Culture Beat

Though Culture Beat remained active throughout the '90s and into the early 2000s, you could distill the group's success down to one song: the 1993 club smash "Mr. Vain." Along with other Euro-dance hits from the early '90s -- Snap's "Rhythm Is a Dancer," 2 Unlimited's "Get Ready for This," Black Box's "Strike It Up" -- it took some time before "Mr. Vain" broke in the U.S. However, when it did, it broke big. "Mr. Vain" was suddenly everywhere: pop radio, sports arenas, commercial danceclubs, dance compilations, and so on. However, Culture Beat wasn't able to capitalize on the success of "Mr. Vain," and the group became somewhat of a one-hit wonder, even though they continued releasing music. In the end, the group falls into the same category as forgotten popular dance acts like Technotronic and C+C Music Factory -- ultimately disposable acts with a fleeting 15 minutes in the popular club/dance spotlight. ~ Jason Birchmeier