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
Happy New Year to you all and here's to a fantastic 2023.
Kicking off the New Year with one of my old favourites, a fantastic trance track which was one of the main stays of many of Oakey's sets in the late 90's, notably his fantastic Essential Mix in 1999 from the Rojan club in China.
It has everything a trance track could wish to have, hypnotic pounding rhythms that continue to build and build and then unleash an epic breakdown.
Close to trance perfection.
Superb work from John Graham (Space Manoeuvres) but more commonly known under his Quivver moniker. A class act!
There are many remixes of this and many of them great, but this is the best.
This is one rather large offering that I've been meaning to post for some while. 'Dreamtime' was a monstrously huge trance anthem that surfaced at the beginning of '96. Originally produced by Mike Koglin, the main version heard in the clubs was provided by one John Graham. Quivver's remix is of utterly immense proportions, complementing Zee's ethereal and almost eerie vocals to a tee. Whilst a full length version of the original mix of 'Dreamtime', was never commercially released, the radio mix is also worthy of a listen. Though issued on Perfecto, 'Dreamtime' originated from the equally legendary More Protein stable, which introduced us to the likes of Amos, Eve Gallagher and the E-Zee Posse.
Though 'Let Love Shine' is one of my all time favourite records, the severely underrated and largely forgotten 'Church of Freedom' is a more than worthy successor in need of some exposure. Whilst the original mix, co-written by Mike Koglin, is a pleasant affair (albeit one that is slightly marred by the unnecessary ragga-muffin type vocals which characterised the later Bleachin' releases), the remixes are of a much higher calibre. Tinman delivers a typically euphoric version, whilst Quivver lays down something altogether darker. For a 1995 remix, Quivver's retake is markedly minimal and sets the tone for the direction his sound was to take. Amos' final solo release was the More Protein-issued 'Come Away', which I have earmarked as a potential future posting on account of it being top quality.
I have been a huge fan of John Graham's since first encountering mid-nineties Perfecto tracks such as 'Believe In Me' and 'I Dream', which I would scurry down to my local Our Price to purchase on cassette single as soon as they were available.
The 2000-released 'She Does' remains, in my opinion, his finest composition, outmatching even 'Everything's Not You'.
Anyone who was once part of the Tilt triumvirate can do absolutely no wrong in my book, and Quivver is one of those rare producers who is a singer-songwriter to boot; very much in the same vein as BT and Moby.
This understated epic is wrought in characteristically proggy style, and at once manages to be both hypnotic and massively uplifting.