M People

During the ’90s, M People dominated the clubs and pop charts with a potent combination of insistent house-music grooves and aspirational vocals. The group’s 1993 global breakthrough smash, “Moving On Up,” exemplified their sound as it exuded a fiery dance-floor presence and disco-kissed textures. M People formed in 1990 around Mike Pickering, a DJ at Manchester’s legendary Hacienda who was also in Factory Records mainstays Quando Quango, along with acid-jazz veteran Paul Heard and soulful vocalist Heather Small. Their 1991 debut, Northern Soul, spawned the hits “How Can I Love You More?” and “Colour My Life,” leading to M People hitting their stride with a pair of multiplatinum releases, 1993’s Elegant Slumming and the following year’s Bizarre Fruit. Though their hit streak ended with 1999’s “Dreaming,” the group continued to tour and play festivals into the 21st century, exuding the good vibes that first made them stars.