Shamen were a British electronic dance music band, formed in 1986 in Aberdeen. The founding members are Colin Angus (born 24 August 1961), Derek McKenzie (born 27 February 1964) and Keith McKenzie (born 30 August 1961). Peter Stephenson (born 1 March 1962) joined shortly after to take over on keyboards from Angus. Several other people were later in the band. Angus then teamed up with Will Sinnott, and together they found credibility as pioneers of rock/dance crossover. When Mr. C joined, the band moved on to international commercial success with "Ebeneezer Goode" and their 1992 Boss Drum album. 　　The Shamen were preceded by Alone Again Or, the Love-inspired name under which they recorded their first psychedelic electronic pop singles. After their name change, further singles picked up airplay from John Peel. Released in June 1987, the Shamen's first album, Drop demonstrated their love of 1960s psychedelia, with influences such as Love, Syd Barrett and the 13th Floor Elevators. 　　By mid-1987, frontman Colin Angus was discovering the sounds of early house-music pioneers, such as S-Express and M/A/R/R/S, and increasing his knowledge of the latest studio gadgetry. By September 1987, the Shamen were applying these techniques to their own music, mixing rock guitars, techno and hip-hop rhythms and sampled radio voices which was to prove so influential to groups like Jesus Jones and EMF. Their single "Christopher Mayhew Says", released in late 1987 was their first single to experiment with beat machines and samples, fusing them with their psychedelic rock sound. However, the newfound sound proved too radical for co-founder and vocalist Derek McKenzie, who left the band in late 1987 to study at university. The Shamen were suddenly one crucial player short. Help was at hand in the charismatic form of Glaswegian Will Sinnott (23 December 1960 – 23 May 1991), aka Will Sin, who joined the group in October 1987, on bass and keyboards, freeing up Angus to handle vocals and guitar. Sinnott's musical background was an extensive one. He had already made an impression as part of the Can/SAHB influenced improvisation troupe Edith and the Ladies, and his father, a master wood craftsman, had made guitars for the Incredible String Band and John Martyn. At the start of 1988, the first music videos were shot for the Shamen, those being "Christopher Mayhew Says" and "Knature of a Girl". 　　"Knature of a Girl" was the first record by the Shamen to feature Sinnott, but it was not until June's "Jesus Loves Amerika" single that the techno influence began to show. By this stage, Angus and Sinnott had become hooked on the acid house movement taking place in London, and its music and clubs were to exert a massive influence on the pair. Keith McKenzie and Peter Stephenson were less impressed by these new developments, and left the group the following summer, after the January 1989 release of the In Gorbachev We Trust album, which saw the group further enhancing their sound. Over the summer 1988, they met Mr. C and Evil Eddie Richards, who would later both work with the Shamen to help them transition their music into the rave scene. 　　Angus and Sinnott relocated to London, allowing them to start afresh, and plunge into the emerging rave scene. 1989 was a busy year, as they set out on their Synergy tour, a nightclub experience combined with live music from the Shamen and others like Orbital, and with DJing from the likes of Paul Oakenfold, Mixmaster Morris, Mr C, and Evil Eddie Richards. The tour was to last nearly two years. Synergy was innovative at the time, as a touring rock dance club introducing live bands to clubbers, and house, techno and ambient DJs to rock fans. The Shamen also released the Phorward mini album, produced by ex-Fiction Factory singer/songwriter Kevin Patterson.