PEOPLE OF THE NATIONS, DANCING TOGETHER! It's the 1990s TOP 100 ELECTRONIC TRACKS poll results!

Yes!

It was on a Mad Professor comp for me, IIRC

That was it: Poptones..

I must have been about 10 or 11 when I first heard the single edit of Blue Room and I remember loving it so much even then. Always found it quite a frightening tune - those alien grunts mimicking the dubby bassline. Well good.

70. Apollo Two - Atlantis (I Need You) (L.T.J. Bukem Remix) (Good Looking Records, 1993)
365 points, 7 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/atlantis_zpsab99acb0.jpg

http://youtu.be/C1b9cQArti8

great moments in pop history

LTJ Bukem's "Atlantis", after the last "I need you/I want you" sample when the drums suddenly crash in.

― Omar, 12. maaliskuuta 2001 3:00

LTJ's best?

- Bukem w/ "Atlantis"

So poignant.

― viborg, 25. huhtikuuta 2009 10:40

Just last Thursday went to see LTJ Bukem spin. Since I don't go out that much anymore I needed a sure thing and something not too hectic for me overworked dad's brains so this seemed like a good choice. It was too. Total closed-off 95/96 universe sound-wise really, but utterly enjoyable. Still, nagging in the back of my head a voice saying "this is not cutting edge. is this the first sign i'm starting to give up? why the ***** should I care about these bloody questions?" A propos nothing: he closed with Atlantis...still absolutely glorious.

― Ned Raggett, 29. joulukuuta 2001 3:00

Note that this was credited to LTJ Bukem in the nominations, but Discogs.com says it was originally released as Apollo Two.

69. Beats International featuring Lindy Layton - Dub Be Good to Me (Go! Beat, 1990)
366 points, 7 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/dubbegoodtome_zpsd6fcf86d.jpg

http://youtu.be/-MnELifX3sQ

Beats International - Dub Be Good To Me - Classic or Dud?

Best thing Norman Cook ever did.

Everyone in my school was doing the 'tag fly boss walk' bit in the playground for months after it came out.

Xpost Co signed. First hit song I ever fell in love with. I remember 9y/o me getting quite sore at The Power knocking it off the #1 spot because I wanted it to be number one forever

68. M.J. Cole featuring Caspar Nova & Jay Dee - Sincere (Metrix Recordings, 1998)
378 points, 8 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/sincere_zpscb572042.jpg

http://youtu.be/IZjHgoBrEpw

(Can't find any good quotes on this one.)

67. Goldie presents Metalheads - Inner City Life (FFRR, 1994)
380 point, 6 votes, one 1st place vote.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/innercitylife_zps7b713a03.jpg

http://youtu.be/DJDvxRkmeqw

goldie came up with some serious earworm craziness - i've literally had "inner city life" stuck on my head since the instant i saw the thread title.

― the late great, 5. syyskuuta 2012 11:28

And all 53,579,000 versions of "Inner City Life" = classic.

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), 3. lokakuuta 2004 3:15

It still strikes me as odd that Goldie didn't produce more tracks pre-Timeless. I guess we're talking about only a three-or-so year period but it's so usual that these guys do heaps and heaps of stuff before they finally get around to making a patchy album. But Goldie was very efficient, it's like he evolved (and then later "evolved") with big steps every time he released something, such that the road from "Terminator" to "Inner City Life" actually isn't that long and winding at all.

― Tim F, 26. heinäkuuta 2007 12:37

Did anyone see him get classical on yo' ass on Maestro? His conducting totally knocked the judges for six, and only didn't win because they put the last round to a public vote. In retrospect, 'Timeless' reeks of classicism with its contrasting movements, that moody prelude to Inner City Life. So yeh, classic in more ways than one.

― Dr X O'Skeleton, 2. joulukuuta 2008 13:50

66. Leftfield featuring John Lydon - Open Up (Full Vocal Mix) (Hard Hands, 1993)
382 points, 7 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/openup_zps70099961.jpg

http://youtu.be/hZj9bi7YNmI

You know, the only time I ever really enjoyed Leftfield was when my little brother was playing this baseball video game and it played "Open Up" over the title credits. Except it was this edited version with the "play ball!" samples left in and the boring John Lydon rant cut out, so it was good.

― Ian, 23. tammikuuta 2002 3:00

Ok so Leftism may have made it into the coffee table market but it's still a fantastic album, I can't think of a better icon/dance band collaboration than Open Up.

― Ronan, 2. heinäkuuta 2002 3:00

Yes, "Open Up" was super, a very class track that is still loved and gets dancefloors moving today.

― Carlos, 7. syyskuuta 2007 19:13

Coming up next: the British domination of this countdown will be broken for 4 whole songs! What will they be?

one will be by Moby, probably "Go"

Oh, I just realized it won't be fully broken, as one of the four is an remix by an American act of a tune by a British act.

EBTG?

Jesus Jones?

Yay Atlantis. Yay Sincere.
Inner City Life was one that didn't vote for because I knew it would do fine all on its own, but yay to it too and yay to Dub Be Good To Me which I hadn't even noticed was nominated.

I don't like Leftfield but I think I already moaned about that in the albums rollout so will keep it to a minimum here.

haha yay, someone was around to express Leftfield ire in my absence!

65. Armand van Helden featuring Duane Harden - U Don't Know Me (Armed Records, 1999)
388 points, 8 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/udontknowme_zps56591b8b.jpeg

http://youtu.be/J8L3_xQr0Z8

"U Don't Know Me" is one of house's great "I'm fabulous, fuck you" anthems

― M Matos (M Matos), 10. maaliskuuta 2003 8:48

The extended version of UDON'TKNOWME (with the Orson Welles vocal clip at the start) is god.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), 15. marraskuuta 2004 20:23

he just needs to pump up the sweetness a bit more, and possibly make it sound wetter too, i mean do you remember how exciting it was when 'u dont know me' came out?

― minna (minna), 2. lokakuuta 2005 18:15

and yeah "U Don't Know Me" is one of those magic 90s dance records that will pop up on the radio here now and again when you're driving the car and cause you to ramp the volume to ridiculous levels.

― Ronan (Ronan), 4. lokakuuta 2005 0:03

Total jam.

I have to say I've never been particularly impressed by AvH... Like everyone, I liked "The Witch Doktor", but the stuff I've heard after that sounds like totally generic loop-based house to my ears, and "U Don't Know Me" is no exception. I guess it works on the dancefloor, but that's about it for me.

"Flowerz" is def better (sample sourced from a better song, more striking falsetto, atmospherics, et al), but Matos' blurb is basically right. To be on board, you have to have a taste for "get out of my way" statements.

Yeah was goin to say it worked great on the radio as well as the dancefloor, a lot of people clicked with that defiant underdog-anthem aspect of it I think.

64. Sneaker Pimps - Spin Spin Sugar (Armand's Dark Garage Mix) (Clean Up records, 1997)
392 points, 6 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/spinspinsugar_zps73aecc52.jpeg

http://youtu.be/9V73VBUNCMg

The Armand Van Helden remix of "Spin Spin Sugar" is godlike; the rest is pffft.

― M Matos (M Matos), 3. joulukuuta 2002 9:25

If we need a destroy, I'm going for Sneaker Pimps as long as we can keep Armand Van Helden's remake of Spin Spin Sugar.

― Martin Skidmore, 8. toukokuuta 2002 3:00

True history of rock house:

"Rolling & Scratching"/"Rock'n'Roll" --> "Spin Spin Sugar (Armand Van Helden Remix)" --> "Alienz" --> "Yo-Yo"/"Don't Give Up" --> "Little Black Spiders" --> "Where's Your Head At" --> "I'm So Crazy" --> various Subliminal Records efforts --> "Shiny Disco Balls" --> populist electro-house (Deep Dish/Bodyrockers/Rogue Traders etc.)

― Tim F, 29. syyskuuta 2009 5:39

Now, that one is actually better than I remembered, too bad the Sneaker Pimps singer is so weak. Maybe if AvH would've gotten a proper house singer to do the vocals and released this as an original tune, I might've actually liked it.

^Big big big tune, never get sick of that bassline.

Now this next track is very dear to my heart, and I was afraid it wouldn't place at all, so I'm happy it made this high...

that remix is super stompy and awesome

I love the syncopation of the original a lot, which is stompy and awesome in a completely different way, but this remix is undeniable

Oh, fantastic, glad this is back on! And nearly every track posted will get a TOO LOW response (though I'm less familiar with the David Holmes/Aphex Twin end of stuff).

Both the Armand tracks are immense, and I've been hearing the "Spin Spin Sugar" remix out and about again recently, to my delight.

63. Corona - The Rhythm of the Night (DWA, 1993)
395 points, 6 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/therhythmofthenight_zps4371b9eb.jpeg

http://youtu.be/DFGOC_Yy-ow

Indeed, "The Rhythm Of The Night" by Corono almost defines eurodance.

― JoB, 5. syyskuuta 2001 3:00

we listened to a Corona tape single of 'Rhythm of the Night' for about fifteen minutes during a July 4th barbecue. The song is appearing everywhere again, somehow.....

― trees (treesessplode), 6. heinäkuuta 2006 18:33

This is the rhythm of the night, the rhythm of my life. . .

― mehlt, 16. helmikuuta 2008 5:54 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Also, is it wrong to kind of, uhhh, like a lot of rhythm of the night?

― mehlt, 16. helmikuuta 2008 9:15 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I think a number of people around here would call it a classic, especially those contributing to this thread!

― Spencer Chow, 16. helmikuuta 2008 9:42

it sort of sounds to me like they read a simon reynolds article on the greatness of early rave music and decided to build on that, almost by intentionally making all of the "bad taste" mistakes they can

but rave's committment and sense of mission looks almost bolshevik compared to the attitude here

i've been to a couple of nights like this and by far the best thing i heard was "energy flash" into "the rhythm of the night." it was pretty intensely emotional and weird to me.

― goole, 8. joulukuuta 2008 23:09

Do you mind if I post a link to AvH’s finest moment? https://soundcloud.com/homeroespinosa/kim-english-nitelife-avh-vs

It's almost impossible to describe how much "The Rhythm of the Night" epitomizes my teen years: drunken summer nights, youthful optimism, hopes and promises of things to come, the sort of nervous joi de vivre that only exists at that stage of life... Also, this tune has everything that's great about Eurodance, and Eurodance was alway better than it was given credit for.

(xpost)

Links are okay, it's only embedded Youtubes that slow the thread down.

Rhythm Of The Night was my no.3 pick, i think. It has such a perfect blend of Euro-bounce and melancholy.

62. Underground Resistance - Jupiter Jazz (Underground Resistance, 1992)
396 points, 6 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/jupiterjazz_zpscd022bcf.jpeg

http://youtu.be/EIey7uk8D8E

Detroit is a raw and nasty working town and it likes to party. That is the thread that runs through everything from Real Cool Time by the Stooges, Goin' To A Go Go by Smokey Robinson, to Jupiter Jazz by Underground Resistance. It might not be nice or pretty, but we are going to have a good-ass time. and the rest of the world is going to pick up on it and bite it because they know how good it feels.

― Michael Taylor, 2. elokuuta 2001 3:00

AGENT TRIFE, UNDERWATER BASS SPECIALIST, DJING TONIGHT AT HEADQUARTERS, DOWNTOWN. INSPIRATION IS THE KEY, THE TECHNO COMMUNITY IS WORLDWIDE, LIBERATION IS AT HAND, TRANSITION IS INSPIRATION, THE JUPITER JAZZ WILL FREE US FROM OPRESSION. TURN ON THE 909, TURN ON YOUR MIND...THE FUTURE IS HERE

― gareth (gareth), 5. tammikuuta 2001

yeah, our definitions are coming from different places. My version of techno doesn't have to be "tracky" at all. It's more an aesthethic. My recent idea is that techno IS electro-house. i.e. the Electro-funk aesthetic applied to house music. The techno I love most of often very ornate and lush, I Believe by Octave One, for instance, or 808 State's Pacific or UR's Jupiter Jazz. I wouldn't call any of those songs "tracky."

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), 24. elokuuta 2004 22:27

i just finally picked up the World 2 World 12" with Jupiter Jazz on it this weekend, i love that song so much but i hadn't even realised i only had it on CD. what a stunning record. UR tunes (especially when performed live!) have brought me to tears on numerous occasions, i dont think any medication aside from more UR in your life is necessary ;)

― pipecock, 30. toukokuuta 2008 6:03

Tune with a 4-line drop-cap capital T.

The greatest moment "Rhythm of the Night" brought me was when I was a college freshman and, very early on in the first semester and the morning of what would end up being my one and only 7 a.m. class for the remainder of college, my alarm clock came on at the precise moment the singer was tearing into the refrain "THIS IS THE RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT!"

Was "Rhythm of the Night" popular in the US too? Somehow I thought it was a hit only in continental Europe...

it hit #11 and on certain stations/markets it was inescapable

Bunch of younger hipster-house/etc art school types got into "Rhythm of the Night" via the Ital/Sex Worker cover; been great to hear the original at house parties again.

61. Aphex Twin - Girl/Boy Song (Warp Records, 1996)
399 points, 6 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/girlboyep_zpsd6b100f6.jpeg

http://youtu.be/YCSrMEsaNAM

Gareth wrote: wonder how much of a role 'energy flash' (the book) played in rehabilitation of rave? forced a rethink on part of some artists?

I've just looked and Energy Flash appears to be copyright 1998, by which time the breaks style of idm was in full swing. Doesn't mean he didn't lead to more specifically ravey influences creeping into idm and other styles, and as I've said I think it did have some impact on the critical reassessment of rave (plus presumably Reynolds was evangelising on behalf of rave for quite some time before the book was published), but to my mind even without adding Juno Alpha hoover mentasms a lot of breakbeat idm, even (or do I mean especially?) the early stuff is already quite rave- esque thanks to the snare rushes and the sheer joyful, cheeky exuberance and freneticism of the beats. (Thinking of stuff like Girl/Boy from 1996, etc.)

― rebecca, 3. heinäkuuta 2001 3:00

2) The comparative "intelligence" of IDM vs rave circa 92-93 seems somewhat arbitrary now. While it seemed obvious then that believing complex melodies and spacey atmospherics were more "intelligent" than hyperactive breakbeats and mutating samples, once "artcore" bridged the gap between the two the binary dichotomy fell apart, opening up opportunities for IDM producers to explore the other end of jungle not represented by the intelligent end of it (note for example how after "Girl/Boy" drill & bass got progressively darker/wackier, with more hints of ragga and rave coming through).

― Tim, 10. elokuuta 2001 3:00

Girl/Boy Song is entirely a drum machine solo, but theres a part where all the other things stop and the drum goes wild solo, its grate

― Chupa-Cabras, 28. huhtikuuta 2002 3:00

I think "Windowlicker" and "Come to Daddy" are incredible and important records, but I prefer him when he's being sweet and nice. "Girl/Boy Song" and "Melodies from Mars" are two of the most beautiful bits of audio I've ever heard.

― Lynskey (Lynskey), 21. tammikuuta 2003 18:29

I always preferred Milkman.

Girl/Boy Song is stunning.

Gaz was a regular ILM poster, might still post under some other name?

gaz posted as other names during his time here (eg mullygrubber, bulbs) but has been gone for years. He’s alive and fine though!

60. Shanks & Bigfoot - Sweet Like Chocolate (Chocolate Boy Recordings, 1999)
406 points, 7 votes.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/sweetlikechocolate_zpsb506be18.jpg

http://youtu.be/_eC6hVbgIv8

Search c90: Twee UK Garage

UKG meant for regressive isolated young men locked away in their bedrooms.

the best i can come up with so far is Sweet Like Chocolate.

― Wyndham Earl, 11. toukokuuta 2003 4:29

well, "Babycakes" isn't that much inferior to "Sweet Like Chocolate" which was one of the most amazing and beautiful things I heard in whatever year it happened.

― The Lex (The Lex), 23. elokuuta 2004 10:45

I'm voting For Sweet Like Chocolate, as there's something wonderfully unjaded about it, and it never fails to put a big stupid grin on my face.

― chap, 5. helmikuuta 2008 17:10

59. The House Crew - Euphoria (Nino's Dream) (Production House, 1993)
410 points, 6 votes, one 1st place vote.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u641/Lixenixen/euphoria_zps35dccd38.jpg

http://youtu.be/rynXubglrTA

there were a lot of other cool records on production house though too, notably the house crew's euphoria (nino's dream), which is, like, the best dance record ever, obviously...

― gareth, 8. kesäkuuta 2001 3:00

choosing great jungle/hardcore tracks is like shooting proverbial fish.

as for hardcore, my vote still goes to "euphoria (nino's dream)" by the house crew

― jess, 2. toukokuuta 2002 3:00

even then its complicated, as stevem mentions The House Crew - Euphoria (Nino's Dream) (and also some of the manix tunes), because they are definitely post-rave/hardcore, but pre-jungle, but they weren't dark either. you could sense that something was definitely changing with these records, they were totally london, and they were more vibey than hyper, like the tempo same but more woozy. to me ninos dream is a record that falls outside of genre classification

― gareth (gareth), 7. toukokuuta 2003 11:23

The House Crew's "Euphoria (Nino's Dream)" really is the greatest record ever made, I've come to realize after playing it over and over again for amonth.

― M Matos (M Matos), 28. kesäkuuta 2003 7:03

´just be glad you didnt have to listen to "Euphoria (Nino's Dream)" every night for 3 years (as i did) and you can enjoy it for what it is today...actually after those 3 years i think i went another 5 years without hearing it once so all this recent revivalism is fine by me.

― stevem (blueski), 28. kesäkuuta 2003 13:32

I'M SURPRISED THAT SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE EVEN HEARD THIS TUNE. I MADE IT IN A WEEKEND AFTER COMING HOME FROM A RAVE WITH JONNY L'S 'HURT U SO' GOING ROUND & ROUND IN MY HEAD, THINKING 'THIS TRACK IS AMAZING- I WANNA MAKE A TUNE THAT MAKES ME FEEL JUST AS EXCITED ABOUT HARDCORE/JUNGLE AS WHEN I HEAR THIS IN A RAVE!' BIG UP DICE FOR LETTING ME USE THE STUDIO THAT WEEKEND, THANKS 2 EVERYONE WHO POSTED COMMENTS ABOUT IT, LOOK OUT 4 NEW NINO TRAX NOV/DEC 03

PEEEEACE!
NINO

― NINO, Friday, 15 August 2003 09:39 (9 years ago)