Mirage were a British dance/pop group active in the 1980s and specializing in
medleys. They scored a string of hit singles and albums, and achieved particular success in 1987-8 with the "Jack Mix" series.
History
Mirage had its origins in
Enigma
Enigma may refer to:
*Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling
Biology
*ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain
Computing and technology
*Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup
* Enigma machine, a family o ...
, a 1981 project created by
Shakatak
Shakatak is an English jazz-funk band founded in 1980 by Nigel Wright and former Wigan Casino DJ Kev Roberts. Following an initial white label release 'Steppin', the band's name was derived from a record store in Soho, London Record Shack. I ...
producer
Nigel Wright to cash in on the success of Dutch medley group
Stars on 45
Stars on 45 was a Dutch novelty pop act that was successful in Europe, the United States, and Australia in the early 1980s. The group later shortened its name to Stars On in the U.S., while in the UK and Ireland it was known as Starsound (aka ...
. Enigma's "Ain't No Stopping", a medley of disco hits played by session musicians, was released while "
Stars on 45
Stars on 45 was a Dutch novelty pop act that was successful in Europe, the United States, and Australia in the early 1980s. The group later shortened its name to Stars On in the U.S., while in the UK and Ireland it was known as Starsound (aka ...
" was still climbing the charts. "Ain't No Stopping" peaked at number 11 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and was followed up with "I Love Music", which peaked at number 25.
Although the medley craze faded quickly, Wright continued to produce medleys, first under the name Mojo, before settling on Mirage.
The first Mirage medley to make an impact was the 1984 release "Give Me the Night", a medley of
George Benson
George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist.
A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, pla ...
songs sung by Leroy Osbourne (of Sade) under the guise of Roy Gayle. Other single-artist medleys followed: "Let's Groove" (
Earth, Wind and Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million ...
), "Get Down on It" (
Kool and the Gang
Kool & the Gang is an American R&B/soul/ funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 by brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, with Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West. ...
) and the
Tracey Ackerman
Tracy Ackerman is a British singer and songwriter. She works with several other British songwriters including Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson of Absolute and Mark Taylor. Ackerman has written for artists including Geri Halliwell, Cher, Boyzone, Tina ...
-fronted "Into the Groove Medley" (
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
).
Though popular in UK clubs, only "Give Me the Night" crossed over into the mainstream charts.
"Jack Mix" series
Mirage came to much greater prominence in 1987 when Wright spotted an opportunity in the new
house music
House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...
style which was beginning to enter the mainstream. In January 1987,
Steve "Silk" Hurley
Steve W. "Silk" Hurley (born November 9, 1962), also known as J. M. Silk (for "Jack Master Silk"), is an American club DJ, house music producer, and songwriter.
From 1985 to 1988, he had four top-10 singles on the US Dance chart, including the ...
achieved the first house music number one hit in the UK with "
Jack Your Body
"Jack Your Body" is a house music song by Steve "Silk" Hurley, originally released as a single in 1986. It was featured on the album ''Hold on to Your Dream'', released in 1987, under the alias J.M. Silk.
History
One of the landmark records in t ...
". Wright quickly responded by releasing the 12" single "Jack Mix" under the Mirage name - a medley/montage of "Jack Your Body", "
Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)
"Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)" is the debut single released by sister duo Mel and Kim in 1986.
The single's B-side, "System", was originally intended to be the duo's debut release, but after getting to know the sisters, Pete Waterman ...
" and "
Axel F
"Axel F" is the electronic instrumental theme from the 1984 film ''Beverly Hills Cop'' performed by Harold Faltermeyer. It was an international number one hit in 1985.
Background
The title comes from the main character's name in the film, Axel ...
". Following positive response from the clubs, an expanded version was released, titled "Jack Mix II". This became the first UK-produced house record to reach the British top ten, peaking at number 4.
Unlike most medleys, which typically used sections of individual songs presented sequentially with brief transitions between them, the "Jack Mix" series took a different approach, layering elements of different songs to produce a dense montage effect similar to a
mashup.
Despite being reliant entirely on medleys of other people's material, Mirage was one of the most successful house acts in 1987-8, placing several more singles on the charts, including the number 8 hit "Jack Mix IV".
Several TV advertised albums also charted, with the most successful being ''Jack Mix '88'' (actually released in 1987) and ''Jack Mix in Full Effect'', both of which reached number 7.
Mirage's popularity faded in 1988, as a large number of British house music acts started to produce original material and sample-based records using the original recordings rather than session remakes.
Discography
Albums
Singles
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirage (Medley Group)
English house music groups
English dance music groups
Medley music groups