When techno met toytown…

Can you tell me how to get…to Sesame’s Treet?

It’s 25 years since the autumn of 1992, a period (as this Guardian article from last Monday pointed out) when you were as likely to hear a speeded up rave variation of a children’s TV theme in the pop charts, as you were the latest grunge outpouring from Seattle.

As the article points out, as well as the Smart E’s Sesame’s Treet, which managed to reach as high as No 2 in the UK, you had A Trip To Trumpton, Summers Magic and Charly. What it neglects to mention is the Gameboy-infused offshoots such as Doctor Spin’s (reportedly a pseudonym for Andrew Lloyd Webber) Tetris, and Super Mario Land by the Ambassadors Of Funk (still one of the best names for a one-hit wonder group).

As Mark Summers, who recorded Summers Magic, told the paper, “At the time, bleep techno was all the rage. I saw Summers Magic as the antithesis to the dark side of that. The illegal substances people were taking at raves at the time made them feel happy and light. I suppose when they heard something like Summers Magic, that sense of euphoria comes flooding back, [reminding] them of that bygone age when they were innocent.”

Of these groups, only Charly creators The Prodigy would go on to achieve significant success, but for the rest of them, a place in the nostalgic bargain bin of rave history isn’t the worst place to be…

[Thanks to Joshim and Thefierybiscuit for the uploads]