A DJ's Perspective
May 09 '00 (Updated May 11 '00)
I've been DJ'ing for a while now, and I think it's pretty safe to say I've heard a decent bit of the best dance records out there. Over the course of my life, in clubs, on radio, or at home, this is what I've run across and can vouch for as the 10 12" singles I wouldn't want to be left without on a desert island (as long as I had a pair of turntables, that is):
10. New Order - True Faith (1987, Factory)
Emotionally-charged synth pop from the Manchester quartet, with remix work by 80's master Shep Pettibone. New Order's established status as deities in dance music should say enough, but this being their finest tracks before "Technique," it should say plenty more.
9. Freakpower - No Way (1998, Deconstruction)
You know this man. No matter what moniker he hides under, his records always burn up the floor. That's right - Norman Cook, (aka Pizzaman aka Mighty Dub Kats aka Fatboy Slim), together with Ashley Slater, crank out a swanky big-beat tune with cheesy carnival-esque riffs, along with the ubiquitous "Throw Your Hands In The Air" snippet from Love Tribe's classic "Stand Up." You've probably heard this song before, either in a club, or in a movie - it's played in "Mystery Men" right before Mr. Furious tries to patch things up with Claire Forlani's character. The results are always spectacular, as I've seen this track transform wallflowers and trainspotters into impromptu B-boys and rump-shakers.
8. Paul Johnson - It's a Boogie Thang EP (1998, IHR)
On this four-cut EP, there is not one single dud. Each track is chock-full of filter-disco delight. From "It's a love thing"'s percussive vocal disco (which has doppler-effect-style sounds similar to "Loose Caboose" by the Electroliners) to the laid back groove of "Brazilianisco," or the Chicago filter madness of "Tonight" and the infamous "Boogie Til You Oogie," whose main samples come from the original by Taste of Honey. This EP is nothing but funk and groove, and ... it rocks the party 'til the early light.
7. Keoki - Caterpillar (1995, Moonshine)
The original mix isn't all that great, but the remixes certainly make the record. D'Still'd, the in-house remix service at Moonshine, does a good revamp of the song, while the Crystal Method lends their trademark trippy breakbeat sound to the track. The best cut on the single is undoubtedly the remix by Rabbit In The Moon, a funky tech-house re-work assembled with slap bass, whistles, vocoders, ambient sweeps and the sounds you won't forget.
6. Basement Jaxx - Rendez-Vu (1999, XL)
It is impossible to hear the Basement Jaxx, and not feel the magnificent glory. Replete with Latin-flavored percussion, electro vocals, smooth-yet-driving bass, and an acoustic guitar, "Rendez-Vu" never fails to make the posteriors of the crowd move a bit. These guys have definitely more to their sound than the "Punk Garage" that they make it out to be.
5. Chemical Brothers - Loops of Fury EP (1996, Junior Boy's Own)
Growling analog synthesizers perch over booming bass breaks, always bringing widespread devastation to the blown-up dancefloor - that's "Loops of Fury." "The Best Part of Breaking Up", with its combined electro and big-beat sampled breaks, works so well as a DJ's tool that, when added to the mix, it makes for some very potent and interesting fuel for the fire. "Get Up On It Like This" has probably one of the best drum tracks I've ever heard - very 70's funk-style drumming, along with a great bass line, sampled guitar, scratching and solid stabs, b-boy vocals, and well-intentioned analog synth lines . . . It works, it's undeniable - it makes the floor explode. However, it's not enough - Dave Clarke's remix of "Chemical Beats" from the Chems' first LP "Exit Planet Dust" busts open with great grunts, bass, big-beat breaks, and acid licks. I've personally gotten a speeding ticket because of this record.
4. Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus (1990, Sire)
Depeche Mode goes guitar with a stomping 6/8 beat, melding the suave with the swank. It was the era during which they were onto something, and this 12" single shows it perfectly, with the standouts being the "Holier Than Thou" mix, as well as one of the best DM B-sides of all time, "Dangerous."
3. Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You (1998, Roule)
Can you say Thomas Bangalter? That's right, I knew you could. He's got "da funk," if I might say so myself, and being French, it's certainly a good bit skewed compared to most other well-known house producers. You know him, not only as half of the dancefloor legend Daft Punk, but also from his work with Alan Braxe and Benjamin Cohen under the moniker Stardust, whose only release, "Music Sounds Better With You," became an enormous crossover success. Its disco hooks, filtered vocals and Chaka Khan samples (not to mention the brilliantly directed video by Michel Gondry) give a great feel to the track, sending you straight back to 1979 - a time of uplifting disco and Solid Gold.
2. Tori Amos - Professional Widow (1996, Atlantic)
Whoa. The A-Side of this record is great - one of Armand Van Helden's finest remixes. Combining a stomping house beat, swanky bass guitar loop, and fragments of Amos' already-twisted and seductive lyrics, he produces a funky, floor-filling anthem that never ceases to get the crowd moving. The remix on the B-Side is done by MK, whose chill-out garage flavor works well with low-key disco-house, or working a set back into something like Basement Jaxx or something by other garage producers.
1. M/A/R/R/S - Pump Up The Volume (1987, 4AD)
Who knew art-rockers could concoct enduring dance music like this? A one-off joint experiment for members of 4AD's A.R. Kane and Colourbox, "Pump Up The Volume" remains one of the most influential cut-and-paste sampling records, along with Coldcut's "Beats & Pieces" and Beats International's "Beat Dis." Unlike the two others, M/A/R/R/S's classic stands up to the club test of the ages and still gets plenty of floor-time, and on each occasion it does, you'd better believe there will be some solid body-movin'.
So, those are my top ten.
Are you mad that I've not listed Josh Wink? Roni Size? 4Hero? Laid Back? C&C Music Factory? Kraftwerk? Well, sorry - not on my island ... this week ;-)
Questions? Suggestions? Don't hesitate to ask ...
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