TC 1991 - Berry / Danse City - Melba

Aargh so many tracks from '91 I want to put up but rules is rules, bendy as they may be. Yet I've managed to wittle it down to these two marvels...

'Berry' is a tough tune to categorise but this is from the same Italians (the title is a play on co-producer Luciano Bericchia's surname) who recorded under the FPI Project (you may be familiar with the fab 'Rich In Paradise/Back To My Roots' hit from '89). So it has that Eurohouse flavour but no cheesy vocals or rap (shame really, would be a nice option), an excellent warbley bassline verging on the New Beat sound big in the Netherlands and Belgium and a hint of the Progressive House sound emerging throughout the continent that would become big in the UK the following Summer with anthems like Gat Decor's 'Passion'. Very of it's time I suppose but can't resist those 'night drive thru the neon city during carnival' overtones. Must've been a monster at Ku that Summer.

TC 1991 - Berry


BONUS: 'Melba' actually takes that theme and ramps it up threefold. Faster, harder and closer to the emerging hardcore sound in the UK. I remember hearing it on one of the first Pete Tong Essential Selection shows I ever listened to, if not the first - by chance I'd switched on Radio 1 unware that Tong had only recently launched his Friday evening show and apparently keen to bring the sounds of Reachin', Vinyl Solution, Reinforced and other relatively underground labels to the masses alongside his own representation for 'full frequency range recordings'. The vocal sample is from Todd Terry's 'Weekend'. Sorry the vinyl rip is a little bit scratchy and there's at least one minor jump but if you like your rave rare then this is the real deal.

Danse City - Melba

Jeff Wayne - Eve Of The War (Ben Liebrand Remix)

Sorry it's been a week or so since the last post, and with only one year of the 80s left too. Hopefully I can put up a couple of early 90s tracks before this week is out. Before that here's some FUN in the form of Ben Liebrand's'Eve Of The War' remix. The boisterous borrowing of Inner City's 'Big Fun' bass hook and the bleepy middle eights really win it for me.

Jeff Wayne - Eve Of The War (Ben Liebrand Remix)

BONUS FUN: Hadn't heard it for many years but the London Boys 'Requiem' also rools - grandiose and joyous Euro Disco - and derivative as it may be from Cerrone and their own work for Divine and even Hazell Dean, a very enjoyable SAW production at a time when they were running on empty re the likes of Sonia and Jason Donovan.

The London Boys - Requiem