In preparation for the first of their monthly dance parties, we've asked the lads of Judi Chicago – Travis Thatcher and Ben Coleman - to give us their top dance floor fillers, complete with their classic videos (when available) and commentary from the guys.
Travis' Choice:
A Guy Called Gerald – Voodoo Ray (1988)
"One of the best known early Manchester acid tunes, and one of the
first acid house tunes produced in the UK, "Voodoo Ray" set a lot of
groundwork for the burgeoning acid scene in the UK."
"One of the best known early Manchester acid tunes, and one of the
first acid house tunes produced in the UK, "Voodoo Ray" set a lot of
groundwork for the burgeoning acid scene in the UK."
Herbie Hancock – Rockit (1983)
"Not only was this the first hit single to feature scratching, and
inspire tons of turntablists for years to come, Rockit was a seriously
funky electro tune crafted by one of my all time favorite musicians.
Herbie has always embraced the most current technology and found a way
to squeeze the funk out of cold hard machines. Killer video too!"
"Not only was this the first hit single to feature scratching, and
inspire tons of turntablists for years to come, Rockit was a seriously
funky electro tune crafted by one of my all time favorite musicians.
Herbie has always embraced the most current technology and found a way
to squeeze the funk out of cold hard machines. Killer video too!"
Newcleus – Jam On It (1984)
"Busting out of the first wave of the electro scene, this tune quickly
became huge and influenced both electro and hip hop in a big way.
Like "Rockit," "Jam On It"'s relentless mechanical beat drives your ass
to the floor, and the funky bass line and rapping keep the Brooklyn
block party feel going. To put it bluntly, it is my favorite party
tune."
became huge and influenced both electro and hip hop in a big way.
Like "Rockit," "Jam On It"'s relentless mechanical beat drives your ass
to the floor, and the funky bass line and rapping keep the Brooklyn
block party feel going. To put it bluntly, it is my favorite party
tune."
Ben's Choice:
Chad Jackson – Hear The Drummer (Get Wicked) (1990)
"Chad Jackson, UK scratch mix DJ, winner of the DMC World Championships in 1987 and one of the top DJ's from Manchester / Madchester's Hacienda Club splices together Public Enemy, Mark the 45 King, and sundry snippets of James Brown… How can this fail? An absolute classic from the Jurassic age of samplers."
AC Slater – Jack Got Jacked (Jack Beats Remix) (2008)
"Of the many big tunes puked forth from the clubs last year, this remix of Slater's excellent original took the tune from Brooklyn to a proper old skool London rave. WIth '92 synth stabs and UKG bassline wobble, it's a definite favorite for me, and a stand-out track amidst 2008's endless soul-destroying blog pages full of bad Daft Punk imitations and even worse haircuts."
Can – I Want More (1976)
"Can are often cited as the freak-rock band of choice by humorless trendy kids who read Retchfork as gospel and don't dance. However, Can themselves were far from humorless, and actually liked to dance. When disco came along, they recognized it as springing from the same wellspring of hypnotic groove sizzurp that they had been sipping since '68, and seamlessly and shamelessly wrote their own 4/4 disco paean to the gods of dancefloor desire. It's fun!"
Judi Chicago's DANCING campaign will take place the fourth Saturday of every month at 529. The first show is this weekend, January 24, with special guests Sealions. Get your tickets here!
