“Pump Up the Volume” is a groundbreaking single by M|A|R|R|S, released in August 1987 with “Anitina (The First Time I See She Dance)” as a B-side. M|A|R|R|S was a short-lived collaboration between two British groups: A.R. Kane and Colourbox, both signed to the independent label 4AD. The song became a major hit and is often credited with helping to bring house music and sampling into the mainstream.
The collaboration that became M|A|R|R|S was originally intended as a one-off project between the alternative rock duo A.R. Kane and the electronic-oriented group Colourbox. While the two groups had different musical styles, their work on “Pump Up the Volume” fused electronic music, hip hop, and house, with extensive use of sampling, creating a sound that was new and innovative for its time.
The song’s title, “Pump Up the Volume,” reflects the booming dance beats and emphasizes a call to action on the dancefloor. The use of samples and DJ-style mixing throughout the track also contributed to its distinct sound, which became highly influential in the dance music scene. “Pump Up the Volume” is considered a house music classic, driven by its funky basslines, electronic beats, and heavy use of samples. Sampling played a central role in the song’s structure, with M|A|R|R|S incorporating snippets of various genres, including hip hop, funk, rock, and even dialogue from other records. The song features a famous sample from Eric B. & Rakim’s “I Know You Got Soul”, alongside other samples like tracks from Public Enemy, The Bar-Kays, and James Brown, blending them into a cohesive, hypnotic dance track. At the time, this extensive use of samples was relatively new, and it became a hallmark of late-1980s and 1990s dance music.
“Pump Up the Volume” was an instant success. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in 1987, making it a massive commercial hit. In the United States, the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and broke into the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 13. It also topped the charts in several European countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium, and Sweden. Critically, the song was praised for its innovative approach to music production and its genre-blurring style. It was one of the first tracks to bring house music from the underground scene into the mainstream, helping to popularize dance music in the UK and internationally.
“Pump Up the Volume” is considered a pivotal track in the history of electronic music and sampling. Its success helped bring house music to a wider audience and influenced a generation of producers and DJs. The song also played a significant role in the legal and creative debates surrounding the use of sampling in music, as M|A|R|R|S faced lawsuits over some of the unlicensed samples used in the track.
Despite being the only release by M|A|R|R|S, “Pump Up the Volume” left a lasting impact on the music industry. It is regarded as a landmark in the evolution of dance music and sampling, marking a key moment in the development of modern club culture and electronic production techniques.