts proved so popular that the original studio version (recorded back in 1992) was released as a single and reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart.
“Alane” is a song recorded by Cameroonian artist Wes. It was released in May 1997 as the debut single from his album, Welenga (1996). It became a hit across Europe, topping the charts in Austria, Belgium, France and the Netherlands. It is sung in the Duala language of Cameroon although the Tony Moran remix includes English lyrics (“Alane flows like a fountain, running gently to your heart. Alane dances inside me, like a flame in to your arms”). In France, the song was sponsored by TFI, RTL and the Malongo Coffees. The single spent ten weeks at number-one and remained in the top 50 for 25 weeks, ten of them at the top (and a further 9 weeks in the Top 10.) The song also reached No. 1 in several European countries and No. 11 in the UK.
“Ecuador” is a song produced by German DJ and record production team Sash! featuring fellow German DJ Rodriguez. It was released in April 1997 as the third single from their debut album, It’s My Life (1997). The song became an international hit, peaking at number one in Flanders, Romania, Bulgaria and Scotland, as well as on the American and Canadian dance charts. It reached the top 20 in more than ten other countries worldwide. In the United Kingdom, “Ecuador” was almost as successful as “Encore une fois”, reaching number two in the charts and earning Sash! a platinum certification for sales and streams.
