Urban Dance Squad

by Heather PharesThe Amsterdam-based rock/rap collective Urban Dance Squad began in 1986, playing and jamming together on an informal basis. They played a gig at the Utrecht Festival and, surprised by the raves their performance drew, became a more serious project. The group gigged for two years, and with the proceeds released 1990s Mental Floss for the Globe. Urban Dance Squads mix of rock, rap, funk, ska, folk, hip-hop, and soul signaled the trend toward genre-bending that prevailed in 90s music. Mental Floss featured the single Deeper Shade of Soul which charted at number 21 in the U.S. on Billboards Hot 100.The group spent another year touring constantly, and released their second album Life n Perspective of a Genuine Crossover in 1991. Unfortunately, it failed to match Mental Floss critical or commercial success, as did 1994s Persona Non Grata. 1999 saw Urban Dance Squad release their fourth album, Planet Ultra, as well as re-release their earlier releases on the Triple X label.