Classic rave vibes on a tune I revisit often for inspiration. Breaks, big sub, killer stabs and vocals of many flavors to round it out. Altern-8 with the crucial flip on this one. Hey, DJ, hope you know what you're doing.
One day we'll figure out that we're on the same team. Until then let's hope that civility wins the day.
Another great one from the acid jazz days. Equal parts dub, hip hop, jazz and funk, this cuts across genre boundaries while maintaining vibe. A great snapshot of production and arrangement from that time. Sometimes sublime, others straight dancefloor fire, this album has both. I wore out 'acoustic blues' and 'tik tok' (one I'd play right now), but the rest of the offerings also satisfy in a way that hits different from sounds we get today.
A unique record that takes me back to an incredible time, this tune is reminiscent of one of my early heroes Adamski. Acid house rave vibes with simple production using the sounds of the time. Many of the synths on these songs have languished in obscurity, but the impact is still felt. This sounds so hopeful and young to me, kind of a shot in the arm in a time when it seems like we've heard it all before. Love.
More Pure Silk heat with a cover of the Ann Peebles classic that Missy sampled. This brings the bounce, soul, and sultry vibes that I hold so dear. This one is still on deck for those certain moments, with that perfect blend of so many things I love. Fantastic tune.
A cool transitional track where I was listening to tons of hardcore and breakbeat hardcore along with many other flavors of this era while also loving the vocal house starting to cross over a bit. This one is a blend of the two, with C&C on the buttons providing something big and deep at the same time. A great glimpse into a pivotal moment. Love.
A staple in our household growing up and in many ways one of the most important records of my life. Dad loved Latin jazz and pop music, same for mom. My mom learned all of the lyrics to O pato, (despite not speaking Portuguese). That's love. This record I got at a flea market for a buck, didn't want to take my folks' copy from them. Essential.
This is such a pivotal one for me... On the heels of so many hugely commercial crossover house hits, and a few years before the sound got pretty dark, came this gem. Soulful, deep, funky, all of the things that would soon make me look deeper into house and my specific sound in it. The super commercial appeal of some of the vocal tracks would see push back in the underground. The deep sound was too mellow for my tastes, and the influence of techno and rave sounds would further split the styles on offer. This was connective tissue between disco and the garage sound that I would eventually call home. This both was and wasn't what I wanted to sound like, which turned out to be vitally important. Hearing this out all the time validated my taste, but also made me seek out tunes closer to my heart. I still love this song and can't say enough good things about Kenny and Louis and their contributions to music (not just house) over the years. But this is also a reflective time that helped me learn to look deeper to find what really spoke to me. Very thankful for this one.
Big tune here. As dancehall bubbled up (pun intended) in the UK garage scene and MCs took the lead in songs, we saw the foundation laid for grime and the worldwide awareness of the British MC. A song that rides the line between both scenes perfectly, while expanding the sounds of both. Classic.
In the running for my favorite record from this era... ('gabriel' (live garage version) might edge it out by just a hair). This has three heavyweights on one tune. Artful Dodger, purveyors of some of the biggest tunes of the day, Robbie Craig (highlighted earlier for another of his classics), and in many ways one of the faces of this scene, the mighty Craig David (who I'm sure will pop up here soon enough). Lots of wicked remixes by my favorite producers, including Sunship and Wideboys just to name two. Great in all of its incarnations, this is one that always brings a smile and rocks the dance.
Didn't do a post on the day but thanks for the messages and calls. Every year less becomes so much more. 🎂
My favorite record from my favorite singer of all time. Growing up, the classic Motown stuff was a favorite of my parents, where 'sexual healing' was his hit for my generation. So much incredible output, but this record really does a thing for me that's different from the others. I can be in a 'what's going on', 'let's get it on' or 'trouble man' vibe, but this one is always right on time for me, regardless of mood.
So changing gears a bit, let's jump into some of the jungle and drum and bass that really moved me. This is one of the records that turned my head in a big way. Maybe the first time I tried floating an acapella over a track at this tempo was this one, with the Jones girls sample already being on the radio with the Xscape cover. This felt like evolution and revolution at the same time and an effortless step forward for me musically. To add to this, the Tevin Campbell sample felt like it was speaking to us, in that moment, and was in no way random. Many others like this I'm sure will end up in this space over time, but this is a truly foundational track for me in this style.
Practically wore this record out. The amazing Rosie Gaines, Bump & Flex on remix duties, and on the essential Pure Silk records to boot. This is another label that I could buy releases from without even having to listen to them. Sultry, soulful, bouncy. Very close to my heart this one.
Right off the top, three amazing things together. Robbie Craig, voice of many classics. Next, Dubaholics, purveyors of the bounce that kept our dancefloor bubbling many a night at Pull. And last and absolutely not least, Public Demand. Too many wicked releases on this label to name here. This record helped set the pace for how I see garage... It forms a great bridge between American garage, the speed garage that came next, and the two step that followed, while still feeling vital today. (the 4/4 mix is my cut of choice on this one, btw) Absolutely Crucial.
Among my favorite live shows ever recorded, this is one that my dad and I deeply bonded over. Between the singular Lou Rawls vocal delivery, a band that cooked, and playful banter, this record has the amazing ups and downs that only the greats can provide. Go listen to it.
More connections through more wicked tunes. While many would have placed 'Battle' here first, (no shade, I just like this better). A reinterpretation of one of my favorite Soul ii Soul tunes is more my speed. Wookie perfectly snatched the elements that were floating around the r&b and UKG world and blended them to sublime effect. So good.
Forever in my rotation... Randomly came up in a session with a student. Any chance to show the JBs, I'll take it. 🔥🔥🔥
A favorite tune from one of the most influential albums of my musical life. Floaty, sexy, urgent. All of these things permeate React 2 Rhythm during this era and I am forever grateful for that. Mr. Tenaglia on remix duties here and this is exactly the center point between my love for cool trippy synth sounds and more established soulful ones. This track in particular isn't the tipping point or anything, but a great look at a moment that really helped to mold how I think of music. I still put this album on and keep learning new things in the simple but tasteful choices. Classic.
Love this tune. TJ Cases with a soulful track from an incredible moment. In the states we got UK Garage a little after it exploded across the pond. But once it came here, we got a steady stream of amazing music. This is a great pop/r&b tune built on the foundation of the 2 step sound. Not really borrowing from other production styles, nice to hear funky but resonant choices in this song. Other songs have more complex production, but this has only what's needed, and as a result still holds up.
