"Rhythm Is a Mystery" is the debut single by British electronic music group K-Klass, released in 1991 by Deconstruction Records, and later included on the group's debut album, Universal (1993). Lead vocals are performed by Bobbi Depasois.
Background and release
Andy Williams, Carl Thomas, Russ Morgan and Paul Roberts met in a nightclub in Manchester in 1988. They formed production collective K-Klass and debuted with The Wildlife EP in 1990. "Rhythm Is a Mystery" was their follow-up in 1991. The distinctive drum roll which features at various junctures in the track was sampled from the 1987 song "Devotion" by Ten City. First released via Creed Records, it secured K-Klass a contract with Deconstruction. Upon the first release of "Rhythm Is a Mystery", the song only reached No. 61 in the UK. However, after a new remix was re-released that same year, it peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. It is their biggest hit to date.
Critical reception
While reviewing the group's 1993 debut album Universal, Dave Simpson from Melody Maker wrote, "Sure, the Walsall groovers were there at the beginning (or thereabouts), bombarding audiences at early 808 State gigs and managed to fuse club credibility and mainstream success with the lusciously gyrating "Rhythm Is a Mystery", creating a classic of the genre to boot." Roger Morton from NME praised it as "a brazen piano house anthem", remarking that "In the lexicon of British dance pop acts with single consonant prefixes, K Klass are the reliable workhorses next to the thoroughbred M People and the steeplechasing D:Ream."
Impact and legacy
British clubbing magazine Mixmag ranked "Rhythm Is a Mystery" number 34 in its "100 Greatest Dance Singles of All Time" list in 1996.
The same year, English DJ Tall Paul named it one of his top 10 tracks, adding, "I think this came out in 1990/91. It's a great song — listen to that piano drop. I remember seeing the place go completely mad to it: you can still easily drop it now and people go mad. An all-time classic."
MTV Dance ranked it number 79 in their list of "The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems of All Time" in November 2011.
The song was featured in the 1992 comedy film Encino Man.