The Shamen biography

The Shamen began their evolutionary life in Scotland in the middle of the eighties. Founder member Colin Angus' erudite research into the mystical world of Shamanism, gave the band their name, and his passion for psychedelic 60's music, their sound.

Perfectly updating bands like 13th Floor Elevators and Pink Floyd they released their debut album, "Drop", in 1986. As the decade drew to a close, the band were joined by new member, Will Sin. Will's expertise with technology enabled The Shamen to experiment more, fusing the band's guitar edge with sampled sounds and Hip-Hop rhythms.

1988 saw Colin and Will move to London. It was the "Summer of Love", warehouse raves and illegal clubs. The soundtrack was Acid House and the E's were good. The pair met future member, DJ Mr C at the legendary ‘Clink Street’ parties.

The Shamen's second album "In Gorbachev We Trust", was an amalgam of riffing guitars, samples, funky programmed beats, and lyrics inspired by the unified vibe of the acid house scene.

In 1989 The Shamen made their contribution to the masses with their own take on clubbing, ‘Synergy’. ‘Synergy’ introduced live music to clubbers, and was a seamless, flowing mix between The Shamen and acts like Orbital and Pentatonik, as well as DJ's such as Paul Oakenfold and Mixmaster Morris. The system utilized rave culture elements such as strobes, projectors, psychedelic lighting and virtual reality equipment to create a multi-sensory experience. Ground breaking as it was, ‘Synergy’ was toured the UK for nearly two years.

It was around this time in 1989 the band signed to One Little Indian and got straight to work releasing three 12” EP’s leading up to the release of the bands third album, "Entact". It was to be a productive relationship that would last for the next seven years.

The album burst on to the UK scene selling over a 100,000 copies in the UK. One of its singles, "Pro>Gen", (their first to feature Mr C) became an anthem of the rave generation, played by DJ's everywhere. With their eyes on the charts, they re-recorded "Pro>Gen", such was the demand for it, but after filming the video, Will Sin tragically drowned.

Naturally, the band’s future was thrown into doubt, but Colin knew how much the band meant to Will and everyone else concerned and they decided to carry on.

"Move Any Mountain - Progen 91" was re-released in July 1991, catapulting The Shamen into the charts and staying in the National Top 5 for weeks.

Further incorporating Mr C's rapping style and a new guest vocalist, Jhelisa Anderson, 1992 saw the next stage in the Shamen's metamorphosis.
They released their fourth album “Boss Drum”.

The album was preceded by two singles including their fifteenth, a parody on rave culture. "Ebeneezer Goode" hit Number 1 in the National Charts, whilst the album sold over a million copies worldwide.

The album spawned further hit singles, but it wasn't just another pop record. The Shamen aimed to make people think, not just dance.

The Shamen's next album, "Axis Mutatis", featured new guest vocalist, Victoria Wilson James (VWJ) and was released in 1995. The album’s title refers to the tree of life, the ancient symbol found in virtually all Shamanic cultures, which links the underworld with the earth and the heavens.

More complex than "Boss Drum", the album's lyrics again covered socio-political issues such as the earth's growing eco-crisis and the Criminal Justice Act, while drawing attention to the spirituality of Shamanism. Musically it linked the multi-dimensional possibilities of electronic music, from melodic pop through filmic epics to atmospheric spacey techno. As a signpost to future direction, the band simultaneously released a limited edition companion album, "Arbor Bona, Arbor Mala", which was composed entirely of radical instrumental mutations on the 'Axis' themes.

Always seeking to push out musical and communication boundaries, The Shamen see themselves as an information band. Their Internet site "Nemeton" has constantly played host to unique Web based events, including the releases of the first ever UK band single and LP's on the net, and provides information on the band and Shamanic literary information, and the opportunity to preview samples and video clips of Shamen material.

Via ISDN link ups they've broadcast live on-line gigs to Nemeton, enabling fans to enjoy the show "live" anywhere in the world. "Nemeton" also features a remarkable piece of software devised by Colin to convert the DNA structures of human life into electronic music. "S2 Translation", a track on "Axis Mutatis", was generated using this software.

The Shamen have always had the respect of the club DJ fraternity, both for the quality of their own music output, and for their uncanny ability to foresee and exploit musical trends with the selection of remixers to whom they've given over each of their singles.

The way their live shows work is testament to the thought and effort that goes into them, testament also to the original manifesto of Synergy, ".... a cataclysmic culture clash on the cutting edge, a riot of colour and sound designed to blow your brains out ... indie bands on the dance floor in communion with the house tribe". The Shamen cut it live, whether headlining the main stage at Glastonbury or playing an underground set at Back II Basics.

1996 saw the next stage in The Shamen's evolution. Their schedule saw them spend much of the summer playing festivals throughout Europe. In September the band released their sixth studio album, "Hempton Manor", inspired by and dedicated to hemp, the premier plant of ecology conservation. Recorded in just five days, "Hempton Manor" hybridizes tripped out techno, spacey dub and frenetic drum 'n' bass styles into a typically Shamanic futuristic fusion. They weren't out to make a pop record, a surprise to some, possibly, but to long term Shamen fans, nothing less than is expected. The Shamen did some low-key gigs around the clubs - which harked back to the original spirit of ‘Synergy’ - this time as The Shamen Sound-system, a stripped down instrumental version of the band performing the new tracks from "Hempton Manor" in conjunction with Mr C's highly regarded club, The End.

Colin and Mr C have been in the studio over the past year with VWJ to write and record the new LP "UV".