303 is the magic number. Post-punk, blah blah blah. Vital, yet far less acknowledged, is the swathe of experimental dance music which issued from Chicago in the mid-80s. Soul Jazz Records are releasing a double album which tells the story of the evolution of house and acid in Chicago. BBC Collective reports: Post-punk, blah blah blah. Everyone acknowledges the impact of New York’s sonic melting pot. Similarly vital, yet far less acknowledged, is the swathe of experimental dance music which issued from Chicago in the mid-80s. Alongside the party tunes and disco derivatives was unconsciously experimental, street-up music being made by kids who suddenly had access to cheap technology like the Roland 909 (only 10,000 of which were made) and it’s little brother, the 303. Listen to The Rapture’s Olio or anything by LCD Soundsystem and you can hear the influence of Chicago pulsing through the grooves, and seeping through the years. Chicago house began in the clubs. Specifically, at a club run by an ex-pat New York DJ, Frankie Knuckles, called The Warehouse. Knuckles – so popular in Chicago that they named a street after him – was the big name of the scene, but competitor DJ Ron Hardy, who ran a sweaty, strobe-lit club called The Music Box, inspired a whole new generation of music makers to transform post-disco dance music into minimal, sonically charged tracks. DJ Danny Krivit (a New Yorker) saw how the kids responded to the speaker sounds: “The people who were going to listen to him used their new drum machines and synthesizers to emulate what they would hear in the club. Most of them were DJs, not musicians, and they just improvised.”
Marshall, Larry Heard and Adonis. Many of the early tunes were made on tape, eventually - in a record industry which rivalled Jamaica for its proliferation of rip-off merchants - making it onto (frequently badly-pressed) vinyl. By the mid-late 80s the new sound of Chicago hit Europe, and in particular Britain, soundtracking the acid explosion of 1988. After that, acid house became a tabloid byword for drugs and the truly experimental roots of the sound became obscured. Now though, a new compilation from the house of Soul Jazz lays bare the experimental side of the city, focusing on the artists who followed a stark, futuristic route instead of the disco-related road taken by the likes of Steve “Silk” Hurley, who scored a UK No 2 in 1988 with Love Can’t Turn Around. “There are lots of compilations with all the classic acid tracks on them,” says Soul Jazz’s Pete Reilly. “But we thought it’d be better to unearth overlooked and forgotten gems. It’s surprising how contemporary these tracks sound, especially as some of them are nearly 20 years old.” When you hear Mr Fingers’ Beyond The Clouds or the sublime arhythmic energy of Phuture’s Phuture Jacks you’ll know precisely what he means. Emma Warren 13 May 05 in BBC Collective http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A4056059 //////////////////// Acid – Can You Jack? Chicago Acid and Experimental House 1985-95 featuring Marshall Jefferson, Larry Heard, Adonis, Phuture, Lil Louis, Armando, Tyree, Roy Davis Jnr, Cajmere…..A massive 2-CD, 2 x Double LP (vol 1 and vol2, released simultaneously), the album features the cream of Chicago’s creative artists that gave rise to a new sound. Featuring sleevenotes by Tim Lawrence (who wrote Love Saves The Day) as well as exclusive interviews and photos with the artists, we think this is an essential release. CD Tracklisting: CD 1: 1. Maurice – This is Acid 2. Sweat Boyz (Adonis) – Do You Want to Percolate? 3. Virgo (Marshall Jefferson) – Go Wild Rhythm Tracks 4. Mr Fingers (Larry Heard) – Beyond The Clouds 5. Tyree – Acid Crash 6. Phuture (DJ Pierre) – Phuture Jacks 7. Fresh – Dum Dum 8. Roy Davis – Acid Bass CD 2: 1. Sleezy D – I’ve Lost Control 2. Virgo – Take Me Higher 3. DJ Pierre – Box Energy 4. Lil Louis – Video Clash 5. Tyree – Acid Over 6. Green Velvet (Cajmere) – Enforcer 7. Two of A Kind – Like This 8. Armando – Downfall 9. Phuture – Acid Trax http://www.souljazzrecords.co.uk/
