Black Grape
Black Grape was started by vocalist/bandleader and dancer of after the dissolution of that group in 1993. Shaun and Bez added and , both of the hip hop group , as second vocalist/rapper and drummer, respectively, and also guitarist from the baggy/madchester/indie-dance group . Gluing the sound together was , a talented and prolific producer/remixer/multi-instrumentalist from Los Angeles, California. The combination of this supergroup of musicians essentially assured that resultant sound would fuse together the drugged- and thugged-out baggy attitude of the Mondays with a denser, brighter electronic and hip hop production style, and very well-produced rhythm tracks. Sonically, Black Grape emerged fully formed: harder-edged and brasher altogether than the Happy Mondays; elements of funk, hip hop, electronic, and soul, all of which were present in the previous group’s music became far more saturated and less understated in the new group’s style. One British music journalist of the time rather enthusiastically described Black Grape’s debut album as “the party Prince was describing in the song ‘1999’.”
