Track: You're No Good For Me

Artist: Kelly Charles

Year: 1987

Label: London Records/Next Plateau Records

Even if you're not familiar with the original, you've probably heard the hook before.  Kelly Charles was another product of Northern New Jersey's garage scene and this piano-driven track is a fine example of the sound from that era.

The Classy Club Dub Mix is also worth a listen:

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/Kelly-Charles-Youre-No-Good-For-Me/release/69452

Prodigy most famously sampled this hook on their 1994 track, No Good (Start the Dance):

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/Prodigy-No-Good-Start-The-Dance/release/7464

Track: Portrait Of A Masterpiece

Artist: The D.O.C.

Year: 1989

Label: Ruthless Records/Atlantic Records

One of my favorite old school rap artists was The D.O.C., whose vocal chords were irrecoverably damaged in a car accident shortly after the release of his debut album, the Dr. Dre-produced No One Can Do It Better.  It's a helluva record and each time I listen to it I'm blown away by his lyrical style.  If not for his tragic accident, D.O.C. would likely have gone down in history as one of the best rappers of all time - the West Coast's answer to Rakim.  Though never receiving much airplay, the album contained a gem of a hip house track titled Portrait Of A Masterpiece.  The song clocks in at just two and half minutes and features D.O.C. rapping at a feverish pace, taking the listener to dizzying heights with rapid-fire rhyme delivery over a fast breakbeat.  Moreover, there's no hook - just nonstop lyrics from start to finish.  If you're curious, the musical elements sampled are listed here.

Here's the 12" mix with some crazy bumping bass, it's awesome:

And since the crossover appeal to house was undeniable UK DJ's CJ Macintosh and Eddie Gordon produced a slick remix that got the attention of Sasha in the early 90s.  I'm not having much luck tracking down the Funky FM Mix, but Eddie Gordon has made the CJ's Ed-Did-It Mix available on his website here.

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/DOC-Portrait-Of-A-Masterpiece/master/119426

Track: R U Sleeping (Todd Edwards Mix)

Artist: Indo

Year: 1996 (orig. 1993)

Label: Azuli Records

R U Sleeping was a 90s floor-filler that spawned monster remixes by Mike Dunn, StoneBridge, and Grant Nelson.  The original version was produced in 1993 out of Chicago and is notable for its catchy vocal hook.  While there's a lot of solid remixes, the Todd Edwards Mix is the best of the bunch.  Edwards' distintictive cut-and-paste style is instantly recognizable, with lot of samples and dubs permeating his tracks.  The New Jersey native rose to DJ prominence in the UK, where there was a fan base for 2-step garage music in the 90s.  Unfortunately, Edwards is not well known in the US, but I look forward to showcasing more of his unique works in the months ahead.

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/Indo-R-U-Sleeping/release/36037

A sweet modern remix I like is the D.O.N.S Remix:

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/Indo-R-U-Sleeping/release/2075582

Track: Some Lovin' (Original Mix)

Artist: Liberty City

Year: 1992

Label: TRIBAL America

If someone hasn't already released a Best of Miami Classic House album by now, I hereby nominate Some Lovin' for inclusion.  Producing under the Liberty City alias, the Miami duo of Oscar G and Ralph Falcon (aka Murk and last profiled in this post) delighted clubgoers when they dropped this gorgeous deep house classic in '92.  With a stompin' beat, guttural bass line and an all star diva performance from Bebe Dozier, this track manages to please fans of both vocals and bumpin' beats.  In 2003, an updated version with Kristine W. became a commercial success, but I thought it was pretty unremarkable.  For this tune, stick with the original.

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/Liberty-City-Some-Lovin/master/145746

Also be sure to check out Danny's New Hook Mix - a favorite remix courtesy of Danny Tenaglia:

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/Liberty-City-Some-Lovin/release/18920

Track: I Surrender (London's Moody Mix)

Artist: Funk Deluxe

Year: 1988

Label: Tam Tam Records

When I started this website, my goal was to profile 1,000 classic house tracks in a year.  Four months in and I've gotten to about 75.  The bad news is that getting to 1,000 in a year isn't possible, I just can't keep up that pace since this is very much a  side project.  However, good news is that I'm more confident than ever that there's at least another 1,000 quality classic house tracks for me to showcase.  That's a testament to the immense output of the genre, pretty impressive considering I'm selectively picking tracks from the first 10-15 years of house music, and mostly from the pre-internet era.  Moreover, there's all sorts of subgenres I'm not really into, so I'm only presenting a narrow slice of the overall house movement.  A couple other things 1) Twitter has been great.  Very impressed with the international scope of it.  Because of the nature of Twitter and the informality of the communication, it really makes the world seem small.  2) For those listening to these tracks for the first time, I hope you have an opportunity to listen on good speakers.  If you play the tracks through tinny laptop speakers, you're not getting the full experience.  Please don't hesitate to send over recommendations, I'll bump them up the queue as much as I can.

Now onto I Surrender (London's Moody Mix)!  Funk Deluxe was a New York-based Randy Muller project, primarily released on Salsoul Records.  Basically, Funk Deluxe was what the band R&B/funk/disco band Skyy called themselves when they played as a backing band.  London's Moody Mix was produced by UK DJ Ben Chapman.  For such a great track, it's a shame how little attention it received.  The song features a catchy synth groove,  a gorgeous bassline, some soaring synth chords and first rate vocals from an unknown female.  An underappreciated house classic if there ever was one.

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/Funk-Deluxe-I-Surrender/master/199706

Track: Tell It Like It T-I-Is (MK Dub)

Artist: The B-52's

Year: 1992

Label: Reprise Records

The B-52's?  Yes, for reals.  To best appreciate this MK gem, let's watch a live performance of the original song from an appearance on The Tonight Show in 1992:

So it's a decent pop/rock song and I like The B-52's, but not their most memorable track.  However, I'm grateful the band or their label commissioned remixes, because it gave us a chance for Marc "MK" Kinchen to do his thing.  It was on this track that MK first experimented with stuttering the last syllable of lines.  This would become a common technique, but it was also the precursor to what would become his trademark M.O. - pulling single syllables from various places in the vocals and reordering them to create catchy melodies.  Of course, the track that showcases this best is his über-classic remix of the Nightcrawlers' Push The Feeling On. 

But back to this dub mix of Tell It Like It T-I-Is...Aside from the aforementioned vocals dubs, the track has an excellent deep house bassline and showcases the unique vocals of Kate Pierson.  Check it out!

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/B-52s-Tell-It-Like-It-T-I-Is/release/107904

Track: Pure Silk (Original Mix)

Artist: Miro

Year: 1993

Label: Effective Records

Miro is the Danish duo of Steen Thøttrup and Mads Arp.  One of their earlier works, the aptly titled Pure Silk, is a pulsating musical extravaganza full of synth stabs and catchy piano licks.  While I'd call this progressive house, the high energy and constant buildups/breakdowns will keep any trance enthusiast quite happy.

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/Miro-Pure-Silk/master/216932

Track: Dreams Of Santa Anna (Extended Club Mix)

Artist: Orange Lemon

Year: 1988

Label: Idlers

Dreams of Santa Anna, released under the Orange Lemon alias, is one of my favorite Todd Terry productions and another track whose popularity was shared across multiple genres - in this case freestyle, house, and rave circles.  Even if you've never heard Terry's track, its distinctive whistle tune may still sound familiar to your ears.  The genesis of the whistle tune dates to 1965, when famed composer Ennio Morricone wrote the theme music to Sergio Leone's spaghetti western For a Few Dollars More (starring Clint Eastwood), using professional whistler(!)  John O'Neill to supply the actual whistling.  Listen for yourself:

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/Ennio-Morricone-His-Orchestra-Music-From-The-Original-Sound-Tracks-Of-A-Fistful-Of-Dollars-For-A-Few/master/56216

In 1972, British rock group Babe Ruth used the tune as one of the guitar riffs on a song called The Mexican on their debut album.  Credit Alan Shacklock with the masterful guitar playing and Janita Haan for her powerful vocals, loosely recounting the story of Mexican General Santa Anna's siege of the Alamo:

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/Babe-Ruth-First-Base/master/68828

Six years later, Canadian disco/rock outfit The Bombers produced their own version of The Mexican, adding a drum break and some funky bass playing.  This is a really well done piece of music and a shame this song is so forgotten today.

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/Bombers-The-Mexican-Dance-Dance-Dance/master/49299

The next detour on this tune's evolution comes courtesy of old school rap and electro funk pioneer Afrika Bambaataa on his 1982 track, Planet Rock.  I'm a big fan of electro and plan to profile the genre in more detail later, so I'll skip details for now.  Suffice to say, this was an epic track and you can hear the familiar tune in synth form at the 3:44 mark.

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/Afrika-Bambaataa-the-Soul-Sonic-Force-Music-By-Planet-Patrol-Planet-Rock/release/2047

Fast forward two years...NYC master producer John "Jellybean" Benitez covers the Babe Ruth version of The Mexican, recruiting original singer Janita Haan for vocals.  The song blows up the underground scene and crosses over to mainstream air play, garnering the #1 spot on Billboard's dance charts.  There's no decisive "first" freestyle track, but depending on who you ask, this is sometimes considered a worthy candidate.

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/Jellybean-The-Mexican/master/134426

Finally, this brings us Todd Terry's version.  While Terry didn't create the track's signature tune, his recognizable fingerprints are all over this one - drums running under the bassline, samples dropping in and out, and a moody energy that you can't quite describe.  Be sure to check out the other side of the vinyl, The Texican, which is a similar track and a musical cousin of The Mexican.  Enjoy!

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/Orange-Lemon-Dreams-Of-Santa-Anna/master/189867

Track: Uh-Uh Ooh-Ooh Look Out (Here It Comes) (House Of Trix Mix)

Artist: Roberta Flack

Year: 1988

Label: Atlantic

If you're keeping count, this is the fifth Steve Hurley track I've profiled since launching the site in October.  What can I say, I'm a fan.  Anyway, Hurley killed it with his House Of Trix Mix to this Roberta Flack song.  You might be asking yourself - how do you turn a Roberta Flack song into a club banger?  Well the musical link is a little tenuous, but the one dubbed vocal heard throughout Hurley's mix is indeed the unmistakable sultry sound of Roberta Flack:  "I know a goodbye when I hear one."  You can listen to the original line at the 1:13 mark in this video.  Hurley's signature mixing skills do the rest.

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/412134