Dear Fellow Dance Music Lovers,
This blog brings you the best in Dance Music and Club Classics; from early 87 (back in the daze) through to the present day.
For all those who rocked it all night until the early hours, to those that lived for clubbing and couldn't wait for the weekend to arrive. Enjoy and leave any comments on the blog or contact direct by email at pureclubclassics@live.co.uk
Staying on the Pet Shop Boys theme, I couldn't resist posting this one.
Yet another superb Brothers In Rhythm remix creates a epic re-working of a great pop song.
My admiration for the PSB's has grown over the years as I've uncovered more of their underground tracks and this is right up there with their best stuff.
Neil's vocals are always so distinctive and they work to great effect on this track.
BiR of course have the Midas touch and voila we have a supremely produced piece of dance music delight.
A big fave of mine, although not the mix I'm most familiar with which was the "149 Club Mix" previously posted on the PCC blog many years ago (back in 2010).
However, it's "So good, it's so good!" I thought it was definitely worthy of another post.
Love pretty much all Steve Proctor's remix work, he was and still is a dance music ledge!
When you bring the brilliance of Radiohead and Above and Beyond together you just know you're going to get something special and this is exactly that.
This is from 2008 and is just a superb track, A&B were cement their status as one of the best trance remixes and the tortured excellence of Radiohead is very clear to see.
This has been posted previously on the PCC blog in a long post with many associated variations.
Re-posting again though as this remix is top class and different to the previous posted.
John Morales is the absolute master at re-vamping and re-structuring old disco classics, making them longer and showcasing all the musical elements so perfectly.
Jackie's vocals are amazing on this track and the musical production is just superb.
A disco classic, that never dates even though it's 43 years old!
Fantastic track from 1994 and a great piece of progressive house.
Those were such exciting times in clubs, as the euphoria of the early days of acid house and the original rave scene lead onto the dressed up era of clubbing.
Back To Basics in Leeds was at the forefront of this new era and Alistair Cooke and Ralph Lawson were two great resident DJs leading the way who typified this new progressive house sound.
This track is one of many that were absolutely electric on the dancefloor of that period.
One of those great old skool tracks which you probably won't know by name, but you will certainly know it when it you hear it
Love this and have it on so many great old skool mix sets from back in the day.
Those Italians certainly knew how to make great piano house back in the early 90's.
Full of piano and great high pitched vocals.
I could never figure out what you was singing, but used to love signing along
"High men say, high men say, don't ever miss the goal"
D.J D. Lite, also produced some other classic old skool tracks under several alias including 4 For Money and Tingo Tango. Classic tracks which feature on the PCC blog.
As soon as I hear this I think of Oakey and some of those amazing trance sets he played in the mid 90's.
This has everything a good trance should have, pumping energy, lush undertones, a pounding beat and it just builds and builds, then that gorgeous piano, not with standing some great vocals.
Still sounds amazing today which is a testament to what a great track it was.
It puts me in another place everytime I hear it.
Pure class!
Red Sun is of course another alias for Red Jerry, hence why it's such quality!
Another fantastic track from the evergreen legend that is Diana, to think this first came out in 1976.
This Frankie remix is just perfection.
The tracks starts off slowly and is very laid back, but is oh so beautifully velvet and smooth, with some sublime piano, then half way through it increases tempo and becomes more housey.
Total Frankie genius - R.I.P - the true house legend!
I've also posted the Eric Kupper remix from 2020 which is more upbeat still and although not as good as Frankie's version is still very tasty.
This was one of those tracks which was played for months in clubs, by all the top jocks.
Leftfield were going through a real purple patch with their remixes and everything they touched at that time was dancefloor gold and so in the moment of that early 90's clubland vibe.
After a slightly "questionable" last post, I'm back with a bang.
This is a real bona fide PCC and was a true banger back int'day.
This was at the forefront of the Progressive House movement back in 1993, the fact that it still sounds so fresh and amazing today, is testament to it's ageless quality.
Just wait until the piano towards the end of the track, it just gets better and better!
This was a huge track back in 1993 and remains so.
Bang, the piano hits you from the first second and stays for most of the track.
House music doesn't have to be overly complex, all that's needed is a good groove, a great bit of piano, a few snares and high hats, throw in a few choice vocals/samples/snippets and you are there.
The skill is putting it all together and making it sound great, which this track does.
I went to see Simple Minds (a band who I have always loved) in Leeds last night and they were superb.
This was one of the highlights and although not one of their most famous tracks it is definitely one of their best. This is from 1981 and was totally ground-breaking at the time mixing synths and guitar.
It was also huge in many UK clubs in the late 80's and was a big fave at Shoom and other quality acid house clubs and parties.
Simple Minds - Theme For Great Cities
Due to it being such a fantastic track it was also copied and sampled many times and many of these new remakes and remixes were also huge club tracks also worthy of PCC status.
Probably the best and the most widely played was the great version from Corporation of One from 1988, especially the Oppy mix which contains all the great Tony Montana samples from Scarface and elements from Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.
Corporation Of One - Real Life
(Oppy Mix)
The original mix of this track is also superb and doesn't contain all the samples and snippets and was probably the most widely played out in clubs.
Corporation Of One - Real Life
(Original Mix)
Another credible version which was released in 2001 was the Joey Negro influenced Raven Maize version which provides a bit of a heavier club beat/feel, and is very much an updated copy of the original Simple Minds version with the Real Life Queen vocal sample added. Still a great track though.
Raven Maize - The Real Life
(Club Mix)
Finally, to finish off the sequence their is also a very credible remix by Moby which is pretty much the Simple Minds version, but with a updated 2000s Depeche Mode-esque synth feel.
Simple Minds - Theme For Great Cities 2012
(Moby Remix)
All in all. all are great tracks in their own right, but all must pay homage, respect and their dues to the original brilliance to Simple Minds who over 40 years ago (1981) created a true ground-breaking masterpiece that it is still revered and highly regarded to this day by the club scene.
Possibly one of the best tracks of the last decade.
Yes, that good.
This is a true masterpiece.
Pure quality from start to finish, the beautiful piano intro and then the violins kick in and along with a ferocious energy which continues all through the track.
Now there are some tracks which are just great tracks which sound great wherever you hear them.
Then there are some that only really work in clubs or some that are just so much better in clubs.
This one is of the latter type.
I remember this at the Hacienda in 1993 when Parky dropped it and it was one of the most exciting moments ever.
They played around with the speakers and acoustics circulated the sound around the club and for a few minutes when the sirens came on (at 4.10mins in) I actually thoughts the club was being raided by the police.
It was spooky and mega exciting at the same time, the whole dancefloor then just erupted.
Oh to be back there experiencing that again!
Great track courtesy of the 3 maestro's Rocky, Diesel and Ashley Beedle.
They were on fire with their tracks and DJing in 92 and 93.
