M People are a British house music act from Manchester that formed in 1990. Career The group consisted of Mike Pickering, Heather Small and Paul Heard and Shovell. Pickering was a member of Factory Records dance act Quando Quango, but became more noted as one of the original DJ at The Hacienda. Heard was a member of Acid Jazz band, Ace of Clubs; while Shovell had previously been in the collective Natural Life. Heather Small was in the British Soul band Hot House who had released a number of critically acclaimed records without scoring any major success. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering In 1994 and 1995 they won the BRIT Award for Best British Dance Act. In 1994, they won the Mercury Music Prize for the album Elegant Slumming. The victory sparked controversy as they beat Britpop band Blur, who were deemed by critics to be more 'worthy' than a mere dance band. With ten Top Ten UK singles, the band was