Voodoo Ray
Encyclopedia
"Voodoo Ray" is a 1988 Acid House
single by Gerald Simpson, recording under the name A Guy Called Gerald
. The single was released the UK in 1988, in the 7" and 12" vinyl formats, on the Rham! label. It reached number 12 in the UK singles chart, and was the best selling independently released single in 1989. It was released in the USA in 1989 by Warlock Records
. It also appeared on A Guy Called Gerald's 1988 album Hot Lemonade, and a rerecorded version called "Voodoo Ray Americas" appeared on Gerald's 1990 album Automanikk, which was released on Columbia
/CBS Records
.
The song contains samples of comedians Peter Cook
and Dudley Moore
, taken from the first Derek and Clive
LP, Derek and Clive (Live)
, specifically the Bo Duddley sketch. "Voodoo Ray" combines a sample of Peter Cook
delivering the phrase "voodoo rage", truncated due to the recording equipment's lack of memory
, and also Dudley Moore
forcefully delivering the word "later." In each case the samples are shifted in pitch, and electronically processed. Artist Danny McCluskey titled a portrait of Peter Cook 'Voodoo Ray' in reference to the song. The vocal was sung by Nicola Collier, who had worked on other tracks with him.
In 1995 Gerald re-modelled the original samples to create a new track, "Voodoo Rage" for his Black Secret Technology
album.
The song is featured on the soundtrack of 24 Hour Party People
(directed by Michael Winterbottom
) that tells the story of Factory Records
and the early Madchester
scene. The song is also featured in the radio station SF-UR in the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
single by Gerald Simpson, recording under the name A Guy Called Gerald
A Guy Called Gerald
A Guy Called Gerald is the stage name for the musician, record producer and DJ Gerald Simpson ....
. The single was released the UK in 1988, in the 7" and 12" vinyl formats, on the Rham! label. It reached number 12 in the UK singles chart, and was the best selling independently released single in 1989. It was released in the USA in 1989 by Warlock Records
Warlock Records
Warlock Records is an independent record label based in New York City that was founded by Adam Levy in the late 1980s. Artists that once recorded for Warlock Records included C-Bo, the Jungle Brothers, and Todd Terry. In 1992, the label acquired the catalog of Sleeping Bag Records and its sub-label...
. It also appeared on A Guy Called Gerald's 1988 album Hot Lemonade, and a rerecorded version called "Voodoo Ray Americas" appeared on Gerald's 1990 album Automanikk, which was released on Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
/CBS Records
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
.
The song contains samples of comedians Peter Cook
Peter Cook
Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...
and Dudley Moore
Dudley Moore
Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s, and then became famous as half of the highly popular television...
, taken from the first Derek and Clive
Derek and Clive
Derek and Clive is a double act of comedic characters created by Dudley Moore and Peter Cook in the 1970s. The performances were captured on the records Derek and Clive , Derek and Clive Come Again , and Derek and Clive Ad Nauseam , as well as in a film documentary, Derek and Clive Get the Horn...
LP, Derek and Clive (Live)
Derek and Clive (Live)
Derek and Clive is the debut comedy record recorded by Derek and Clive, drunken alter-egos created by comedy duo Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. The double act began as a private joke between the two of them at the Electric Lady Studios, as a way of easing the tension of their 1973 Broadway show Good...
, specifically the Bo Duddley sketch. "Voodoo Ray" combines a sample of Peter Cook
Peter Cook
Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...
delivering the phrase "voodoo rage", truncated due to the recording equipment's lack of memory
Computer memory
In computing, memory refers to the physical devices used to store programs or data on a temporary or permanent basis for use in a computer or other digital electronic device. The term primary memory is used for the information in physical systems which are fast In computing, memory refers to the...
, and also Dudley Moore
Dudley Moore
Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s, and then became famous as half of the highly popular television...
forcefully delivering the word "later." In each case the samples are shifted in pitch, and electronically processed. Artist Danny McCluskey titled a portrait of Peter Cook 'Voodoo Ray' in reference to the song. The vocal was sung by Nicola Collier, who had worked on other tracks with him.
In 1995 Gerald re-modelled the original samples to create a new track, "Voodoo Rage" for his Black Secret Technology
Black Secret Technology
Black Secret Technology is the fourth album by house music and drum and bass pioneer A Guy Called Gerald, released in February 1995 to widespread critical acclaim....
album.
The song is featured on the soundtrack of 24 Hour Party People
24 Hour Party People
24 Hour Party People is a 2002 British film about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Winterbottom...
(directed by Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom is a prolific English filmmaker who has directed seventeen feature films in the past fifteen years. He began his career working in British television before moving into features...
) that tells the story of Factory Records
Factory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...
and the early Madchester
Madchester
Madchester was a music scene that developed in Manchester, England, towards the end of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. The music that emerged from the scene mixed alternative rock, psychedelic rock and dance music...
scene. The song is also featured in the radio station SF-UR in the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...