"Cult of Snap" is a song recorded by German

Eurodance Eurodance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of Hip-hop, rap, techno and Eurodisco. This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use ...

group

Snap! SNAP! is a German Eurodance group formed in 1989 by producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The act has undergone several lineup changes over the years, featuring American singers, songwriters, and rappers such as Thea Austin, Turbo ...

. It was released in September 1990 as the third single from their debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, ''

World Power A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power ...

'' (1990). The song reached No. 1 in Spain for four weeks and it also peaked at No. 2 in Austria and Zimbabwe. Snap! performed the song on the British TV show ''Top of the Pops''. The song was re-recorded and included on their 2003 remix album '' The Cult of Snap!'' featuring Roy Malone.

Chart performance

"Cult of Snap" was a major hit on the charts on several continents. In Europe, it peaked at number-one in Spain for four weeks and was a top 10 hit also in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In the latter, the single reached number eight in its second week at the UK Singles Chart, on September 23, 1990. Outside Europe, "Cult of Snap" peaked at number two in Zimbabwe, number 15 in New Zealand and number 27 in Australia.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

editor Andrew Hamilton remarked the "choppy rhythms" of "Cult of Snap" in his review of ''

''. American magazine ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' described it as an "African-infused

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

jam". Marisa Fox from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' felt it is "a dark song, with African drumbeats and chanting." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' found that rapper

Turbo B Durron Maurice Butler (born April 30, 1967), known as Turbo B, is an American rapper and beatboxer. He was once the frontman of the German electronic music group Snap! After completing a period of service with the United States Army in Germany, ...

"raps like he's shouting orders over a monotone

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

beat, spiced up with oriental and African samples." David Giles from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' concluded, "The best record from this outfit yet.

Snap Snap or SNAP may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Snap'' (film), the initial release title for the 2013 film ''Enter the Dangerous Mind'' * '' The Stanly News and Press'', a newspaper in Albemarle, North Carolina, US * "Snap" (''Duty Free'') ...

tap into a slightly

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (food), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: Arts and ent ...

-based groove that stands out a mile among all the Funky Drummers, and decorate it with rapping. Afro-harmonies, and oriental melodies. A huge hit." ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' noted its "tribal rhythms and chanting", "to stomp away the evenings to" on

Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...

. A reviewer from ''

Newcastle Evening Chronicle The ''Evening Chronicle'', now referred to in print as ''The Chronicle'', is a daily newspaper produced in Newcastle upon Tyne covering North regional news, but primarily focused on Newcastle upon Tyne and surrounding area. The ''Evening Chronic ...

'' named it one of the best songs from the album.

Music video

A tribal

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

was released to promote the song. It sees the band members belly dancing and charming a snake. The video was directed by Liam Kan. He also directed the music video for the group's previous single, "

Ooops Up "Ooops Up" is a song by German Eurodance group Snap!, released in June 1990 as the second single from their debut studio album, ''World Power'' (1990). The song is a re-working of " I Don't Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Ooops!)"; a 1980 ...

Track listings

* 7-inch single (Logic 113 596) # "Cult of Snap" (World Power Radio Mix) — 3:59 # "Blasé Blasé" — 4:32 * CD maxi (Logic 663 596 ) # "Cult of Snap" (World Power Mix) — 6:30 # "Cult of Snap" (Album Version) — 5:18 # "Cult of Snap" (World Power Radio Mix) — 3:59 # "Cult of Snap" (E-Version) — 5:54 * German Remix CD (Logic 663 639) # "Cult of Snap" (The Modno 2000 Mix) — 5:25 # "Cult of Snap" (The Virtual Dub Mix) — 4:39 # "Cult of Snap" (The Elektra Mix) — 5:25

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control Snap! songs 1990 singles 1990 songs Logic Records singles Music videos directed by Liam Kan Number-one singles in Spain