This monster three-disc collection is the history of house music. From the early sounds of Marshall Jefferson, Frankie Knuckles, Ralphi Rosario, Adonis, and Maurice, this traces the history of Chicago's Trax label, featuring two discs of classics mixed by Maurice Joshua and Paul Johnson, while the third disc contains unmixed versions of many of the tracks which comprise the other two discs. It's so utterly delightful to experience the first days of house music, and I can honestly say that there are few tracks that bring as much joy as "This is Acid." And it's hard to imagine the visceral freshness of the immortal "You Used To Hold Me" since it has remained an enduring classic for coming up on twenty years. The same goes for "Baby Wants To Ride" and "You Got The Love." It's all here.
More to it, as a testament to the influence of some of these records, does anyone remember the magical time in 1988 when hip-hop listened to dance music and adapted it? Some always slagged Samantha Fox's "I Wanna Have Some Fun" for lifting all the Marshall Jefferson sounds and selling them to the mainstream, but let's examine that for a second. The fierce sound of the dance underground taken by hip-hop producers to make pop hits... I miss the **** out of those days. .
The mixing is pretty good, certainly a grand way to groove for a couple of hours and reexperience the joy of house at its most primeval. I prefer the third disc, but that's simply because I always prefer unmixed to mixed. Do not hesitate to add this to your collection..
