Much as it elevates, even rejuvenates, the soul to encounter timeless classics by the likes of Phuture and Fingers Inc on the current stream of acid house retrospective compilations it was about time someone dug a little deeper and presented some of the wealth of lesser-known material, either by well-known names or, even better, the truly obscure. Leave it to Dave Clarke, who long ago plugged into the soul of a time when simplicity, fearless innovation and mischief ruled, to present a killer selection mixed in his inimitable style. This stellar compilation excavates the little-heard side of 80s Chicago with names including Virgo, Fast Eddie, Bam Bam, the Rude Boy Farley Keith, Mr Lee, Ralphi Rosario through Detroit the masterly inclusion of Blake Baxter’s ‘When A Thought Becomes You’ from his 1991 UR EP and on to New York with, for example, Scram’s ‘I Believe’ [one of the earliest releases on Strictly Rhythm]. The massively-underrated Master C&J are justifiably represented by their hauntingly malevolent ‘Face It’, maybe typifying a penchant Dave seems to have for subterranean night-crawling backdrops topped with twisted intoning. If this wasn’t all enough, Dave includes one of the earliest house landmarks with Jungle Wonz’s ‘The Jungle’ [Marshall Jefferson on Trax in 1986]. Paul Waller’s scarce remix of Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘Space Shuttle’ from 1990 closes an intoxicating journey which presents the other, darker side of acid house.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Kris Needs
