Pasilda — Afro Medusa
A Spanish musician and two London producers known as the Funkmasters: how Afro Medusa’s “Pasilda” went from Miami’s WMC to No. 1 on the US dance chart in 2000.
- Best-known record of the British group Afro Medusa, first released in 1999.
- Took off after Miami’s Winter Music Conference in March 2000.
- No. 31 in the UK (October 2000) and No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music chart (November 2000).
“Pasilda” by Afro Medusa took a year to find its moment. First released in 1999, it took off after the Winter Music Conference in Miami in March 2000 and spent the rest of that year climbing club and sales charts on both sides of the Atlantic.
A Spanish musician and the Funkmasters
Afro Medusa began when Isabel Fructuoso moved from Spain to London in the late 1990s. A Latin, funk and jazz musician, she met Patrick Cole and Nick Bennett, a production pair known as the Funkmasters, who introduced her to electronic music. The three formed Afro Medusa. “Pasilda” came out in 1999, as did “Calling”.
WMC 2000 and the charts
The record grew in UK and US clubs through 2000, helped above all by its exposure at the Winter Music Conference in Miami that March. By October it had reached No. 31 on the UK Singles Chart, and in November it topped Billboard’s Hot Dance Music chart in the US.
Remixes and second lives
Remixes were a large part of its story. Versions by Knee Deep, Afterlife and Blank & Jones were released, and the Knee Deep Club Mix appears on later vinyl pressings, including one on Azuli. Armada Music has since reissued the track in remix packs, adding a version with broken rhythms by the London producer Sunship.
What came next
The group returned with “Dreams” (2002), which reached No. 26 on the Billboard dance chart, then moved to suSU, a sublabel of Concept Music, and became Afro Angel for “Join Me Brother” (2002) and “Magic” (2004). Cole and Bennett later revived the Afro Medusa name with other singers, starting with “Pasilda Pt II: Come a Little Closer” featuring Heidi Vogel in 2007.
Fructuoso recorded as MAMBANA with the Swedish producer Axwell, later of Swedish House Mafia, with tracks such as “Libre” and “Felicidad”, and moved to Mozambique in 2004. For more club hits from the turn of the millennium, read about “Toca’s Miracle” by Fragma and “Turn Around” by Phats & Small.
FAQ
Who made Pasilda?
Afro Medusa, a British group formed in the late 1990s by Spanish musician Isabel Fructuoso with London producers Patrick Cole and Nick Bennett.
When did Pasilda chart?
In 2000. It reached No. 31 on the UK Singles Chart in October and No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music chart in November.
Who remixed Pasilda?
Remixes by Knee Deep, Afterlife and Blank & Jones were released, and Armada Music later added a version by London producer Sunship.
