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S'Express (pronounced ess-express; sometimes spelled S'Xpress or S-Express) was a British dance music act from the late 1980s, who had one of the earliest commercial successes in the acid house genre.

"Theme from S'Express", which contained elements from Rose Royce's "Is It Love You're After", was one of the earliest recordings to capitalize on the emergence of sampling culture. The song went to number one in the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in April 1988. It made the Hot Dance Club Play chart in the US (also scraping into the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number 91). In 2016 Mark Moore released a remix album called Enjoy This Trip which retooled S’Express’s music for the 21st century through working with guests such as Punks Jump Up and Chris & Cosey.

Biography

The main player in the act was disc jockey and producer Mark Moore. In 1989, the group released its debut album, Original Soundtrack, which featured a line-up of Moore, Pascal Gabriel, Jocasta, Mark D, Linda Love, and Michellé. The album consisted of slightly longer versions of S-Express's "Theme", its follow-up hits "Superfly Guy" (UK No. 5) and a cover version of Sly and the Family Stone's "Hey Music Lover" (UK No. 6; its b-side was remixed by minimalist composer Philip Glass).

By the release of the second album Intercourse, the act was reduced to a duo of Moore with new vocalist and DJ Sonique. Although not as successful as its debut, Intercourse spawned several mid-charting UK singles and club hits, including "Nothing to Lose", co-written with Martin Gordon, as were several other tunes on the record. Sonique, already a successful DJ, eventually embarked on a solo career and produced one of the biggest club hits of the late 1990s ("It Feels So Good"). Moore went on to release many singles, remixes and albums on his own and also formed the band Needledust.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Compilation albums

EPs

Singles

Notes

1. Remixes by Tony De Vit, Aquarius and Carl Craig available in Australia through Central Station Records (also released in the UK and Europe through Rhythm King), and accredited to Mark Moore presents S'Express.
2. Initially only released in France as a 12" single.

References

1. "S'Express on ecstasy, acid house and why drag is the new punk". the Guardian. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
2. "But Is it Music?". In Their Own Words; 20th Century Composers. Episode 2. 21 March 2014. BBC.
3. "S'Express | Songs". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
4. "Mark Moore". Discogs. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
5. "Mark Moore". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
6. ^ "S'EXPRESS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
7. Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980–1989. Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-9517206-9-4.
8. ^ Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
   • Top 50 peaks: "australian-charts.com > S-Express in Australian Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
   • "Hey Music Lover"
   • "Mantra for a State of Mind": "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 15 July 2015". Imgur.com. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
   • Original Soundtrack: "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 13 September 2016". Imgur.com. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
9. ^ "Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1960: Artistit SEN - SIG". Sisältää hitin. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
10. ^ "Suche - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
11. "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
12. "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
13. "swedishcharts.com - Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
14. ^ "British certifications – S-Express". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 June 2022. Type S-Express in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
15. "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing 10 August 1992". Bubbling Down Under. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
16. "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
17. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
18. "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
19. "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
20. "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade - hitparade.ch". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
21. "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2022.

Further reading

• "S' Express". Music Technology. Vol. 3, no. 4. February 1989. p. 40. ISSN 0957-6606. OCLC 24835173.

External links

• Mark Moore's official website
• Sonique
• Mark Moore/S'Express Facebook
• Mark Moore's Twitter
• Discogs: S'Express
• S'Express at WorldMusicDatabase

• English house music groups
• English electronic music groups
• English dance music groups
• Acid house groups
• Sire Records artists
• Capitol Records artists
• Musical groups established in 1988
• Electronic music groups from London
• Kitsuné Musique artists
• Rhythm King artists