Ready to turn up the vibes? For today’s Oldies Sunday selection, we’re throwing a party that even the pets will enjoy. Today, we go back to the 90s to check out Colombian/Trinidadian/American duo Reel 2 Real’s “I Like To Move It“.
Produced by Ralphie Muniz and 1/2 of Reel 2 Real’s Erick Morillo and released through Strictly Rhythm in 1993, “I Like To Move It” was Mark Quashie a.k.a. The Mad Stuntman a.k.a. the other 1/2 of Reel 2 Real’s showcase of deejaying over some House Music production. The high energy track was made to get the people moving and rock rooms, with Dancehall/Ragga-inspired lyrics being chanted throughout. With the line “I like to move it move it…“, listeners were in for a good time. The track was included on Reel 2 Real’s 1994 debut album, “Move It!“. “I Like To Move It” was an instant hit for ravers as it secured #1 chart placements in a number of countries including Belgium, Canada, France, Zimbabwe, The Netherlands, and the UK, and top 10 placements in even more countries. The track went on to win a number of awards over the years, went gold in Australia, France, the UK, The Netherlands, and Germany, and has been hailed as one of the best EDM, Party, and 90s songs of all time by a number of publications.
The success of “I Like To Move It” didn’t stop at just chart placements. It was remixed a number of times over the years as well. The track is one of the most frequently licensed songs, appearing on numbers of compilations yearly. It appeared in commercials for USPS, McDonalds, Durex, Jeep, Toyota, and the Fairy dishwasher brand, used in the video games “Just Dance“, “DJ Hero“, “Mario Strikers Charged“, and “SingStar Dance“, and a dance emote inspired by it appeared in “Fortnite“. It was included in a number of TV shows and Films including “American Dad!“, “New York Undercover“, and “Saving Silverman“, but it was at its most popular when it appeared in the “Madagascar” animated film franchise thanks to it being performed by the character King Julien, becoming the official theme song of the franchise. The song still holds a level of popularity to this day.
Since the release of “I Like To Move It”, Reel 2 Real went on to release more music before disbanding in 1997. Erick Morillo continued to produce and DJ until his death in 2020, while Mark Quashie continued to release more music over the years, in between performing “I Like To Move It”. Reel 2 Real owned the 90s, while their biggest hit is still making an impact.
THANK YOU REEL 2 REAL FOR THIS CLASSIC!
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