O2
BLACK BOX
RIDE ON TIME
(No.1, 1989)
The six-week chart-topper that
introduced the world to the uplifting
piano-led sound of Italo house. Black Box
weren’t the fi rst act to borrow from Loleatta
Holloway’s Love Sensation – in fact,
Samantha Fox had done so just 12 months
previously – but they were the fi rst to truly fulfi l
its dancefl oor potential. Ride On Time doesn’t
relent from the moment Holloway’s (or
Heather Small’s, but defi nitely not miming
model Katrin’s) tour de force vocals kick in.
The result is a powerhouse club classic.
O8
INNER CITY
GOOD LIFE
(No.4, 1988)
One of the few house acts to translate
their club success to the album charts,
Inner City peaked at No.3 in the UK with
their debut LP, Paradise, largely thanks to this
feelgood ode to, well, the good life. Founder
Kevin Saunderson had made his name as a
Detroit techno pioneer with the Belleville
Three, but here he eschews such industrial
futurism for a blend of sweeping strings,
colourful synths and the cooing melodies of
Chicago vocalist Paris Grey. House music has
never sounded so joyously optimistic.
O7
KRUSH
HOUSE ARREST
(No.3, 1987)
One-hit wonders Krush’s lineup featured
the future co-founder of seminal IDM
label Warp Records and one half of electronic
pop oddballs Moloko. But there’s little evidence
of such leftfi eld fare in the breezy house
anthem which made their names. Shrewd
samples of Richard Pryor and Grandmaster
Melle Mel add to the sense of fun. But it’s the
carefree, featherlight tones of Ruth Joy, a
refreshing change from the genre’s preferred
bombastic style, that makes this surprise No.3
hit truly stand out from the crowd.O6
BOMB THE BASS
BEAT DIS
(No.2, 1988)
“This is a journey into sound,” declares
Geoffrey Sumner, the plummy-voiced
post-war actor who unexpectedly became a
turntable favourite in the late 80s. And he
wasn’t wrong. Tim Simenon’s debut hit was
another glorious whirlwind of random
samples which ranged from the sublime
(James Brown, Prince) to the surreal
(Thunderbirds, Jayne Mansfi eld) and
somehow made a beeping alarm clock the
coolest sound around. Only Kylie’s I Should
Be So Lucky could keep it from hitting No.1.80 s HOUSE HITS TOP 20O1
S’EXPRESS
THEME FROM S’EXPRESS
(No.1, 1988)
There ain’t no party like a
S’Express party. Whereas the
majority of house music hitmakers
seemed to be faceless entities quite
content to hide behind their
keyboards and computers, Mark
Moore’s collective were a gloriously
colourful prospect who seemed to
fully embrace the concept of being
1980s pop stars. In fact, Moore once
told The Guardian that the group of “terrible showoffs” were assembled purely for
their Top Of The Pops-friendly appeal. Being a member of S’Express therefore
always looked like a whole lotta fun and it’s a sense of joy that was effortlessly
captured in their sound, an ecstatic blend of acid house, funk and 70s disco – hence
its accompanying promo’s array of fl ares, Afro wigs and lava lamps. Of course, that
booming brass hook and those persistent synth squiggles, borrowed from and
quickly tossed aside in Rose Royce’s Is It Love You’re After, immediately catch your
attention. But Moore manages to hold it for a further three-and-a-half minutes by
delving deep into his record collection and lobbing everything from Salsa orchestra
violinist Alfredo de la Fé to synth-pop duo Yazoo into the unashamedly kitschy mix.
Theme From S’Express might not be the coolest of house hits, but then it’s not
designed to be. It’s simply a pure thrill ride whose sole intention is to get everyone
dropping their ghetto blasters and busting out a few moves. “Enjoy this trip,” urges
the booming voice of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry ahead of all the organised
chaos. Moore’s inspired collage of lost hits, obscurities and dialogue samples, not to
mention his motley crew of performers, made it virtually impossible not to.