Snap!
The Madman's Return

Benito Benites and John "Virgo" Garrett III, known in the industry as Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The Snap! are born and die between keyboards, synthesizers, and production by these two gentlemen. As for the rest, from the corpulent Durron Bulter (aka Turbo B) to the backing vocalists and dancers, it's a case of natural rotation.

Although, to tell the truth, after the revelry of "The Power" (1989/90), Bulter acquired the role of frontman because: he appeared on the covers, in the videos, rapped, contributed to the lyrics, and bore the honors and promotional burdens of every kind.

It goes without saying that during the recordings of the album that was supposed to succeed the multi-platinum "World Power" (1990), Mr. Turbo demanded a significant role in writing as well. The first skirmish arose from this seed. The core duo of the project, with their keen eye and long-term vision, opted for "Rhythm Is a Dancer" as the lead single for the album. On the other hand, Bulter pushed for the sentimental "Colour Of Love," claiming its authorship. He was indulged, but the track didn't take off. Although melodic and decently structured, it ended up boring by the second verse.

Bulter also had an agnostic prejudice regarding "Rhythm Is a Dancer": he disliked the verse "I'm serious as cancer when I say rhythm is a dancer," revealing a bigoted angle in face of its imposing and threatening mass. However, the first one flopped, the second one boomed, sending the project's new studio effort, "The Madman's Return," to the top of the charts throughout Europe, to the point that a new edition was produced almost with each single's release. It's fitting that the 'third edition', the most substantial, deserves reflection.

The title track, which opens the record, is a bit unexpected. It smells more of underground than of eurodance, resulting in something less suitable for radio but pleasing those who want to hear the machinery screeching in the studio with a rough approach.

From then on, leaving aside the commercial chemical trail of the singles (the two aforementioned, the carefree "See The Lights" and the reworking of "Ex-Terminator," "Exterminate") the album is colorful. In short, it's not boring. No incense offered, clearly, but a worthy mention for "Don't Be Shy," an ear-catching pop shade that shines on its own, for the accusatory "Who Stole It ?" which, in turn, snatches the refinement from "Killer" by Adamsky, for "Keep It Up" which added an edge to Tommy Gunn's workouts, the boxer later revealed as the villain in Rocky V, and for the trance on trance "Homeboyz".

What further adds credibility to the album is balance. Münzing and Anzilotti have always worked hand in hand. Aligned and cohesive, already in 1986, they brought fortune to the likes of Off with "Electrica Salsa," a crazy dud that nevertheless sold well. The balance comes from their shrewdness and the ancestral explosiveness of Turbo B, who would leave the project shortly before the launch of the third edition to go solo with the album "Make Way For The Maniac" and to join the soft house project "Centory".

The Snap!, before entering the memorabilia circuit, released another album in 1995, "Welcome To Tomorrow," decidedly more subdued and without Turbo B, with whom they tried to reunite in 2000, but the album "One Day On Earth" was rejected at the last minute by the record label and, to this day, remains unreleased, except for "Gimme A Thrill," a potential first single that missed the charts.

This "The Madman's Return" should be seen with the right mix of critical eye and tenderness. Contemporary acts like Calvin Harris and his contemporaries are welcome, the quality of their finished product is exquisite, but the echoes of these early '90s dance-infused electronics craftsmen still warm the heart or, at least, capture the memory of the listener, even the most inattentive ones.