Keep The Music Strong by Bizarre Inc peaked at #33 in the UK singles chart in March 1996.
In a 'bizarre' move, whilst the sleeve notes credit a sample of Nothing You Can Do by The Average White Band and the various remix artists, there's no mention whatsoever of the lead vocals by Angie Brown.
Arguably, Angie's omission was down to the fact that she was considered a member of Bizarre Inc., rather than a guest artist, and her bandmates Dean Meredith and Andy Meecham, aren't credited either.
However, in 2010, Angie posted the video to YT, credited to "Angie Brown & Bizarre Inc.", reclaiming a crucial piece of her history.
But that's not what brought me to this song. It was this remix by Roni Size.
I've been listening to Roni's seminal 1997 album New Forms and from there revisited his remixes for other artists, including Olive, U2 (!) and Bizarre Inc.
I'll be honest, the original version of Keep The Music Strong doesn't do a lot for me. It's below par, compared to their earlier singles, but what Roni Size does with the song is incredible. There's an energy and urgency that's just not present in the original, and the vocals - albeit chopped down to mere snippets - enhance the mood. Spot on.
Roni was in good company across the 12" and CD singles, including a reliably upbeat, hands-in-the-air version from K-Klass...
...and a trio of remixes from Masters At Work, earning their name across a 10+ min vocal version, an eight and a half minute dub and, the shortest but sweetest at under six minutes, an R&B Mix that takes the tempo down but dials up the cool.
