The Porn Kings were a British
dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...
group from
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
.
Originally formed by Davy T, Paul Rowland, and Dan Evans, the group's first single was released as a white label called "Pumping the Junk". It featured an original sample from
Josh Wink
Joshua Winkelman (born April 20, 1970), better known by his stage name Josh Wink, is an American electronic dance music DJ, label owner, producer, and remixer. He is a native of Philadelphia, United States. A pioneering DJ in the American rav ...
's "
Higher State of Consciousness
"Higher State of Consciousness" is a song by American DJ Josh Wink. It was first released in March 1995. In 2022, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 128 in their list of ''200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time''.
Background
The song was initially ...
". The track was picked up very quickly by
All Around the World Productions
Xploded Music is a British record label set up by Cris Nuttall and Matt Cadman. The label is a joint venture with Universal, and has developed from their previous partnership with the All Around the World dance music label. All Around the Wo ...
where it was reworked and renamed "Up to No Good" in 1996.
The debut release became a hit in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. They released an album, ''Up to No Good'', in 1999. Additionally, they did
remixes for
DJ Quicksilver
Orhan Terzi (born 28 June 1964), better known by his stage name DJ Quicksilver, is a German-Turkish DJ and music producer. His stage name derives from his days taking part in DJ contests, where a mercury column would gauge audience reaction.
Ear ...
,
Young MC
Marvin Young (born May 10, 1967), better known by his stage name Young M.C., is a British-born American rapper, singer and actor. He is best known for his 1989 hit " Bust a Move". His debut album '' Stone Cold Rhymin found international accl ...
,
Josh Wink
Joshua Winkelman (born April 20, 1970), better known by his stage name Josh Wink, is an American electronic dance music DJ, label owner, producer, and remixer. He is a native of Philadelphia, United States. A pioneering DJ in the American rav ...
, and Pamela Fernandez. Their track "We're Watching You" was included on the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
to the 2001 film, ''
The Hole'' starring
Thora Birch
Thora Birch (born March 11, 1982) is an American actress and producer. She made her feature film debut in 1988 with a starring role in ''Purple People Eater'', for which she received a Young Artist Award for "Best Young Actress Under Nine Years ...
and
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Righton (; née Knightley, born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in both independent films and blockbusters, particularly period dramas, she has received several accolades, including nominations for ...
.
Kenny Hayes joined the group to help write the second single and the group's debut album.
Further UK hits included "Amour (C'Mon)", "Up to the Wildstyle", "Sledger", and "Shake Ya Shimmy".
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
''Rock the Dancefloor''
Many of their songs are also featured on the ''Rock the Dancefloor'' compilation series of albums made by All Around the World for Preston-based radio station Rock FM. Two of their tracks featured on each album up to the fourth series.
''Rock the Dancefloor 1''
"Up to tha Wildstyle" - Disc 1 Track 2 - Porn Kings vs DJ Supreme
"Up to No Good" - Disc 1 Track 7 - Porn Kings
''Rock the Dancefloor 2''
"Up to tha Wildstyle '99 Remix" - Disc 1 Track 4 - Porn Kings vs DJ Supreme
"Kickin' the Beat" - Disc 2 Track 8 - Porn Kings feat Pamela Ferrandez
''Rock the Dancefloor 3''
"It's a Party" - Disc 1 Track 5 - Porn Kings
"La B-Bop" - Disc 2 Track 5 - Porn Kings
''Rock the Dancefloor 4''
"Sledger (Nasty Boyz Remix)" - Disc 1 Track 9 - Porn Kings
"Amour (C'mon)" - Disc 2 Track 9 - Porn Kings
References
English dance music groups
Musical groups from Liverpool
All Around the World Productions artists
{{UK-band-stub