Oude House Trekt Geen Volk Meer Mix

The somewhat strange (and Dutch) title of this mix is a reference to what our friend and respected House music aficionado Red D stated on his social network accounts a few days ago. What was obviously a rant at someone stating something foolish, was also a testimony of what’s the mainstream idea about old school House music these days. Translated the title says ‘Old House doesn’t attract people anymore Mix’ by the way. We’ve experienced some similar outings of short-sightedness ourselves. And it doesn’t seem to be a purely Belgian dumbness. When I told Joey Negro the pure Garage set he played the first time attended Southport Weekender was still a big inspiration to me he told me he couldn’t pull such a set off anywhere else. To be clear; Garage as in the original meaning aka early 90s vocal House.

As I’m someone who likes to go against the flow all this won’t keep me from playing this music I love like little else. Call it wishful thinking or gut-feeling but I believe the mainstream will get it in the not too distant future. With people like MCDE, Kink & Neville and Red D’s own We Play House recordings making some waves in the underground, some youngsters get converted and once you’re hooked there’s no way back. Logically this should lead to more and more people seeing the light. I think the kids only need to get served the good stuff to be converted. If soulless crap is the only thing you’ve heard in clubs, soulless crap will be what you’ll like.

So as antidote to that I’ll keep playing old House music in my sets and mixes. This one being no exception to that. It’s even more. It’s a mix with only early House tracks, mostly vocal ones. To point the way to more of it I’ll give you a short comment with every track explaining a few things and educating those who want a lesson. A bit like I devoured the liner notes of all those excellent BBE compilation and got myself schooled in Disco, Soul and Funk. Here we go.

Brian Keith – Touch Me (Love Me Tonight) – New Image (1988)
Daryl Payne production. Maybe not to most well-known producer out there but he’s got a fine resumé with several releases on Electric Disco / Boogie labels like Prelude, Becket and SAM. This is one of those tracks that join the dots between Disco and House. As is most of the output on this label. Not difficult to find very cheap. But so damn good.

Vicky Martin – Not Gonna Do It (Mike Dunn Dub) – Movin’ (1988)
A Marshall Jefferson production. Not even gonna explain who that is as it should be basic knowledge. Check anything with his name on. Movin’ has to be one of my all-time favourite record labels. Small, record shop-based New Jersey company with not too many releases but all quality. The remixer, Mike Dunn, is another name that is an essential one to store in your memory for when you go out digging record crates.

Joe Smooth – Inside My Mind – DJ International (1988)
A producer you probably know from another track. This cut is from the album with the same title as that hit. Both he and the label are keywords when on a quest for more. This particular track starts almost as a Kink & Neville one. It’s no secret those 2 current underground heroes got a lot of inspiration from late 80s / early 90s Chicago dance music.

Camacho’s Project – Slave (Master Mix) – Nu Groove (1990)
Another essential old school House label. I love the roughness of this track. Something I miss in most current productions. That and claps. Haha.

Groove Committee – You Need Someone – Vinyl Solution (1993)
A Victor Simonelli production. Love what he did in the early 90s. You’ll often see tracks done by this man in our sets. Well, if you’re familiar with the many monikers he had. For the purists, this isn’t the original label but a UK release. You’ll notice that’s quite common with House (and Disco) releases. It was before the net and the globalised world.

Kechia Jenkins – I Need Somebody (Blaze Mix) – Profile (1987)
Time I incorporated another essential name into this mix. Blaze are New Jersey geniuses you need in your collection if loving vocal House. In contrary to many others even their late 90s stuff is top quality. At Onda Sonora HQ we’re big fans of these guys.

Instant Exposure – I Need A Little More – Emotive (1992)
Another Simonelli production. On a label that’s worth checking when you come across one of their vinyls. Early 90s, from New York and House oriented. Always worth giving a proper check.

Peacetime – The Truth Will Set You Free ( Feelin’ Free Club Mix) – BMG (1992)
About time I play a Paul Simpson track. I always get excited when I discover another one of his releases when going through dusty piles of vinyl. Always bangers. This one is pure Our Party material. Expect to hear this next edition.

Ultra Naté – Show Me (Masters At Work Dub) – WEA (1993)
2 more essentials names for you. Ultra Naté made some top tunes with Basement Boys, 4Hero and Mood II Swing. Masters At Work should need no introduction. Anything from their 90s period is good. After that they get too polished, too clean. But when they were still banging they ruled. Currently I’m really into the dubs they did back then.

Hardhouse – The Bass Girl (Rubba Bubba Mix) – Easy Street (1989)
Todd Terry production. Same as what I said for MAW goes for him. In his early days he was beyond rough but gradually he got a bit soft for my liking. But you can easily fill a crate with all the tracks and remixes I like from him. Gritty, simple but ever so effective on the dance floor. Easy Street is a label that should be a household name in your collection. Their early output is killer Electro (Boogie) and later on you’ll find Freestyle and Hiphop Soul among the top House tracks.

Pamela Fernandez – Kickin’ In The Beat (AIM Dub) – Cutting Records (1992)
Another one from back when ‘dub’ wasn’t an excuse for a dull, stripped down version with some echo on it but an indication for certified dance floor material. Cutting Records is always worth checking although there’s some heavy Freestyle and Electro on it too. If you’re not into that better pull out the portable turntable to give it a listen.

Thornetta – Give It To Me – Happy Records (1993)
Mad Mike production. The one from Underground Resistance. Happy Records is UR’s sister label concentrating on the more House oriented releases. Not many 12”s have been issued but they’re all gold. This one is no exception.

PS: I bought every single of these records for the price of a WAV on traxsource or even less. And I’ve got the entire 12” for that. What about that.