Incredible (M-Beat song)

"Incredible"
Single by M-Beat featuring General Levy
Released	1994
Genre	Jungle ragga jungle
Label	Renk
Songwriter(s)	General Levy
Producer(s)	M-Beat
M-Beat singles chronology
"Style" (1994) "Incredible" (1994) "Sweet Love" (1994)

"Incredible" is a song by British jungle producer M-Beat featuring General Levy on vocals. It was first released as a single in 1994 and reached No. 39 on the UK Singles Chart. A re-release a few months later featuring new mixes was much more successful, peaking at No. 8, and remaining on the chart for 12 weeks.^[1] "Incredible" was the first jungle track to reach the top 10 in the UK.^[2] It was released on Renk Records.^[3]

General Levy's vocals on "Incredible" were adapted from a song he had previously written, titled "The Wickedest General".^[2] "Incredible" uses lyrics from Levy's song "Mad Them" as well as the beat from M-Beat's song "Style". In response to General Levy's remark, following the runaway success of "Incredible", that he was "runnin' jungle", an ad hoc "Committee" of DJs and others influential in the jungle community launched a campaign against the song.^[4]

The song was featured in the 2002 British comedy film Ali G Indahouse^[5] and appears on the film's soundtrack.

Critical reception

Ben Willmott from NME wrote, "Poppy and infectious, it's totally uncompromising on the new style jungle beats but has a breathtaking ragga rap from veteran General Levy. A huge hit too."^[6] Another editor, Dele Fadele, commented, "This is the first proper sign of an underground music — which rules Pirate Radio in London — going overground. Speed is of the essence as a sampled breakbeat gets sped-up and superimposed over a start/stop ragga rhythm."^[7]

Track listing

• UK 12" (first release)

A1. "Incredible" (Original Mix)

B1. "Incredible" (Booyaka Mix)

B2. "Incredible" (Instrumental)

• UK 12" (re-release)

A1. "Incredible" (Original Mix)

A2. "Incredible" (Rhino Mix)

B1. "Incredible" (Underground Mix – Drum & Bass)

B2. "Incredible" (Underground Mix – Deep Bass)

• UK CD single

1. "Incredible" (Original Mix) – 4:56
2. "Incredible" (Jungle Steppers Mix) – 5:02
3. "Incredible" (Underground Mix – Deep Bass) – 4:54
4. "Style" (Sweet Girl Mix) – 4:23

Charts

Chart (1994)	Peak position
Europe (European Dance Radio)[8]	4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9]	13
UK Singles (OCC)	39
UK Singles (OCC) (reissue)	8
UK Dance (OCC)[10]	2

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[11]	Gold	400,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "M-BEAT FEAT. GENERAL LEVY – Official Charts Company".
2. Hucker, Dave (29 October 1994). "Jungle Fever Spreads in U.K." Billboard: 1, 20.
3. Larkin, Colin, ed. (2009). "Renk Records". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195313734.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-972636-3. OCLC 466821843.
4. Reynolds, Simon (1 March 2012). Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture. Soft Skull Press. p. 253. ISBN 978-1-59376-477-7.
5. Ali G Indahouse (2002) - IMDb, retrieved 15 September 2022
6. Willmott, Ben (25 June 1994). "Groove Check". NME. p. 15. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
7. Fadele, Dele (25 June 1994). "Singles". NME. p. 42. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
8. "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. 3 December 1994. p. 18. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
9. "M-Beat feat. General Levy – Incredible" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
10. "Official UK Dance Singles Chart (4 September 1994 – 10 September 1994)". Official Charts Company.
11. "British single certifications – M-Beat Ft General Levy – Incredible". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 August 2024.