James Brown Is Dead
"James Brown Is Dead" is the debut single by Dutch electronic dance music duo L.A. Style, produced by Wessel van Diepen and Denzil Slemming. It was released in August 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, "L.A. Style". The song was a major hit across Europe, reaching number-one in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain. The song also reached the top 10 in Australia, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland. It also peaked at number 59 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100. The song inspired multiple answer songs. The song is considered a "techno classic  with artists like DJ Irene mixing it into their sets and DJ Boozy Woozy who used samples of Mary J. Blige's Family Affair" with the main sample of "James Brown Is Dead" to create his song "Party Affair" (2002). In 2001, Wessel van Diepen and Arista Records released "James Brown Is Dead 2001", a new version of the L.A. Style original. Critical reception. Andy Kastanas from "The Charlotte Observer" wrote, "This is high energy rave at its frantic beat. Racing forward like a locomotive, it never slows down until you're exhausted. The voice tells you that "James Brown  is dead" while the beat rocks your body from here to eternity." In popular culture. Professional wrestler and mixed martial artist Yoji Anjo has used the song as his entrance music in UWF International.