I’m angrier than a raver who’s tired of rave music not being mainstream over the fact that this week’s pick isn’t more famous in the United States. The pick? Going all the way back to 1992, it’s The Hitman by AB Logic, a Belgian dance music project that enjoyed mild success here in the USA. It hit #60 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #20 on its Dance Chart.
AB Logic has long since disbanded with its rapper now doing landscaping work, but occasionally, the song will be played on the radio in the US. Even though they were somewhat obscure here, I did find a live performance on YouTube, but it’s not really live. Sure, they’re performing, but they’re lip-syncing. Shame, that.The song was even covered by the gang at the Mickey Mouse Club. I found that performance to be pretty good..for what it was.
The video from AB Logic appears to be quite low-budget, with black and white footage of security guards defending a protected person, interspersed with footage of the performers…well, performing.
This week’s video is cheap, but good. It’s mildly amusing and slightly entertaining, but to be honest, it’s better-produced than many of the cheap dance music videos of its era.
So who is “the hitman” in this song? Is the producer literally the “hit man,” or is it referring to the bodyguards defending against a “hit man?” The world may never know, but the fact remains that it’s a decent video for an awesome song.
Trivial fact here: one of the producers of the song is Phil Wilde. Why that’s pertinent is this: Wilde is one of the two producers who formed the massively successful Beneluxian group 2 Unlimited, known for Get Ready (formerly known as Get Ready for This and No Limit, among other songs.
So Wilde produced a guy-girl dance duo formula for two groups at the same time, groups that were competing with one another on the charts. Interesting, that. Just a little tidbit that’s mildly amusing to me as 2 Unlimited’s US fan club president. The club ran from 1993 through 1996.
A long time ago when I ran my own production company in New Jersey, I helped Wilde secure a US record deal for his successful song Get Up and Dance. The single wound up with Radikal Records, the same label that had 2 Unlimited on its roster. Just a little trivia there.