"Finally," I say to myself, "some music I can dance to." As a guy stuck in the midwest of the United States, getting to decent dance clubs on a regular basis is nearly impossible. One can only hear the phrases "I got the power" and "Get ready for this" so many times before they explode, and don't even start me on the latest crop of MTV techno darlings...
But now, in my very own hands, there are two pieces of gold. These two import compilations include some of the best dance tracks I've heard in the clubs, and they are certainly the best complete albums I've heard outside of a club. Most importantly, they're mixed together track to track for no interruption party playing.
Patrick Prins emerges from the Netherlands with a definitive 1993 to 1996 retrospective of 18 of his best tracks collectively titled Movin' Melodies - The Album. There is a definite progression of technology and skill that starts with the slightly mechanical and synthesized sound of 1993's "Looking for 3-D" to the flowing smoothness of 1996's "Don't Hold Back". 1993's "P.A.R.T.Y." starts out like a hyper Technotronic song and then, after 2 minutes, ends abruptly with a big Gong Show "gong" and then breaks in a rollicking jam. "Le Voie Le Soleil" has a classical music feel to it with piano breaks and synthesized strings.
"Bailando Guitarra" and "La Luna" will be familiar to even a casual club fan. "Bailando Guitarra" is heavy on voice samples with a diva singing "I need release" and a guy saying "Kick the groove" over and over again. "La Luna" has the familiar tag "To the beat of the drum, BANG, To the beat of the drum, BANG-BANG." "Silence is a Rhythm Too" layers multiple screams of "silence!" over a bubbling bass rhythm that actually gives live to the typical "thump-thump" beat of modern house music.
The two most recent tracks from October 1996, "Rollerblade" and "Don't Hold Back", are the best on the album. "Rollerblade" is the only track to employ a diva and a melody, and "Don't Hold Back" is not only danceable, but the mixing and production are perfect.
AM:PM's compilation, Anthems, features some of the best tracks from this UK label's catalog. Unlike Patrick Prins' synthetic sound, these tracks are focused strictly on their divas. "Saturday" by East 57th St. and "Nobody's Business" by H2O featuring Billie are the standout tracks on this album. They alone are worth the price of the album, and they are guaranteed to get your feet moving and your arms raised. After listening to "Saturday", you won't spend a single weekend at home again.
"Can I Get a Witness" by Ann Nesby, with help from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, combines funk and dance to perfection. Future Force's "Puttin' A Rush" does the same with R&B rhythms. (Both tracks make this U.S. listener think that our post "New Jack" style of R&B is a complete waste of time.) Other memorable tracks on the Anthems compilation include a remix of The Police's "Voices Inside My Head", Sarah Washington's "Heaven", Future Force's "What You Want", and Alcatraz's seductive "Give Me Love".
AM:PM has released two excellent compilation albums that are definitely guaranteed to keep your party going until dawn. Unlike many of the weak compliations in the "techno" sections of the music stores, you can play either Patric Prins' Movin' Melodies - The Album or the Anthems compilation straight through without skipping a single track. Plus, since they are designed for the home listener, they are both mixed into a continuous 70+ minute groove. Anthems is slightly more engaging and melody based, but both albums are excellent choices for reproducing the club experience without ever leaving your own home.
