Concluding my run down of the 40 greatest ever pieces of dance music ( see here for numbers 40 to 31 from Friday , numbers 30 to 21 from Saturday and numbers 20 to 11 from yesterday ) here is today's final list from 10 to 1:-
10. D-Mob feat. Gary Haisman – We Call it Acieed
As far as anthems go for Acid House they do not get as uncompromising as this one. If one was to ferment all the ingredients and flavours of Acid House into a bottle and then leave it to distil the result would taste a little like this. Controversial because it was successful, We Call it Acieed could have other been a token underground track. Gary Haisman’s manic shouts of “acieeed!!!” just add to the flavour. Both for the times and of the times, D-Mob produced a startling snapshot of a moment in the history of late 20th century British culture life.
9. Lil Louis and the World – French Kiss
Yet more controversy. If sex was translated into electronic beats and synthesised rhythms then French Kiss would be the happy product of that act of union. In saying this I am ignoring the slightly embarrassing female orgasm that occurs during this record. That moment of ecstasy aside, the actual tune of French Kiss bumps and grinds and gets jiggy with itself too. If rock and roll took its name from the fact that its basic musical structure sounded similar to the noises associated with the birds and the bees then with this song Lil Louis and the World have created a whole new genre waiting for a similar term. Is the song just an updated version of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin’s Je t’aime...moi non Plus? The video is frankly disturbing when you think about it too.
8. Inner City – Big Fun
Big Fun is perhaps the best example of Detroit House and given that Detroit House eventually evolved and became better known as Techno then Inner City have produced an incredibly influential and important record here. The follow up single Good Life was even more successful yet Big Fun still has that unpolished harder edge to it. The commercial sheen on Techno is not totally shining yet, making Big Fun feel underground even though it has gone overground.
7. The Prodigy – Out of Space
If Kraftwerk are the Beatles of dance then Out of Space solidifies in my mind the Prodigy’s reputation as the Sex Pistols of rave. Out of Space is a veritable Anarchy in the UK and God Save the Queen rolled into one. The song is a hedonistic piece of youthful abandonment. The Prodigy would become musically more adept and commercially more popular but there is a naïve innocence on this record which is hard to find in their later career. The blending of cod reggae samples and blistering beats fed easily into generation x’s appetite for their own version of punk.
6. Black Box – Ride on Time
Ride on Time is probably the most successful highest placed entry on this list. In fact it was the biggest selling single of 1989 in the UK. It remains the filling in the sandwich between two slices of Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers. Italian House has been mentioned in passing so far yet Black Box crystallise all the best elements of this genre. The song is based around a basic piano chord structural melody, strong black female vocal dynamics as well as a pulsating yet nonintrusive beat. For me the best bit is the little yelps from the singer following her larger, soaring wails which remind me that I am still listening to something electronic and mechanical.
5. Steve Silk Hurley – Jack Your Body
To the wider music buying public Jack Your Body could seem like a fairly silly attempt at novelty. This is to take the track totally out of context however. Steve Silk Hurley’s masterpiece, and that is what it is, truly belongs in its natural environment, the Chicago House nightclubs and venues. Presumably Steve Silk Hurley agreed that Jack Your Body had no place in the charts as he refused to promote it and the 12” exceeded the required time duration to be considered in the charts. This did not deter the great music buying public because it got to number one anyway. A landmark moment in the history of dance for a truly special record.
4. Colourbox – The Official Colourbox World Cup Theme
Some may think it is rather odd to place a piece of music designed, and rejected, for a sports TV programme so highly in a list of best dance anthems ever. The Official Colourbox World Cup Theme has a life totally outside of the context it was developed in however. It became a mainstay anthem of clubs such as the Hacienda in Manchester at the end of the 80s and remains one of the most powerful and dramatic pieces of electronica ever produced.
3. Robin S – Show Me Love
In part you can see the very early stirrings of Handbag House in Show Me Love by Robin S. This in itself is not necessarily a good thing. What makes Show Me Love great when so many similar pieces of dance fail then? There are two answers to that question, firstly the use of the Korg M1 Percussion Organ Preset throughout the riff and its balance with the rest of the subtle instrumentation and secondly the way Robin S’s vocal swings in and out of the melody in a most heartfelt and bittersweet way.
2. 808 State – Pacific State
Possibly one of the greatest, if not the greatest pieces of music ever made. The only reason that it is not number one is that dance music itself is such a broad genre, as I hope this list of 40 greatest hits testifies, meaning there are elements contained in the number one record which are not contained here. In other words, it would be difficult to argue that Pacific State defines a genre due to elements of dance it does not touch upon. One such absence is vocals, but the instrumental melody is so expressive it is easy to forget that Pacific State has no vocals on it at all. Perfection, true and pure perfection.
1. Frankie Knuckles – Your Love
So here is the tune that defines the dance genre and is the greatest ambassador for this kind of music. The track that has it all. It is probably best to let the music do the talking, but to summarise all the drama, emotion and life affirming energy one can hope to get out of a piece of dance music is here. From the beginning with the manic driving repetitive arpeggio, to when that sly knowing bass line first comes in. The bass then takes you on a journey through gradiose synths, stuttered, jerking beats and then to a surprisingly melancholic yet soulful vocal. All playing their part to produce a whole. Nothing is wasted, everything is there for a reason. A bit like life as a whole, Your Love is both sad and joyful at the same time. Also like life, one is kept in total suspense, never quite knowing what may come next. Your Love makes the listener both excited and grateful to be alive.
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