EDM – We repackaged it and sold it back to the nation of America Pt III

I’m not going to lie I’ve just read down my list of notes and if someone was to knock on my door now and declare that this was a list of records that I could only listen to between now and my death I don’t think I would be to disappointed in the outcome to be fair. Whilst the first 20 choices all played their parts in shaping the ever changing world of EDM my next lot of choices whilst doing the same would in my humble opinion make a great Playlist for an IPod or any generic MP3 player you’d care to mention.

My first choice for part three is surely one of the best known house tracks ever recorded and quite how it never topped the UK singles chart I don’t know reaching just number 6 and in the American Billboard charts number 5. For those musical geeks the track uses a Korg M1 percussion organ preset in the riff that runs throughout the track and for those with a life let’s just say there aren’t many tracks containing female vocals which will close come to outshining this choice.

21. Robin S – Show Me Love

I don’t know the last time I listened to this track other than the fact it’s now playing over the sound of my fingers typing away. I will be the first to admit that I had completely forgotten just how much of an absolutely amazing record it is. The track is considered to be one of the best examples of early progressive house. The remix version in 1996 charted at number 6 in the UK and it’s heavy bass line coupled with a piano just makes me remember what a sucker I am for someone tinkling the ivories. Another great example of how strong a female vocal can be on a house track to boot.

22. Gat Décor – Passion

So there seems to be a common theme and structure to this series of blogs finally being that of the use of female vocalists on tracks so for the time being as it makes some kind of sense I will continue through my notes on that basis. The next track ranks as one of my favourite of all time in any musical genre and would feature on my top five list though I’d hate to commit to what number as my musical preferences on a day to day basis change like the my needs for what to wear dependent accordingly on the ever changing UK weather.  The track samples Jomanda’s – Don’t you want my love and reached number 6 in the UK charts in 1992. Don’t quote me on this but I suspect Tiga’s ‘Sunglasses at night,’ samples the same track but I’m too lazy to check.

23. Felix – Don’t You Want Me

The 1990s was a glorious decade for female vocals on EDM tracks I feel so quickly following on featuring the vocals of Rainie Lassiter this track charted at number 9 in 1995.

24. De’Lacy – Hideaway

OK so just one more track featuring a female vocalist for now and a nod to the earlier days of drum n bass. The ‘Timeless’ album from which it’s taken released in 1995 is considered possibly the most ground breaking of all the releases of its generation and help shape and define the dnb genre. Interestingly the album was released on Pete Tong’s FFRR label a name not usually synonymous with dnb history but given this albums importance perhaps it should be highlighted more. But why should it come as a surprise that a DJ who has broken so many people’s career’s and thrust them into the limelight of the world should have also played a large helping hand with dnb as well. Whilst the track only reached number 39 in the UK charts to me it sounds as good and as relevant when played today some 17 years later.

25. Goldie – Inner City Life

In the last blog I mentioned the rise of the Super Star DJ and two guys from Manchester called Tom and Ed took their place alongside the likes of The Prodigy and FatBoy Slim in bringing the big beat genre to the mainstream of the UK charts. For two lads who listed their early childhood hobbies and interests to include aeroplanes, musicals, Scotland and the bagpipes it’s hard to believe that these two managed the success that they have since they hit the music scene. In their time they have collaborated with the likes of Mr Noel Gallagher of Oasis fame on the track ‘Setting Sun,’ which gave the duo their first UK number one single in 1996. The track features a sample taken from Rock Master Scott and The Dynamic Three’s ‘The Roof Is On Fire’ and peaked at number 3 in the charts in 1999. Whilst it might not have been their most successful record the hook exemplifies just how far the humble DJ had now come during the 1990s.

26. The Chemical Brothers – Hey Boy Hey Girl

My next track comes from my an electro house DJ from Boston who came to prominence in the UK when his remix of Tori Amos’ ‘Professional Widow’ reached number one in the UK charts. Latterly the DJ has enjoyed more number one success with his collaboration with UK grime star Dizzie Rascal on ‘Bonkers’ and has recorded with A-Trak under the guise of Duck Sauce with the unforgettable track ‘Barba Streisand.’ This track samples Gary Wright’s ‘Comin’ Apart’ and features the vocals of Tara McDonald. Strangely it failed to break into the top ten in the UK charts peaking at number 12 in 2006.

27. Armand Van Helden – My My My

I genuinely am not sure where to start when attempting to describe the next group. I could start by saying that they have in my opinion one of the most genuinely cool front men going but that would probably do him a major disservice and the compliment would mean little to the man. He’s probably the only leading front man in the history of EDM who is a Soka Gakkai Buddhist and his lyrics are made up of a mixture of social commentary and coverage of a wide range of personal issues. He’s joined on the line up by a vastly talented female musician and the brother of Dido who shot to fame on the Eminem track Stan. Together they have sold over 15 million records and their impact on the history of EDM is secure. My choice of track is somewhat apt if not melancholic by its very title for me personally. The track reached number 3 in the UK singles chart in 1995.

28. Faithless - Insomnia

Just to prove I’m not biased towards the UK’s impact on EDM totally this entry comes from a New York DJ who has remixed tracks for some of the most well known artists on the planet. His credits include work for; Mariah Carey, Madonna, Kylie, Whitney, U2, Michael and Janet Jackson, Luther Vandross and Aretha Franklin to name but a few. A DJ that can quite rightly be named as one of the original Super Star DJs the track samples Rare Pleasure’s ‘Let Me Down Easily’ another great example of a 4/4 Disco Beat. The track peaked at number 11 in the UK charts in 2001.

29. David Morales presents The Face – Needin’ U

The last slot goes to a DJ sadly no longer with us having passed away last year aged just 34. Signed to highly influential record label Ed Banger records the Tunisian born Paris based DJ collaborated with the likes of notable names such as Daft Punk and Cassius. Best known for pushing the boundaries by mixing hip hop with EDM just how far his influence would have gone will sadly remain unknown after his tragic early demise.

30. DJ Medhi - Signatune

EDM – We repackaged it and sold it back to the nation of America Pt II

So welcome to Part II of my look back at some of the EDM tracks that for me went on to become some of the game changers in the history of dance music on this side of the Atlantic Ocean as the UK carefully went about its business daily producing some of the best known and well loved tracks of a generation whilst on the other side of the pond the scene barely continued with a whimper on a national level. EDM to Americans during the 1980s and 1990s was akin to where soccer ranks on the list of national sports in terms of musical popularity of all the genres. Whilst Skrillex may now play across the country to sell out stadia no EDM artist had ever really threatened the top of the bill board charts although this all changed when international superstar and rnb sensation Rihanna teamed up with a UK DJ originally from the Scottish market town of Dumfries – Mr Calvin Harris. Their collaboration on ‘We Found Love’ topped the Billboard charts for 10 weeks and was the longest running number one single in 2011. 6.3 million copies sold worldwide and topping the charts in 25 countries the single would go onto mark a real change in the American markets attitude towards EDM.

Some of my first ten selections touched on the use of samples in tracks released and their use has throughout the decades continued to be an important in all genres of music not just EDM based. Back in the late 1980s though one record was to really power home the use of samples when my number 11 choice hit the top of the UK charts in 1987. The track was an international success and is considered to be the first UK number one to have included samples. Despite the success of the track it is oddly now in the brackets of what we like to call ‘The One Hit Wonder.’

11. Marrs – Pump Up The Volume

Whilst early artists may not have reached longevity in their careers the sounds that they help create still live on long after the original tracks were released into the mainstream and today’s artists will use samples from any period in time. There is no discrimination through the decades and in September of 2009 the grime artist Dizzie Rascal sampled a 1989 track on his top ten hit Dirtee Cash. Dizzie Rascal is an anomaly in the music world having gained huge commercial success in the UK charts and beyond whilst still producing music true to his grime roots alongside the big money spinners. Dizzie Rascal topped the UK charts with; Dirtee Disco, Holiday, Bonkers and Dance With Me yet his collaboration with D Double E  on the track Bluku Bluku will have escaped the attention of the masses totally. The next track in question peaked at number two in the UK charts and reached number one in the US dance charts.

12. The Adventures of Stevie V – Dirty Cash (Money Talks)

In the last blog I mentioned the influence of areas of the UK on the music scene citing the likes of Bristol, London and Manchester as prime examples of how different sounds can originate from the same country. Whilst the UK can quite rightly claim to have many of the original pioneers in every genre of EDM going our cousins right of the waves in mainland Europe have also helped shape the landscape of EDM as we know it. In the present Holland is producing an ever increasing large pool of DJ talent; Tiesto, Laidback Luke, Afrojack, Ferry Corsten, Noisia, Chuckie, Armin van Buuren, Nicky Romero, Sidney Sampson, Joris Voorn, Jochen Miller, Wildstylez, Headhunterz, Hardwell, Sander van Doorn, Fedde Le Grand – Do I need to go on to prove a point? Holland have always been long term musical influencer’s on EDM and alongside Germany were pioneers of the original more electronic techno age. But in 1989 a group from Belgium scored a number 2 hit in the UK chart and scored the first ever big chart success for a house record at that time.

13. Technotronic – Pump Up The Jam

A year later in 1990 which already featured heavily in some of my first ten choices, an American house group from New York would reach number 2 in UK singles chart on a track which featured Q Tip from A Tribe Called Quest and the flamboyant bass guitarist Bootsy Collins. Oh and who could forget the psychedelic video featuring Lady Miss Kier? This track is a great reminder that EDM doesn’t always take itself too seriously and music should be first and foremost – great fun and include a beat you can dance to.

14. Dee Lite – Groove Is In The Heart

One of the things that strikes me most about compiling this list of tracks has been how old some of them actually are yet how their sounds still hold up even to this day years later. Whilst it’s nothing new that music of any genre stands the test of time I am left wondering where the years have gone in between today as I write and when they were originally released and ear marked a print on my soul and very DNA.

The power and influence of the DJ rose and rose during the 1990s and as the decade finished they were seen as the new pop stars of their generation by many – a label which has only risen in stock ever since. This was the birth of the Superstar DJ and where would any self respecting Superstar DJ ply their trade? In a super club of course. London had the Ministry of Sound, Fabric and Turnmills; There was The Republic in Sheffield; Air in Birmingham; The Emporium in Coleville and Nation in Liverpool and as previously mentioned The Hacienda in Manchester. The now closed Turnmills was the first UK club to gain a 24 hour licence and one of its Saturday night resident DJs Tony De Vit is widely viewed as one of the original game changers of the DJs rise to power. The Ministry of Sound wasn’t just a super club it became a super brand as well and now in its 21^st year it continues to go from strength to strength. The club cum recording label was one of the first to release mixes on CD making clubbing more accessible by the masses away from an actual dance floor. The original releases featuring sets from Pete Tong and Boy George would go onto sell hundreds of thousands of copies and EDM became mainstream off the back of their success. In 1993 DJ and Perfecto records owner Paul Oakenfold showed the world just how far the DJ had risen to power when his sets opened the U2 Zoo TV world tour shows.

My next choice comes from the early 1990s and reached number four in the UK chart in 1991. Like Bass-O-Matic's Fascinating Rhythm it has one of my favourite ingredients to any house track I’ve loved; namely a great female vocal and the use of synths alongside a strong bass line and break beat-esque cuts. Throw in some piano and chances are I will be hooked on a track but don’t tell anyone.

15. Bizarre Inc – Playing With Knives

I don’t know why exactly but some tracks have a tendency to keep popping their heads up more than once in our lifetime. I say I don’t know why, the underlying reason will no doubt be financial of course and my next two choices have both charted on more than one occasion. The first choice entered the UK charts in 1995 at number 8 and again the following year at number 7. Over a decade later and a remix by Australian DJ Dirty South saw the track chart at a disappointing 70 in the singles chart but storm to the top of the UK dance chart in 2007. The second choice was covered to huge success by Florence and the Machine with Dizzie Rascal reaching number two in the charts although they renamed the track title ever so slightly so the purist might say it doesn’t exactly count as a cover single. The track first surfaced in 1986 reaching only 95 in the charts. In 1991 it reached number 4; 1997 number 3; 2005 number 60 and again once more in 2006 reaching number 7.  I’m not sure if there’s an algebraic equation to how the release dates work and the gaps between them but it wouldn’t surprise me if the track resurfaces again in the next few years the way these things seem to work.

16. Josh Wink – Higher State of Consciousness  

17. Candy Staton and The Source - You’ve Got The Love

As I mentioned previously global brands now use EDM tracks to great effect to help sell their goods to a worldwide audience and the first real company to make use of music in marketing campaigns to any real great deal of success as far as I’m concerned were the Levi Jeans Company. Off the back of their campaigns seven different artists went on to secure UK number ones and a further four registered top five hits. The ball was started in 1987 with Ben E King’s – Stand by me; 1990 Steve Miller Band – The Joker; 1991 The Clash – Should I stay or should I go; 1994 Stiltskin – Inside; 1995 Shaggy – Boombastic; 1996 Babylon Zoo – Spaceman and in 1999 a track which took just two hours to make on a Korg MS-20 became a hit all over Europe and made a star of someone they called Flat Eric.

18. Mr Ozio – Flat Beat

Where do you go after Flat Eric? Tough choice and probably one of those choices that leave people scratching their heads to its inclusion but when you consider the EP the track was taken from sold over 3 million copies it becomes one of those tracks that brought EDM to the attention of the masses. My next choice samples the Chicago track ‘Street Player’ and demonstrates how important the original Disco sounds of the 1970s have remained in music even much later on. They took a classic 4/4 sound and sticking close to the original using just a hook achieved a UK chart position of 5 in the summer of 1995.

19. Kenny Dope presents The Bucketheads – The Bomb (These sounds fall into my mind)

So one more choice from the list running from 11 to 20. I guess I should end with another track taken from just before the DJ really went on to become nearly untouchable and command eye boggling and mouth watering fee’s for a couple of hours work. Whilst they might not be in the same stratosphere as a Premiership footballers annual wages it’s safe to suggest that those spinners on top of their game are earning a crust that you and me won’t get anywhere near in a decade of working or more. My last choice goes to a track that I have never seen fail to see people reach their hands in the air for and amazingly the first release of the track was now twenty years ago. Do you ever wonder where time goes? Featuring the vocals of Dorothy Fearon the track originated from the early rave scene and only managed to chart at number 87 after its first release. Its re-release two years later in November 1994 saw it enter the charts at number 3 before staying at number one for two weeks. The last choice for this round is for me one of those records that upon it entering your ears your mouth utters the one word and one word only out loud “Choon!”

20. Baby D – Let Me Be Your Fantasy