Newcleus was an American electro and old school hip-hop group that gained popularity in the early 1980s. The group is primarily known for its 12-inch singles "Jam-On's Revenge" (re-released as "Jam on Revenge (The Wikki-Wikki Song)" (1983)) and "Jam on It" (1984).
The group was based in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Their appearance overlapped with the formative years of hip-hop DJing in the Bronx.
The sequencer line from its 1984 song "Automan" was adapted by German euro-dance project Snap! on the group's 1992 single "Rhythm Is a Dancer", which featured lyrics written and performed by American singer and songwriter Thea Austin as well as hip-hop rhymes by American rapper Turbo B, and became a major international hit.
History
Formation
A precursor to the group, known as Jam-On Productions, was formed in 1977 in Brooklyn, New York City, and included teenagers Ben "Cozmo D" Cenac and his cousins Monique and Pierre "Pete" Angevin. The group's popularity grew as it played block parties in Brooklyn. By 1979, the primary group's members were Cenac, Yvette "Lady E" Cook (who would later marry Cozmo D), Monique Angevin, and Bob "Chilly B" Crafton (who would later marry Monique Angevin). The group eventually signed with Sunnyview Records, which was later acquired by Rhino Records in the 1990s.
The follow-up, "Jam on It," did well on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 56. </blockquote>
A third release, "Computer Age (Push the Button)" reached the R&B top 40.
Media appearances
"Jam on It" is heard in a Halloween party sequence in Blind, the first of non-fiction filmmaker Frederick Wiseman's four films released in 1986 about the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind. It was also featured in the 1998 film The Wedding Singer.
Newcleus' songs have been used in several video games. "Computer Age" appears in Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX, and "Jam on It" appears in both Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 2 and DJ Hero 2, the latter featuring a newly re-recorded version of the song.
Remixes
- 2006: "Destination Earth" (Definitive version) — remixes by Sbassship and Reeno; released on Dominance Electricity Records, Germany
- 2018: "Teknology – The Third Millennium Remixes" (Jam-On Recordings)
Discography
Albums
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album
! scope="col" colspan="3"| Peak chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Record label
|-
! style="width:35px;"| <small>US</small><br>
|-
| 1984
| align="left"| Jam on Revenge
| align=center | 74
| align=center | 15
| align=center | 84
| rowspan="2"| Sunnyview Records
|-
| 1985
| align="left"| Space Is the Place
| align=center | ―
| align=center | 43
| align=center | ―
|-
| 1990
| align="left"| Jam on This
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| Bellaphon Records
|-
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
|}
Compilations
- 1993: The Next Generation (Home Base/Hot Productions/Unidisc Records)
- 1997: Jam on This! — The Best of Newcleus (Rhino/Atlantic)
- 1997: Jam for the 90's (Home Base Records)
- 2004: Destination: Earth — The Definitive Newcleus Recordings (Jam-On Productions)
- 2006: Newcleus Classic Double Pack (Deeplay Soultec)
Singles
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title
! scope="col" colspan="4"| Peak chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album
|-
! style="width:35px;"| <small>US</small><br>
|-
| 1983
| "Jam on Revenge (The Wikki-Wikki Song)"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | 26
| align=center | ―
| align=center | 44
| rowspan="5"| Jam on Revenge
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1984
| "Jam on It"
| align=center | 56
| align=center | 9
| align=center | 16
| align=center | 89
|-
| "Computer Age (Push the Button)"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | 31
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|-
| "Automan"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1985
| "Destination Earth (1999)"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|-
| "Space Is the Place"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| rowspan="4"| Space Is the Place
|-
| "I Wanna Be a B-Boy"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | 74
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|-
| "Let's Jam"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | 74
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|-
| 1986
| "Na Na Beat"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | 77
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|-
| 1987
| "Huxtable House Party"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1988
| "She's Bad"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|
|-
| "We're So Hyped!"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1990
| "Jam on This"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| rowspan="2"| Jam on This
|-
| "50 Ways to Get Funky"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|-
| 1994
| "Trigger"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|
|-
| colspan="7" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
|}
References
External links
- Jam-On Productions
- Official Jam-On Forums
- Official Jam-On the Groove Podcast Downloads
- Complete discography