On the surface this compilation seems to frame itself as a dance album with a degree of club credibility. Yet if we look at the rather eclectic track listing we can see that this is far from being a persuasive dance anthology. Classifying artists such as Glenn Medeiros or The Soup Dragons as dance music is something of a stretch—and if I were an artist on the other end of the dance credibility scale (e.g. LFO, Inner City, Stevie V) I might be a little upset at being bundled in with such artists.
The album kicks off with the club version of "Megamix" by Technotronic. Even back in 1990 I never really understood why people would buy a 'mega mix'. As I listening experience I don't really see any merit in them and to my mind they only make sense as a tool for lazy DJs. Yet a number of contemporary bands released singles that gathered together their recent hits and they were alarmingly successful. I remember mega mix offerings from Snap! and Blackbox, but the Technotronic single had passed me by until I heard this record. As an example of the genre it's fairly unremarkable but it is nice to hear "Rockin' Over The Beat" and "Pump Up The Jam" again.
Betty Boo comes up next with the 12" mix of "Where Are You Baby". This track has a Motown flavour and a twee pop melody that saw it become a chart hit—but I'm not sure it really qualifies as dance music. Much more palatable is the club mix of Twenty Four Seven's "I Can't Stand It". The Korg M1 piano and Roland D-50 "Soundtrack" synths instantly transport me back to my teenage years and a time when dance music was the future.
Kevin Saunderson rocks up next with "That Man (He's All Mine)". Whilst this is no "Big Fun", the TR-909 programming and rolling bass have an authentic house feel that the pop tracks on this compilation can't match. Side one finishes with the 'Long version' of "She Ain't Worth It" by Glenn Medeiros. This track appropriates the new jack swing sound that was so fashionable in 1990, but the end result couldn't sound more dated if it tried. Yuk.
Things pick up a bit on the b-side with "Fascinating Rhythm" which was released by the William Orbit vehicle Bass-o-matic. Next up is the majestic "Live at Transcentral" mix of "What Time Is Love?" by The KLF which shines bright like a diamond. Stevie V contributes hit track "Body Language" and once again its, genuine house sound adds some credibility to proceedings. The efforts of Monie Love and Neneh Cherry at the end of the disc don't entice me and I am quite pleased when I can move on.
"Naked In The Rain" by Blue Pearl impressed me a great deal when it was released and I even bought the resulting album. The '12" extended mix' of the track included here benefits from a remix by Graham Massey and sounds as fresh as it did all those years ago. Next up is "LFO" by LFO and the original 'Leeds Warehouse Mix' remains an enduring tribute to a lost talent.
We hit a bit of a soggy patch with the next two tracks as both "Mother Universe" by The Soup Dragons and "Groovy Train" by The Farm sound out of place in this company. We round out this side of the disc with "You're Walking" by Electribe 101 in the form of the funkier 'Corporate Dance Mix'.
The Korg M1 presets are scattered all over "Don't Be Fool" by Loose Ends but this is the most exciting thing I can find to say about what is a thinly veiled (and overly long) copy of Soul II Soul. There's a wonderful pounding TR-909 kick on "Let's Push It" by Innocence but the saxophone samples are irritating beyond belief. A band called Young Disciples sound like they have turned up to completely the wrong party and can be summarily dismissed. Norman Cook delivers a Beats International number called "Burundi Blues"—but "Praise You" this is not. Fittingly the final track "Hardcore Uproar" by Together is a rave classic whose raw originality rivals the big hitters on here such as The KLF and LFO.
A wildly inconsistent album that applies a very loose interpretation of the 'dance' tag. Where it is good, it is very good. Where it is bad, well...2/5
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