And yet I don't like it much, but I love Wild Safari and On the road again.

Arrrgghh Damn if it was not for your snitch i could have done it!

Of course that price is utterly ludicrous, I could sell my original Elvis 78RPMs (but I won't) and get less than 500$ for the whole bunch.

And of course VP-550 is worth that money, only if you can find it!

 

Fun factor: Denis & Denyse LePage who were the Lime duo, were also married in life.
Major fun factor : Denis LePage had already enjoyed success before Lime, as he wrote and arranged the superb 1979's "The Break" under the name KatMandu released in one of the 70s most influential (for dance music) labels, T.K. Disco.
Btw bro, imho, there can be no Lime reference without this 1982 smash club hit:

PS: Beware, huge post coming soon :D

 

Last edited: Mar 9, 2021

JACKPOT JACKPOT JACKPOT

thats the one im TALKING about ,you @taskforce just made my day THANK YOU
yes thats the scary video that scared me ''for real'' in 1983 ,i remember i had beta-max tapes i got from friends
that contain some real good ''horror movies'' recorded from HBO ,and each tape contain 1 film and few music clips
now i remember i was watching one of those tapes and and then ''rockit''was played ,
the visions from that clip led me to remove all the masks from my room and store it away lol
now im watching it in 2021 ,man ,the director was genius shooting everything like its a horror movie

as for the music ,indeed alot of dj scratching ,and i do like how the drums set was played with the lead synth
i need to hear herbie hancock stuff(i like jazz too)

@taskforce again

this post is real

 

I just realized that I have this one from Roland:


is it the same?

 

More fun fact:Denis LePage later came out to be transgender, singing under alias Nini No Bless. More fun factor, there was another instrumental produced by D. LP which inspired "The Break" and received heavy play at dance clubs in the USA. The track was "Hotwax" by Mother F. "The Break" itself inspire Carol Jiani's "Hit and Run Lover" percussion which also borrowed from "You are my Magician."

Another fun fact. Denyse was the singer in "Dance the Night Away" by Voggue

True but the synth hooks in "Your Love" and "Babe we Gonna Love Tonite" are so memorable that they are hard to beat. One thing that surprises me about Lime is that as much as they were a must play at dance clubs in the US, only "Your Love" peaked at number one. Indeed, the closer they ever got t it again was number 6 by "Babe we are Gonna Love Tonight" and later number 6 again with "Unexpected Lovers"

Stop teasing us and post it!

 

Last edited: Mar 9, 2021

Snitch? Of course, I am the Py-rat.

 

A mini playlist of dusty records that I like to share here:


New Musik - 24 Hours From Culture (1981)
Deeppissimo 12” from an british producer called Tony Mansfield. His collaborations: Capitain Sensible, A-Ha, B-52

Pete Shelley - Witness The Change (Dub Version 1981)
I don't know a lot about the artist, but I always listen to his dub version with great pleasure. Great skills in drum programming and mixing

Fashion -- Mutant Dance Move (1981)
This was ultra trendy in the early 80s. The mix was dedicated to the dancefloor (contrary to most of the music played in clubs at that time), plus the 12" vinyl recording was excellent: when the DJ played this song it was a unique experience

Logic System - Clash (Chinjyu Of Sun 1981)
The bravest DJ's bought the English release of the vinyl (recorded at 45rpm) to then play the 12“ slower at 33rpm. This gave the song a much more hypnotic vibe

Capricorn - I Need Love (1982)
Italo-Disco project run by Claudio Simonetti. A TR-606 anthem: Powerful!

Moses - We Just (1985)
Composer: Mario Tagliaferri. The first person I met to have a sampler in Rome (Emu II). Being a DJ he could only produce something like this:

Dharma - Plastic Doll (1982)
Italo-Italo-Italo-Italo-Italo-Italo
Obviously there was the vocal A-side, but no thanks: too cheesy for me

 

Last edited by a moderator: Mar 10, 2021

Two Songs from The Flirts, produced by Bobby Orlando, who also worked as Producer and Writer for Divine and Pet Shop Boys (Westend Girls).

The Flirts - Passion 1982

The Flirts - Helpless 1984
The end of "Helpless" (6:05) has the same hook as the Refrain in Fancys "Slice Me Nice".

Fancy - Slice Me Nice 1984

Maybe not really a Dancefloor Track.
Savage Progress - My Soul Unwraps Tonight (Extended Mix) 1984

 

Bobby deserves more credit than he is given. He was the Patrick Cowley of NYC. One of the first to merge elements from different genres. Also, one of the nicest people to work with. No ego whatsoever. If he asks you to do a remix, it is your remix. You do as you feel. I always felt that "Take a Chance on Me" should have charted high in the dance charts but it did not. By the way, the vocalist in "Take a Chance on Me" was a member of the Flirts.

Another one of his hits, and one of my favorites, was "The Best Part of Breaking up." There we can hear what Bobby Orlando's productions came to be known for: the cowbell percussion.

 

Last edited: Mar 20, 2021

I still have it, along Capricorn and Easy Going. Not speaking of the masterpiece of Profondo rosso, but that's completely another story.

But I still prefer the original.

I loved Chinese Eyes.

There was a time when in discos or clubs a few tracks were reserved for cheek to cheeck slow dance, usually before closing.
It was also a kind of embarassing moment, because only wood lamps were lit, and any dandruff bit was visible on shoulders and hairs.

This habit then faded away during late 80's leaving space for what now is the consolidated "nostalgia ghetto" of oldies, that now (covid 19 permitting) can have even entire dedicated events, leaking just some new chart track.

Beside the classics like Against All Odds or Careless Whispers I remember it was about 84 and these tracks carved in enough in my memories for many reasons (some tracks were older):
(Warning: to some could be nauseating, but it's part of history!)

 

Right. Maybe this is not as famous as others, but I find it wonderful:

 

Hi everybody.
Before i start, i 'd like to tell you from the get go, this is no ordinary hits list. It's a deposition of heart, soul & mind and the culmination of 35+ years of being an active musician/dj/producer.
Now, i am not here to play you Madonna, Prince and MJ who dominated the 80s. As much as i love many tracks from them, anyone can do that.
Instead, i'm here to give my personal insight as to what i think as significant and worthy enough from the club and dance culture to be mentioned as "The Dance music of the 80's". You may forgive my post's style written as an essay, if it isn't apparent by now, for years i had been writing reviews of singles and albums. Until sometime in the late 90s i decided critics (as in persons) suck and blow and i devoted my spare time in computers instead.

So, to kick it off with Part One of my personal list,
Here's "Palace Palace" by Who's Who.
Technically a 1979 release, this makes it here because it was re-relased in 1980 (also bootlegged in Greece hehe) and again in 1981. A much sought after 12" (and even rarer in 1981's 7" release) in the late 80s/early 90s by house/house-disco djs, it became more accessible with the advent of Internet. What makes it also special is the producer and composer/arranger of this, is Daniel Vangarde, nowadays also famous for being the father of Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk. While Vangarde had enjoyed wide success in the 70s with disco classics such as Black Blood's AIE(a mwana), Gibson Brothers' "Cuba" and "Que Sera Mi Vida" and Ottawan's "D.I.S.C.O.", "T 'es OK" & "Hands Up" this was a minor club hit albeit a favorite of the Pirate Radio stations of the time. Still, you can clearly notice the deviation-difference from his other hits here, the combination of the disco bass cliche with a vocoded vocal and some tasty synth snippets was a premonition of things to come much later, also evident in Daft Punk's disco excursions:

A must have dance classic from a band who left their own trademark for generations to come, is 1980's "More Bounce To The Ounce" from Zapp. Written by the band's lead figure, a genious in his own right, Roger Troutman, who also produced it along with funk legend Bootsy Collins, this is Funk with a capital F. It hits you raw in the stomach. Needless to say, if you don't dance to this you need professional help.

What saw major recognition and a wider acceptance in the 80s, to much audiophile and eclectic music lovers delight, was jazz funk and later on acid jazz. Acid jazz, quite indistinguishable from the jazz funk of the 70s for the untrained ear, had an edge and emphasis on the groove and could be more dance oriented with remixes and 12" from many many artists of the genre.
A band which pioneered all these sounds was Azymouth from Brazil. A -still active- virtuoso trio (drums, bass, piano/keys/synths), they recorded a good many great jazz-funk albums in the 70s and gave us classics like the disco jazz anthem "Jazz Carnival". Their over-the-top musicianship never left listeners wanting more, as they could produce a "full range" sound with just their 3 piece band and rarely doing overdubs in the studio. Their forray into the 80s leaves a taste of "proto" jazz-house sounds. The combination of an amazing slap & finger bass line, vocoded vocals as lead melody and an almost house drum beat (by today's standards), signifies how ahead of its time this track was. Not exactly what we would call a club track, still a favorite in many eclectic dj sets including yours truly, here's "Dear Limmertz" from 1980:

And since i "went" to Brazil, it would be unforgiving not to mention one the heavy hitters of the 70s who gave us a ton of dance classics, Eumir Deodato. A musical mastermind, his 1980 album was full of tasty disco-funk-jazz tracks bearing his trademark organic instrumental sound. From Deoadato's 1980 "Night Cruiser" album please enjoy the title track which also was the first single from it:

One of the original disco/rnb Divas, Thelma Houston was already a household name by the turn of the decade, but recorded this dance classic in 1981. With an amazing slap bass performance from one of the 70s most prolific bass players Scott Edwards, and an equally great vocal, here's 1981's "If You Feel It":

A band that helped the disco sound evolve in the 80s was the unforgettable Gap Band with singer supreme Charlie Wilson. They 've had numerous r'n'b and funky disco hits in the 70s but in the 80s their sound evolved to a more "synthesized" disco funk version of themselves. As such, they came to dominate the charts with dance classics like "Burn Rubber On Me" & "Early In The Morning" which i both cherish. Still, for you here, i will post what i consider the third of that early 80s Gap Band "dance classics trilogy".
From 1982, in an epic 13 minutes long mix, featuring their trademark Minimoog "fat as fuck" synth bass sound, here's
The Gap Band - "You Dropped A Bomb On Me""

While neglected by many, Latin music was and still is a major influence in modern dance music. In the 80s this became very prominent by the success of such names as USA's Miami Sound Machine (with Gloria Estefan) and Kid Creole and the Coconuts but also in Europe with Shakatak and Matt Bianco. Latin even found its way in post punk bands like the short lived but much appreciatted UK's Pigbag.
Without further ado, lemme post some classics from these names. From the frenetic groove of Conga, the showmanship of Kid Creole, the signature sultry piano/keyboard sound of Shakatak's disco-jazz-funk, the smoothness of Matt Bianco's Mark Reilly, to the unforgettable anthemic raw brass jam of Pigbag, here you are:
Miami Sound Machine - "Conga" - 12" Dance mix - 1985:

Kid Creole and the Coconuts - "Stool Pigeon" - 12" mix featuring Nile Rodgers in guitar! from 1982:

Shakatak - Night Birds 12" - 1982:

Matt Bianco - Yeh yeh - 12" - 1985:

Pigbag - "Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag" - 12" - 1981:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2Dnhego4J0

And while Pigbag was on Y Records, another UK band on the same label came to prominence in the 1980s, Shriekback. An underground favorite of mine, Shriekback's style pioneered what we call today "Indie Dance". Originally labelled as new wave/rock, Shriekback recorded several albums and singles to critical appraisal, but this track has been on the setlist of some house djs and not without good reason, as it is a sort of early tribal house/rap record quite before all this was even a genre. From 1982, here's Shriekback - "My Spine Is The Bass-line":

By the time Shriekback had one foot in new wave/rock and another in afro and disco/funk/rap, the much more known, UK's "White Riot" punk rockers The Clash, had already went "all in" in 1981 with their Sandinista! triple album, marking a total deviation from their main punk rock musical theme with a ton of brilliant tracks. But what was meant to become a club classic from all these great songs, including one the most memorable bass performances of the decade by arguably UK's funkiest bass player ever, Ian Dury and the Blockheads' own Norman Watt-Roy, here's The Clash with "The Magnificent Seven" from 1981:

While the Clash were bringing their own "anarchistic" rap to the dancefloors, on the other side of the Atlantic, USA's favorite blond and new wave/post punk extraordinaire, Debbie Harry & the Blondie had already indulged in disco music with their 1979 smash "Heart Of Glass". But it was their 1980 hit "Rapture" that went to achieve legendary status as a dance record, proven by the ton of remixes and covers it has undergone pretty much in all decades after its original release. Including a rap performance by Debbie Harry, this must be the first hit record with a female rap. A 10 minute club trip into disco with a sultry, almost psychedelic main vocal from Debbie Harry, here's "Rapture":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVvq1eqYPoc&t=77s

In the 80s a lot of different cultures and musical genres clashed in various types of collisions to bring us exciting new music from unlikely collaborations and not only. One "new wave/rock" band which doninated the 80s with amazing albums and singles is The Cure. Robert Smith's band, recently inducted in the Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame, undoubtedly has left an amazing legacy behind it. Smith, had always his antennas wide open to all types of music and fans of the band know this quite well as the band's main songwriter and singer, moved back and forth from dark themed goth tracks to catchy pop tunes like a musical chameleon.
But what does all this have to do with dance music and dj culture...
The Cure's 1987 double LP "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" spawned numerous hits like "Just Like Heaven" and "Why Can't I Be You". But it was another track from that album, remixed by the already legendary producer/remixer Francois Kevorkian and re-relased in 1988 in 12" Maxi Single, "Hot Hot Hot!!!" that hit club djs with The Cure as they were never heard before. Here it is :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FSvYpi3Ius

In the 70s Disco music dominated the charts for a good part of the decade but sometime in 1979 a "moron who thought he knew something more", in a stadium gathering along with other morons (lol), declared disco is dead. This opinion passed as a kind of cultural upheaval, was also shared by some of the music press' critics around the world as they deemed Disco music as shallow and cheesy. But of course, history proved them wrong and disco never really died. It was re-formed, so to speak, with a newer sound production wise, adding more synths to the equation, courtesy of the Funk influence and heritage, and trimming the orchestral sound of the mid to late 70s giving way to more minimalistic and many times sequenced tracks.
An 80s favorite of mine, the duo of D-Train made several, synth driven dance songs. The definitive synth bass and leads of Hubert Evans III along with the huge vocal ability of James Williams was the perfect combination of a new style of disco music (now simply called dance music to avoid the bad reputation leftovers from the late 70s) which emerged in the 80s. Although their unforgettable track must be "You 're the one for me" i will post for you another great track from 1983, "Keep Givin' Me Love",only because it has lended a lot to house music :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP5TXPZ2UlM

At about the same time D-Train were enjoying wide success, another small act with a -sort of- similar sound called Columbus Circle, never made it huge. Written, arranged, produced and sung by one man, Scott Yahney (USA born of Greek heritage) this track makes it in my my list because it's a song that marks all the spots of that time and reflects perfectly the sound of the early 80s, plus it has always been an underground club hit and a rare 12".
Major (personal) fun factor :
Scott Yahney was kind enough to send me in person an unreleased mix of this very same song (not this one). I thank him for his generosity, he's a lovely human being and will always remain a musician of sheer talent.
From 1982, remixed by the famous at the time DJ/Remixer Tee Scott (RIP), here's Columbus Circle with "If You Read My Mind":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsQBq90Y5CY

Now -imho- there can be no 80s club,sampling,synth,dance culture references made without mentioning the genious that is Thomas Dolby.
Multi-instrumentalist and singer, Dolby became an icon to electronic music lovers and not only. Originally sold as a BreakDance 12" but in reality a crossover record, here's Thomas Dolby with "Get Out Of My Mix" from 1983:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lflsk410R0

The 80s saw rap and hiphop rise to fame but also colliding with r'n'b and soul. A style that emerged from all this in the early to mid 80s was Break Dance. While as a name it was more attached to the - now well known- certain style of street dancing rather than a musical style, certain records had the breakdance style all over them. One of these early records produced by the genious of Francois Kevorkian who also played a pivotal role in this style as well, a definitive club classic from 1982, here's Sharon Redd (RIP) with "Beat The Street". (Although Redd was known from the 70s as a vocalist of rnb,disco,soul, it wasn't until she was signed to Prelude that she became famous, as she is Prelude's most succesful to date artist).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fW0cf_YcBc

In 1983 rap/hiphop and electro-funk were already a thing happening, especially after Africa Bambaata's "Planet Rock" success. A mostly unknown New York DJ, Chris Barbosa was hired to do production work for Emergency Records. The label had already seen success in the late 70s with La Bionda and Kano mainly in the early Italo Disco scene. As reported, Barbosa wanted to emulate the electrofunk of Planet Rock but "spicing" this track with a lot of Latin flavour, he came up with what came to be named as "Freestyle" and thus a new style had emerged. He used an unknown r'n'b vocalist. Their collaboration spawned one of the most iconic electronic dance singles of the decade. From 1983, here's Shannon & "Let the music Play":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGPnCfpen2I

A band that put its own mark all through out the 80s was Midnight Star. Their blend of synthesizers and vocoders with funk and some great rnb vocals, managed to put Midnight Star even in the pop charts, and they left a hefty legacy of club and dance classics.
Please enjoy 1983's "Freak-A-Zoid" and 1984's "Operator":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wJWuaPR0Lo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGtPw7ruZLU

An underground club classic of the 80s was Strafe's "Set It Off" from 1984. Steve Standard's stage name Strafe, was mainly about the rap and r'n'b genres. But this one was quite different. A true crossover, perhaps early hiphouse record, Set it Off started getting much more attention after it was sampled for the first time in 1988's acid house hit from Kraze "The Party". Since then it's been sampled at least 20 times to my knowledge, some officially documented and cleared but many are not. Originally a difficult to find 12", it was spread more widely since its re-release in 1994. Check it out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWUpgzRK1vc

Undoubtedly House and Techno music's emergence in 1985-86 made a tremendous impact on the music industry. For dance music it was the defining turning point, the producer/dj culture and clubbing/partying (as in raving) as a way of life, became an everyday reality and we still enjoy (or not) the tens of genres that spawned from house and techno in electronic dance music ever since.
3 iconic singles from Chicago that showcase the house music sound and went on to become dance classics, each leaving its own mark in history:
1986 - Mr. Fingers - "Can You Feel It"
1986 - Marshall Jefferson - "Move Your Body"
1987 - Rhythm Controll - "My House"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N9Wnqz8Rh8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmwZ9aTu1-Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJPYPu4fjZs

And while Chicago is pretty much considered House Music's "birth place" Detroit is considered the same for Techno, thanks to three friends who each left their own signature in dance music: Kevin Saunderson, Juan Atkins and Derrick May. Here's 3 definitive dance classics from them. Show some love to the innovators please:
1985 - Juan Atkins a.k.a Model 500 - "No U.F.O.'s"
1987 - Kevin Saunderson's Inner City - "Big Fun"
1987 - Derrick May a,k.a. Rhythim Is Rhythim - "Strings Of Life"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNz01ty-kTQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1Q7_mdZN48
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFQZndywOR4

Watch out for Part Two, coming soon
Much love

 

Last edited: Mar 11, 2021

This thread is getting more and more interresting imo

i was so surprised to see "Moses - We Just" , and the infos . . . well, RECYCLE, it is really obvious, that it is a bit limited musical-wise, but the refrain has something tasty and a little bit classy, i believe, that i must have heard it on a radio-mix-set along Imagination and other US-style-"Black-Music" . . .

i think . . . short said : to me, that is this kind of track : "once heard, never forgotten" . . . did i say "track" ? . . . 1985 ? when i started buying records, it was even more about tracks . . . first it was a BCM Records collection with Chip E, Farley, Mr. Fingers and so on

and i have big fun to contribute tracks/songs, which just are coming to my mind

 

Last edited: Mar 10, 2021

@taskforce: Well that was worth waiting for! Almost forty years to be exact.
..did I look (well not everyday) for the name of the first track on your list: 'Palace Palace" by Who's Who!
I had it on a cassette, had no clue who the artist was, now I know! Can't thank you enough, taskforce!
Would you happen to have it in your collection, preferably lossless?

 

this one impressed me too

1988 UK?

 

one more tune (1987)

from Manchester UK

 

Quiet here atm ? there is so much more 80's daaance music

ok ?

they were about to start a small revolution in contemporary music, ain't it true ? Just splitted from "Wild Bunch Sound System" (Massive / Dj Mil'o / Tricky)

 

Last edited: Mar 11, 2021

Absolutely. Flac format. Pm me with where you want me to upl it. It's ~41 mb.
Cheers

 

That's exactly what I'm doing: finding the best songs of this thread in flac format. I already know that some of these gems will remain in my car's playlist forever.

 

"Set it Off" was huge in NYC. I remember that at one of the Record Pool meetings we had monthly, Walter Gibbons, who had mixed it, said that they were ready to release it sung by Barbara Tucker who did background vocals for George Clinton. We thought he had gone mad. The record was release but did not have a good reception. It was used mainly mixed with the original but never left an imprint. Talking about Walter, some people don't know that he was a DJ and became an in-house remixer for Salsoul Records even before many others like Larry Levan and Shep Pettibone. Indeed, the very first commercially available 12" single in the world was his remix of Double Exposure's "Ten Percent" A fun fact is that it was not called a remix but "disco blending." RIP my brother!

Here is the "female" version of "Set it Off"