Look people, I don’t live in a vacuum. As a DJ I realize that deep house or even dance music at large isn’t always the prescription for dancing and fun, sometimes you need to cater to peoples’ more mainstream tastes. I mean after all, even some indie purists have special places in their heart for classic top 40 tracks…perhaps like wine, you need more than a few years for the chart-toppers to invoke enough nostalgia for them to become appealing. The mainstream connotation tends to wear thin for most artists after a few years out of the spotlight, and in some cases, at least in my opinion, the track turns from coal into a diamond over the years compressing beneath the next big thing. Talented producers and DJs mine this pop sediment, and bring the goodies back for your listening pleasure. Oh, and today, I’ll include the music videos, they provide some awesome snapshots into the style and fashion of the time!

Cameo – Candy – Word Up

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If the only track you know is the title track off of Word Up, you need to check yourself quick. There is a very humorous thing going on throughout, but it’s also incredibly funky. The first two minutes of this track are some of the best 100% original composition I’ve heard in a while. Bear in mind this track came out in 1985/86, which is astounding in it’s own right, but it’s hard to see where today’s pop music gets this creative and daring. Don’t tell me Lady Gaga does, her music comes nowhere close to this in terms of originality– without the music, the fancy outfits are just a gimmick.

Chaka Khan – I Feel For You (Prince Cover) – I Feel For You (single)

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This next track is Chaka Khan‘s cover of the Prince track I Feel For You, and it’s a great example of how a cover could actually improve upon the original arrangement. Also, to me, it really captures an urban sound from a time when I was either way too young to appreciate it, or just living in a completely different world altogether. It is a great song to convey the feeling of that time, something maybe I could play to my kid one day so he could understand what was going on when I was his age or younger.

Aaron Hall -Don’t Be Afraid – Don’t Be Afraid (single)

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Remember the new jack swing? If you missed it, I’ll fill you in– mid 80’s-early 90’s, Urban Contemporary R&B meets dance, breaks and hip hop, plus a massive commercialization period. This music is vain but very soulful and surprisingly catchy. Maybe the lyrical content is a bit cookie-cutter the more you listen (not that that’s what you pay attention to), but you can’t knock the execution, this stuff was produced by well-paid musicians who knew their craft.


Aaron hall dont’be afraid by gaouli93

Ghost Town DJs – My Boo (Dynamik Duo ’88 Remix) – So So Def Bass All Stars, Vol. 2

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I have always loved this track, since they were playing it at the “dance” in 5th grade in the gym. The massive resurgence in bass music has seen a lot of this sort of referencing, Miami Bass, R&B, new fusions are popping up everywhere and they sound every bit as exciting. This might have been ‘ only hit, but it was a damn good one.

Posted in Music and Music Videos Posted by on May 13 2011 12:39 pm

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