When I first began this list, I wanted to profile the most essential tracks in the history of house. As I started to compile my list, I found that even the most seasoned dance music critics disagreed on which tracks these were. Some lists had me nodding and smiling in agreement; on others I recognized none of the songs or artists. So I abandoned my original idea, and instead I'm bringing to you the top thirteen (because I couldn't pick just ten) of my own personal favorites. These songs are in no particular order, chronologically, by favorite, or otherwise. They do have one thing in common, though; they made me fall permanently in love with house music. I consider these to be seminal dance tracks.
1. Soul II Soul - Keep On Movin' (1989)
This genre-starting song's simple beat was the basis for many house tracks to follow, but Jazzie B and the crew did it first. Caron Wheeler's sweet vocals flavor the cool, bare-bones piano-and-drums mix. It's positive and thoughtful and very danceable.
2. The Orb - Blue Room (1992)
This trance anthem sounds like an ambient stew. Weird marshy sounds gurgle under an ethereal female voice. It's murky and delicious--perfect come-down music for 5am on a Sunday morning when you'd like some food for thought before you finally hit the sack.
3. Astral Projection - Mahadeva (1999)
These Goa mentalists make your head explode and your brains splatter onto the dance floor in fractal patterns. Even the beat is a psychedelic boom. Layers upon layers of sound pan from speaker to speaker--this is a great one to listen to through headphones. The tension builds until everything shatters into shards of crystalline sound. Mind-blowing.
4. LTJ Bukem - Journey Inwards (2000)
There's no way to pick one track - this whole album is an intelligent drum n' bass experience. High points include the English kids speculating about the year 2000 on Our World"and the joyful gospel sound of Sunrain. It's also nice to hear some old-fashioned musicianship on a dance album--these guys can really play their instruments.
5. Bam Bam - Where's Your Child (1988)
This is the first acid house track I ever heard, on my little radio back in London when I was thirteen. It scared the hell out of me, but I was glued to the speaker. I have it on vinyl now. It's hardcore, doomful, squelch-and-bleep acid, complete with cackling Satanic voices. I can't imagine people on drugs would enjoy it, but they loved it at the clubs in 1988.
