Definition of Sound
Definition of Sound was a London-based dance-music group, consisting of Kevin Clark and Don Weekes, working with musicians Rex Brough (aka The Red King) and later Mike Spencer. Their second and fourth singles, "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" (1991) and "Moira Jane's Café" (1992) were in the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart. The group also had several songs enter the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, including "Moira Jane's Café", which hit No. 1 in 1992.
Career
Clark and Weekes first recorded together in 1988, using the name Top Billin.[1][2] They released two songs, "Naturally" and "Straight From the Soul", on the Dance Yard record label before signing to Phonogram for the single " My Thing/Surprise".[3] In 1990, the band signed to Circa in the UK and Cardiac in the US. Having changed their name to Definition of Sound, the duo recorded Love and Life: A Journey With the Chameleons (1991). The album featured four singles: "Now Is Tomorrow", "Wear Your Love Like Heaven", "Moira Jane's Cafe", and "Dream Girl".[3] Vocal duties on "Now Is Tomorrow" and some album tracks were handled by singer, Elaine Vassel. The video for "Moira Jane's Cafe" was directed by Mark Romanek.
Although they had no Billboard Hot 100 entries, the song "Now Is Tomorrow" (a No. 10 dance hit) climbed to No. 68 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart in 1991, whilst "Moira Jane's Cafe" became the first UK Rap record to become number 1 on the Billboard Dance Charts, earning the band accolades from their American peers. The album was well received by critics in the UK and America.[3]
The band recorded two more albums, The Lick (1992) and Experience (1996), for different record labels and with different producers.[3] In 1997 they released three promotional singles through MCA/Universal, in advance of a planned fourth album. Before the album was released, the band decided to stop recording.
Clark and Weekes' are featured as Definition of Sound on the Freestylers' single "Here We Go" (1998).[4]
Initially, the final members Clark, Weekes, and Spencer continued as a songwriting remix and production team.
Clark went on to work in A&R and music publishing. He was also a recurring cast member on The Mayor of Kentish Town comedy radio show on Soho Radio, with Steve Furst (Little Britain/Lenny Beige) and Dominic Coleman (Miranda/Trollied).
Spencer has continued producing and recording musicians, as well as music publishing.
Weekes released a solo album before leaving the music industry.
Discography
Albums
- Love and Life: A Journey With the Chameleons (1991) – UK #38,[5] AUS No. 97.[6]
- The Lick (1992)
- Experience (1996) – UK No. 97[5]
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [5] |
NED | SWI | SWE | AUS [6] |
NZ [7] |
US Dance [8] | |||
| 1990 | "Now Is Tomorrow" | 94 | – | – | – | – | – | — | Love And Life: A Journey With The Chameleons |
| 1991 | "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" | 17 | 38 | 28 | 34 | 77 | – | 28 | |
| "Now Is Tomorrow" (reissue) | 46 | 77 | – | – | 85 | – | 10 | ||
| "Dream Girl" | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | ||
| 1992 | "Moira Jane's Café" | 34 | 50 | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| "What Are You Under" | 68 | – | – | – | 116 | 41 | 4 | The Lick | |
| "Can I Get Over" | 61 | – | – | – | 106 | – | — | ||
| 1995 | "Boom Boom" | 59 | – | – | – | – | – | — | Experience |
| "Pass The Vibes" | 23 | – | – | – | 36 | – | — | ||
| 1996 | "Child" | 48 | – | – | – | – | – | — | |
| 1997 | "Eccentric" | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | singles only |
| 1997 | "Outsider" (promo) | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | |
| 1998 | "Lipstick on My Collar" (promo) | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||||
Music videos
- "Moira Jane's Café" Directed by Mark Kozelek
- "Child" Directed by Dani Jacobs
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
- List of Peel sessions
References
- ↑ "Definition of Sound - Biography | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
- ↑ "Top Billin". Discogs. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
- 1 2 3 4 "Biography by Ed Hogan". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
- ↑ "Freestylers Featuring Definition Of Sound - Here We Go". Discogs. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
- 1 2 3 "Official Charts Company: Definition of Sound". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2014-04-13.
- 1 2 Australian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
- "Pass the Vibes": "australian-charts.com > Definition of Sound – Pass the Vibes (song)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
- Top 100 peaks: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- "What Are You Under" and "Can I Get Over": "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2015-06-05". Imgur. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
- ↑ "charts.org.nz > Definition of Sound – What Are You Under (song)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
- ↑ "Definition of Sound – US Dance Club Songs". billboard.com. Retrieved 2014-04-13.
