Exotic Storm was a group on Epic Records out of Hopkins, MN back in 1986 came out around the time Prince & The Revolution's Parade was HOT! This was the Brain storm of Larkin Arnold around this time there were groups popping up everywhere with the Mn sound, look and so forth Their only cd BTW it was called In The Beginning and The Lead Singer had every Prince look and sound alike down to a "T" here is the band roll call: Derrick "Dezzraye"-Lead & Backing Voice,Lead Guitar,Bass,Keyboards,Piano,Drums,Percussion,Pocca-Bass & Backing voice,Riqqu-Guitar& Backing voice,Aimee Joy-Keys & Backing Voice,Tommie-Drums & Backing Voice,Dan-Saxes,Nixy-Keys & Backing Voice.....Dezzraye of course produced,arranged & performed everything....On some cuts he does sound JUST LIKE Prince on songs like "We're No Longer Friends" and the "I'll Save You From The World" taking right out of the Prince song book....I was a fool for these sound-a-like groups but i enjoyed it nonetheless, also this cut called "I'm My Own Person" in the intro this girl thinks he's jesse johnson and then another thinks he's prince its hilarious i often visit these sound a likes from time to time just to amuse myself.....Not in print anymore i have it on cassette..actually never heard any songs on radio i was reading a Black Beat Mag and they had a list of groups that sounded like prince so i went out and bought it...LOL if u remember these guys, leave a note!

Yeah, I 've heard of them. I thought their album was whack. I had the album and then sold it. Their band image was a straight rip off of P and The Revolution, circa 84. Too bad they didn't sound shit like that. The one cat was a Dez clone. I had heard that Dez actually was slated to produce this. He had produced some of their demos is what I heard. Why? Cuz one of the cats looked like him?!

But to me, this is nothing compared to a cat named Jak. He had an album called "I Go Wild". I remember when I went to go see Mazarati at The Palace in 86, Jak was there. Everybody was like "Who in the fuck is THAT?" I was like "That's Jak!".He was signed to Epic also by Larkin Arnold. I STILL have this album. I play it for folks to show just how big P was in the 80's. This album came out in 85 though. Every song on here is a combo of cuts from Controversy and 1999 mixed together. Like he has a song titled "69" which is straiht "Do Me, Baby". He's bititng off of cuts in the first degree like Let's Work and then throwing in a bridge from D.M.S.R all in one song. He has shit on there that sounds like "Something In The Water". Actually, the album isn't that bad. It's just not his sound, u know? Blantant ass rip off. I actually dig the ballad "69". He wrote and played everything too. He looked like a cross between a trans out Jesse.

blackguitaristz said:

Blackguitaristz you da man.....LOL jak i remember that shyt as well and this other dude his name is bostic i cant call his 1st name tho he was a rip off as well. But the Exotic Storm was funny for me, i thought they ripped off P big time but it was fun for that time even though it was WHACK! Good to know that you remember the whack shyt as well.....LOL Rock on dude!!!!! Oh i 4got there was this cat name 32phreeze he had the P knock off shyt too i believe this was 1989 he had this song called "Heartbeats in the Dark" & "Lets Get Closer" he was a white guy on Solar records Dick Griffey signed him and these cats name Ray Barnes and Tony Coleman B.K.A The Knight Crew (Production Duo)....Lots off P rip offs through the years.....Holla!

I remember Black Beat magazine did a scathing review of their album....


the album cover features pouty,androgynous,what-are-you-looking-at poses,and "cute" nicknames,all of it about three years too late.The song "I'll Save You From The World" actually features the line...."bombs will be dropping everywhere,they'd better not harm your silky hair".I believe they're serious about this.

sounds like a sad,Prince-wannabee disaster of an album!


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[Edited 6/27/07 0:31am]

blackguitaristz said:

I remember Jak! He had a minor hit song called "I Go Wild".

blackguitaristz said:

We could start a thread on all the silly Prince clones that came out after 'Purple Rain' It was ridiculous.

I got a question. Blackguitaristz you might know the answer to this. Didn't Dezzraye try to sue Babyface and LA Reid over that song they wrote for Bobby Brown on the GhostBusters II soundtrack called "Take Control"? That was a rumor floating around back in the day.

ThePunisher said:

Wow,..nah, I'm not hip to that one.

blackguitaristz said:

Neither am I. I guess that slip passed my legs.

BlaqueKnight said:

Sound cool. I'd b happy 2 hear that but i guess this album doesn't exist on CD, deoes it?