Unique (band)

Unique

Company type	Studio ensemble
Industry	Music
Founded	1982
Founder	Deems J. Smith
Defunct	1984
Headquarters	New Jersey , United States
Key people	Deems J. Smith, Mona Norris, Darryl K. Henry
Products	Music singles ("What I Got Is What You Need", "You Make Me Feel So Good")
Parent	Prelude Records

Unique was a short-lived post-disco studio ensemble originating from New Jersey, best known for their 1983 crossover single "What I Got Is What You Need," which was issued by the prominent dance label Prelude Records. The group was created in 1982 by producer and songwriter Deems J. Smith and consisted of Smith alongside Mona Norris and Darryl K. Henry. Their hit single achieved notable positions on the Billboard Dance Singles and Black Singles charts, also peaking at number 27 on the UK Singles Chart.

History

In 1982, producer Deems J. Smith brought together studio musicians to form Unique. The act secured a contract with the dance-oriented label Prelude and released two singles: "What I Got Is What You Need" in 1983 and "You Make Me Feel So Good" in 1984. The first single was co-written by Norris and Henry, while Smith authored the second track alone, which was mixed by the then-rising dance-pop producer Shep Pettibone.

Chart performance

Year	Title	Label	Highest chart rankings
			US Dance	US R&B	UK
1983	"What I Got Is What You Need"	Prelude CBS	30	78	27
1984	"You Make Me Feel So Good"	Prelude	—	—	—

Singles

"What I Got Is What You Need"

U.S., UK 12" single	"What I Got Is What You Need" - 6:36 "What I Got Is What You Need" - 5:54 Writers: Mona M. Norris, Deems J. Smith, Darryl K. Henry Mix engineers: David Todd, Nick Martinelli Produced by: Deems J. Smith

"You Make Me Feel So Good"

U.S. 12" single	"You Make Me Feel So Good" (Vocal) - 5:53 "You Make Me Feel So Good" (Instrumental) - 5:53 Composer: Deems J. Smith Producer: Deems J. Smith Mixing engineer: Shep Pettibone

Compilation appearances

The track "What I Got Is What You Need" has been featured on numerous compilation albums well into the 21st century, including:

• Dance Mix - Dance Hits Volume 2 (1983, CBS)
• Essential 80's Garage Dancefloor Classics Volume 1 (1994, Deepbeats)
• Ferry Maat's Soul Show: Saturday Night Grooves (2005, Disky)
• Prelude's Greatest Hits - Volume 3 (Unidisc)

Legacy

Japanese rock artist Toshiki Kadomatsu sampled portions of "What I Got Is What You Need" in his song "Step Into the Night," which was released only in Japan through Victor-RCA on his 1984 album AFTER 5 CLASH.

The British electronic band 808 State incorporated vocal samples from "What I Got Is What You Need" in their composition "Anacodia," featured on their 1989 release 90.