Fused

by David Peter Wesolowski Dripping with funk and heaving with deep bass riffs, the music of Fused founding members Max Reich and Samuel Onervas first made the light of day on soundtracks to Swedish porn films. During the late '90s, however, the Gothenburg pair turned to more savory ways of canvassing their art to the public, remixing dance tracks for the likes of Mousse T, Faithless, and Rob D. And before the close of the decade, they had a couple of their own singles -- "This Party Sucks" and "The Good & Bad" -- turning heads on the European underground scene. By that time, the pair had become a trio, with soulful vocalist Petra Hellberg joining up after answering an ad in the local paper. Their debut album, titled Audio, came out in 2001 amidst much salivating from the media. All the tracks on the album were recorded in a makeshift studio at a cramped northwest London residence, which also packed a rowdy all-hours nightclub. Boasting sexy deep house, warped electro-funk, catchy pop, as well as trance, Audio was widely praised by critics as one of the freshest sounding releases of the year. "Saving Mary," the album's first single (which also appeared in versions remixed by hip producers Bob Sinclar and Bobby Riviera), made a big impact on dance charts the world over.