Tuesday 31 May 2011

Sugar baby love, sugar baby love.......

Everyone has their favourite old DJ mix tapes.
One of my favourite ever was from a night at Vague in 1993 when the LuvDup Twins played.
It was probably one of the most eclectic sets I've heard, but also one of the most brilliant.
It totally epitomised what in my opinion the word "Balearic" truly stood for, a complete mish mash of styles, disco, mixed with funk, mixed with pop, mixed with house, mixed with cheese, mixed with handbag, mixed with all time classics, there is absolutely everything in that mix set. It is sensational.
If anyone wants to hear it, remind me to post it one day.
I've managed to track down nearly all the tracks from that set and many are posted on the blog.
This was one of the few that I hadn't tracked down and it was just typical of the set they played (although the version they played was without vocals. However, the vocals IMHO make it even better).
This was sort of track that no other DJ's would play, but so uplifting and amazing in a club like Vague, where absolutely anything goes.
Some may think it's a bit cheesy, but I think it is absolutely fantastic, just so uplifting.
It was originally released back in 1974, but this was remixed in 1987 by Joe Glasman.
A huge PCC in my book, tried and tested on the UK's finest dancefloors.
Enjoy!!

The Rubettes - Sugar Baby Love
(Remix Extended Version)

http://www.mediafire.com/?dpm8bbitulfac6p

Saturday 28 May 2011

Welcome to the Wonderland!!!

A lovely skippy little tune this one.
Totally charming.
Some lovely skippy piano and really great repetitive vocals
"I just wanna, I just wanna, hear a good beat".
"Depending on how you see things..."
It dates back to 1990 and was mixed by Deee Lite, it is very simple, but very effective.
Instantly catchy.
Enjoy!!

Ellis In Wonderland - Good Beat
(Club Version)

http://www.mediafire.com/?wnz19hgeda4g4dj

Just Love To Infinity!!

I started this blog back in February 2009 and people often ask me what inspires me and enthuses me to keep posting tracks.
Well after posting approaching 900 of the greatest club tracks of all time, my enthusiam and passion for dance music still burns just as strongly.
One of the key things which helps to retain this passion is coming across "new" music (tracks which I haven't heard before) and this is what makes your suggestions and interaction so important.
Here's such a track, recommended to me by Woochifer, who has provided some great feedback and suggestions on the blog.
About the track, well the Pet Shop Boys produced some truly superb tracks, match them with the Love To Infinity remix team and you know you are going to get a piano laden house stomper.
This is exactly that, lots of great cascading piano and some great female vocals intermingled with Neil Tennant's unique vocals.
Superb!!
Big shout out to Woochifer - keep them coming buddy!!

Pet Shop Boys - Before
(Classic Paradise Mix)


http://www.mediafire.com/?bjffb9tle5pmu62

This is the sound of summer!!

Well I keep hearing that we are set to have a fantastic summer in England this year, but I haven't seen it as yet.
Just in anticipation, here's a track which is perfect to kick start the summer season.
This was a major favourite back in 1992 and I have some fond memories of jigging away to this in Back to Basics at the Music Factory (in Leeds).
It's just a superb feel good track very Flamenco in style - lots of lovely piano and the "get dizzy" vocal snippets.
The "Hot Latin Mix" and the "Salsa Mix" are both superb, so I've posted both.
Enjoy - Summer's coming!!!!
This'll certainly bring out the Latin blood in you!!
When I think Latin I usually thinking J Lo, so here's another pic of the stunning lady!!

Latin Blood - Deseo
(Hot Latin Mix)

http://www.mediafire.com/?f5t9zx5888bx82q


Latin Blood - Deseo
(Salsa Mix)

A seminal club classic for certain!!

This was a major track back in 1995.
It was played by most of the big DJ's of the time and it used to have the most amazing effect on the dancefloor.
You probably won't recognise it by it's title, but as soon as you hear that "whooping", you'll definitely remember it.
The intor bassline is simply stunning and very enticing, the track is also under layed by some great tingly piano and some lovely vocal snippets.
The "whooping" is very similar to the effect Ramirez and Pizarro's "Hablando" had and it used to send everyone into a real frenzy on the dancefloor.
A really superb track and a PCC of the highest order.
It still sounds amazing today, which is always the test of a track's quality.
Enjoy, it'll certainly put you in the "mood".

Desert - Moods
(Club Mix)

Saturday 21 May 2011

Old vs New?....both awesome!!!!

I've been meaning to post the 12" version of Smalltown Boy for some time, as it is absolutely awesome. You will all know the shorter version, but the full 12" version is just something else.
The whole atmosphere and feel of the track is simply beautiful. It dates back to 1984 but still sounds amazing.
The words are also very deep and I guess that they would have been very inspirational to lots of young men growing up struggling to come to terms with a world that at that time didn't fully approve of their choice of sexuality.
Moving on, I've just come across a fantastic blog which has some of the best new dance music about.
There are lots of blogs out there that just post endless amounts of tracks without really ensuring that the tracks they are posting are absolutely superb dance music gems.
I've always taken huge care in this respect when posting tracks on the PCC blog and to date I've posted getting on 1000 of what are (IMHO) the greatest dance music tracks ever.
Well as mentioned, I've just come across another blog, who also seems to take great care in only posted the highest quality tracks, so please people check it out, you'll be glad you did, the link is below
http://fresh-house-tunes.blogspot.com/
Unlike the PCC blog which only (usually) posts tracks from those halcyon clubbing days (1987-2000), the Fresh House Tune blog posts all new tracks.
I came across a superb remix of Smalltown Boy from there, which I take no shame in pinching and posting here.
It's a really sensational remix, which keeps all the good bits from the original but gives it a complete update and facelift, with a great bouncing beat, some brilliant piano and a lovely re-worked vocal. It's absolutely top notch.
Old vs. new which is better??
IMHO you just can't beat the original, but this new remix is very, very good.
Old vs. New? Let me know your thoughts.
(In terms of the VW Golf's - you can't beat those old MK II - they were boss in the days!!)

Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy
(12" Version)

http://www.mediafire.com/?m8ex8lsuassp8b0

Alex Gray Feat. Ann Bailey - Smalltown Boy 
(Rolvario Remix)

http://www.mediafire.com/?rcbjphfw09amf1d

Acieed in the house!!!!

You can't beat tracks like these from the good ol' days.
Nothing too complex about this one, just a great combination of some lovely squelchy Acid and a terrific piano groove.
These tracks were just so exciting when they first came out as people started to explore the new technology and sounds that the Roland TB 303 brought
Certainly a defining era in dance music.
This one dates back to 1988. Acid House in the area.!!
Enjoy.

SLF - Show Me What You've Got
(Acid Mix 1)

http://www.mediafire.com/?dt5ldml91uq3l7d

Sunday 15 May 2011

Just keep moving, just keep groovin'...


A massive fave of mine from back in 1991 (weren't they all fom that era!!).
It was one of those tracks that was always played out and always had a great effect on the dancefloor.
There are other mixes of this track, but this was always my favourite from Dave Lee aka Joey Negro.
Very piano-licious and totally uplifting, those vocals are superb, aren't they??
A real top notch PCC!!!

Marathon - Movin'
(Lee's House Mix)

http://www.mediafire.com/?4vo8b4utto09h8b

Come on Oakey!!!!

It's been a while since I posted any Oakey trance.
This was a big fave of mine back in 1998 and I seem to remember Oakey kicking off one of his Essential Mixes with this track.
It's a got a superb haunting vocal
"Turn it around baby"
"Spend more time with me"
"Try to believe you, try to believe you"
backed with a superb melodic trance vibe.
Great remix by the Space Brothers who produced some great stuff back then also.
Top dollar.
Get on it!!!

Alena - Turn It Around 
(Space Brothers Rethink)







She's like a rainbow!!!

Another big fave of mine.
World of Twist were set to be the next big thing in the 90's but never quite achieved the initial hype.
This was and still remains a real PCC though.
It's a cover of the classic Stones track and is given a  great remix by Fluke, who were right on the money at that time in 1992.
The track is sort of indie dance with a twist, its pretty laid back, but was very effective when dropped in a club at the right time.
All in all a great track, which still sounds superb today.
Enjoy!!

World Of Twist - She's A Rainbow 
(Right Foot Yellow Mix)




Staying on the sample theme...

Here's another one.
This was a big hit on the UK dancefloors back in 1992.
Again it relies on the sample to really make it effective.
This time it is a sample from one of my other great favourite bands - Simple Minds.
Simple Minds and U2 were probably my favourite bands in the 80's they both produced some amazing tracks.
U2 went on to bigger and better and global super stardom and Simple Minds just sort of disappeared.
Probably due to Jim Kerr marrying Patsy Kensit, she seems to have a pedigree for destroying music bands through unsuccessful marriages. Lol.
Back to the track, it's kind of simple, but very catchy based on a really effective loop and of course the great riff from Simple Minds superb track - "New Gold Dream".
It was certainly a big track on the UK club scene back in the day.
Enjoy!!!

U.S.U.R.A. - Open Your Mind
(Classic Mix)

http://www.mediafire.com/?s231wp3xevfs3o8

Saturday 14 May 2011

The art of using a great sample....

The large majority of dance music tracks pinch their inspiration and sample other great classic tracks, which is often the critical ingredient to their success.
This is a classic example, nobody can mistake the riff taken from U2's "New Year's Day", which was a fantastic piece of music in it's own right.
The riff is used to very good effect in this Hyperlogic track as soon as it kicks in.
The track originally came out in 1995, but was then remixed further in 1998.
Tin Tin Out were masters at producing remixes that were both good on the dancefloor, but also had a just of a commercial appeal to them.
The track takes a while to build again, but when that riff kicks in again at 5 mins 10 secs, it a huge "hands in the air" moment!!!
All in all this is just a great track (mainly thanks to that fantastic U2 riff).
Probably a bit too cheesy for the purists out there, but hey ho, some cheese is vital for a balanced musical diet!! LOL!!
Enjoy!!

Hyper Logic - Only Me
(Tin Tin Out Remix)

http://www.mediafire.com/?pwgdfvw2ctr21id

Saturday 7 May 2011

Pacific old, Pacific new??

808 State were truly one of the great dance music pioneers.
They produced tracks and sounds never really heard before and created some immense dance tracks.
Pacific (State) was arguably their best (some may say Cubik) and was a true anthem of the 1989 era.
It even crossed over reaching number 10 in the UK charts.
It will always remain as one of the great acid house tracks and everyone has a great memory of the first time they heard it and the effect it had. That sax riff will go down in dance music history.
This is the best version IMHO and better than Pacific 202.
Fast forward to 2006 and James Wiltshire (aka Jimmy Gomez) produces a re-working of absolutely immense proportions.
By the remix title I'd guess it also has Steve Anderson involved, which would probably explain why it is so bloody good.
The track is totally amazing it starts off a bit slow (so be patient give it time to build), it then kicks into a delicious piano riff, it continues to builds with some huge synth stabs, then continues to build further as the (Pacific) sax riff comes in. The track then continues to build even further until the piano kicks in again and it feels like the roof is about to come off.
Believe me this track is immense!! A really superb re-working!!
Pacific old or Pacific new?? Who cares they are both bloody fantastic!!
Enjoy!!

808 State - Pacific
(Origin)

http://www.mediafire.com/?mctzyzeusv44jjp

Freemasons - Pacific

(Anderson Suek Full Jazz Remix)

http://www.mediafire.com/?2vjrczc23ze2rgs

Got a love, got a love for you!!!

Here's another huge, huge fave of mine.
Jomanda (pictured) made some amazing tracks, particularly with the help of remixers like Steve "Silk" Hurley twiddling the knobs.
This is a true PCC and was an absolutely massive track back in 1991.
It was the sort of track that was in every self respecting DJ's box and a track that was played everywhere you went.
As soon those as those first few chords kicked in the dancefloor used to erupt and then when the horn kicks in - ooh heaven.
The vocals are absolutely first class (like all Jomanda tracks) and the Steve "Silk" remix is as you'd expect pretty near perfection.
The fact that it still sounds so amazing even today 20 years since it was released is testament to it's quality.
I'd go as far as to say that this is one of true great house tracks of our time.
Fantastic!!

Jomanda - Got A Love For You
(Hurley's House Mix)



Ready for a Natural High??

Here's coming back at you with another quality piano tune, so reminiscent of those great days in the early 90's.
This is a old skool piano anthem all the way through from start to finish as we know and love.
Great cheesy vocals, pure hands in the air anthemic feel.
Yeah, you know the sort.
Enjoy, the Natural High (yeah right, there weren't many of them back in the day!!)

Q-Tex featuring Shanna - Natural High
(Vocal Mix)

Sunday 1 May 2011

It was a Perfect Day!!!!

Now I've never been a huge fan of the royals, although fiercely patriotic (is there a bit of hypocrisy there??).
However, I  like 2 billion other people, was pretty transfixed by the Royal Wedding.
It was a truly fantastic event and it made be feel hugely proud to be British.
With all the negativity which goes on in the world today, it brought a huge feel good factor back to the nation and showed the world what a truly fantastic country we live in.
It was indeed a Perfect Day!!!
It also brought great memories back of my own Wedding Day, which (along with the birth of my two children), is still one of the greatest days in my life!!
Back to the music, this one's been posted before and I've also had it on YouTube for a while, it is a massive fave of mine and is another truly fantastic Chris and James remix.
When they describe it as an Epic Adventure it is truly that.
It starts quite slow, so be patient, but it then just builds and builds into some huge piano breakdowns and is IMHO pretty sensational.
A perfect track in memory of a Perfect Day!!
Enjoy!!

EMF - Perfect Day
(Chris and James Epic Adventure)

http://www.mediafire.com/?tummzzjjhzg