After Dinner Speakers: Urban Cookie Collective, John Higgins, Paul Gayler

Urban Cookie Collective achieved a major breakthrough in 1993 with "The Key: The Secret", one of the most riveting dance music tracks of the season. Comprising Rohan Heath (keyboards), Diane Charlemagne (vocals, ex-Nomad Soul), Marty (MC) and DJ Pete (DJ), the project was masterminded by Heath, who had formerly worked with Yargo and A Guy Called Gerald. He had learned classical piano as a child, going electric in time to perform with the latter two outfits. He had decided on music after abandoning a PhD at Vermont University. After a tour of Japan supporting the Happy Mondays, he left A Guy Called Gerald to release "Hardcore Uproar" as Together, which made number 12 in the UK charts in August 1990. After a brief stint with Eek A Mouse, he elected to concentrate on solo work, and inaugurated Urban Cookie Collective. "The Key: The Secret" was originally a track written at home by Heath, in a soul/hip-hop vein, produced by Chapter And The Verse on the tiny Unheard Records imprint. However, after a remix provoked a massive club response it was picked up by Pulse 8 Records, and climbed to number 2 in the UK singles chart. A follow-up single, "Feels Like Heaven", also reached the UK Top 5 later in the year. Of their subsequent singles, only the following February's "Sail Away" managed to break into the Top 20.