Snap! is a German Eurodance group formed in 1989 by producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti, under the aliases Benito Benites and John “Virgo” Garrett III, as they thought that the public had negative preconceived ideas of German music. Their first hit, “The Power”, which was fronted by American rapper Turbo B and singer Penny Ford, peaked at No. 2 in Germany in April 1990 and spent five weeks in that position, eventually going Gold for sales of 250,000 units. The single topped the charts in the United Kingdom and picked up a Silver award. In the U.S., it reached No. 2 on the Billboard and was certified Platinum.
Jackie Harris was used to mime Ford’s vocals in the “Power” video and left the group shortly after, and Ford became its full-time lead singer, recording the second single, “Ooops Up”, a re-working of “I Don’t Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Ooops!)”, a 1980 hit by the Gap Band, with which Penny was a former backing singer. “Oops Up” was another No. 2 hit in Germany, spending nine weeks in the position. The single entered the top 5 in the UK, picking up another Silver award, and it was awarded a Gold certification in the U.S. Further hits followed, with the oriental-sounding “Cult of Snap”, which charted at No. 3 in Germany and No. in the UK, and “Mary Had a Little Boy”, which went up to No. 4 in Germany, and again No. 8 in the UK. The band’s first album, World Power, reached No. 7 in Germany, No. 10 in the UK, and No. 30 in the U.S. The album went Platinum in Germany and Gold in the UK and U.S.
In 1991, American singer, composer, songwriter, and dancer Thea Austin joined Snap!’s lineup and helped write the song “Rhythm is a Dancer”, which was initially planned to be the lead single from the second album but was pushed back, and “Colour of Love” was released in its place. This track managed to peak at No. 9 in Germany but stalled at No. 54 in the UK. “Rhythm Is a Dancer”, which used a sample from the song “Automan” by early 1980s American electronic hip hop band Newcleus, was issued as the second single, in July 1992, and went on to become Snap!’s biggest hit to date, shooting to No. 1 in Germany, the UK, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium. In the U.S., it peaked at No. 5, collecting another Gold. At home in Germany, the single went Platinum and picked up a Gold in the UK. The third single, “Exterminate”, charted at No. 3 in Germany and No. 2 in the UK and went Gold in the band’s home country.
‘The Madman’s Return’, Snap!’s second album, did well in the charts, peaking at No. 3 in Germany and entering the top 10 in the UK, the Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland. Around the time of its release, Turbo B decided to leave the project due to disagreements with the production duo. The album went Gold in Germany and the UK. One more single was released, titled “Do You See the Light”, and featured Niki Haris. Münzing and Anzilotti recruited singer Summer (Paula Brown) to front the act for the third album. Snap! moved towards a progressive house sound and released the first single, called “Welcome to Tomorrow (Are You Ready?)”, in September 1994. The track peaked at No. 4 in Germany and No. 6 in the UK and was followed by the album, also titled Welcome to Tomorrow. The second single, “The First, the Last Eternity (Till the End)”, was a moderate hit in the UK but managed to climb as high as No. 7 in Germany.
In 1996, the group officially disbanded after releasing a greatest hits compilation called Snap! Attack: The Best of Snap! The act returned in 2000 with a track entitled “Gimme a Thrill”, complete with rap lyrics performed by Turbo B and vocals from the band’s newest singer, Maxayn. It didn’t attract much attention and peaked only at No. 11 in the German dance charts. A new album, called One Day on Earth, was planned for release around this time but was cancelled. A new version of “Do You See the Light”, remixed by Plaything, was released in 2002. The following year, a remix album, The Cult of Snap!, came out, and re-worked singles were issued. “Rhythm Is a Dancer 2003” peaked at No. 7 in Germany and No. 17 in the UK, while “The Power (of Bhangra 2003)” charted moderately in Austria, Switzerland, and Denmark.
