"The Hacienda Classics" Include Some Great Old School House Music Tunes

Although the famous U.K. Hacienda nightclub is long gone, it's coming back on CD thanks to a recent 3 disc release. The club, which opened its doors in 1982 and was founded by the band New Order became famous both for its decor, music and DJ's that appeared there.

Now, New Order and member Peter Hook put together these tracks for "The Hacienda Classics" on Virgin Records. The album contains a great variety of must have old school house music tunes. The set also contains music from other genres such as hip hop to soul, and funk. If you’re into beefing up your old school house repitoire, this is a must-have collection .

Among the tunes include “Ride On Time” -- Black Box, “Can U Feel It” -- Mr Fingers, “Can U Dance” Kenny Jamin Jason and Fast Eddie, “Love Sensation” -- Loletta Holloway, “Promised Land” – Joe Smooth and the hard to find “You've Got The Love” by Candi Staton.

A complete track list and more information is available from New Order's web site.

Frankie Knuckles New Record Label

Frankie Knuckles, known as the godfather of house music, has a new record label NOICE. Several new releases include "The Whistle Song Revisited" and "Gimme Gimme (disco shimmy)."

The original track, released in 1991, appeared on the "Beyond the Mix" album(Virgin). It was written by Eric Kupper, who first began as a nearly 20 years ago as a keyboard player and guitarist for such artistgs as David Morales, Frankie Knuckles and Arthur Baker. Since then he has time he has done remixes for the likes of Goldfrapp, Donna Summer, New Order and 808 State.

The track is just over 11 minutes long, and includes a fresh take on the drum tracks and bass. Although there isnt yet a dub version available, (and I am not sure if or when one will be) there is a really great break right at the end that should be more than enough time to work the track. Even though the track is long, it never gets boring. In fact to me whats amazing is how well the hook still grabs you at the beginning and just carries you away.

The initial release is available as an Mp3 on beatport.com and traxsource.com. The 12-inch version is expected to hit the stores in late June, and will include both tracks on the single.

The label also plans to release “DubJay’s D’Light” sometime this summer. The album will feature new versions of tunes by a who’s who of house producers such as David Morales, The Groovejunkies, Shapeshifters, Eric Kupper, Quentin Harris and Blaze. The album will feature dub versions with minimal vocals, which according to his web site is "created with Dub-style disc jocks in mind."

Lady D Talks About the Upcoming Chicago House Music Festival

As we mentioned in yesterday's post, Lady D will be one of the participants at the upcoming House Music Festival here in Chicago. First recognized by legendary Felix Da Housecat who remixed her smash hit, "High Again" Lady D is also a skilled and prolific writer and poet. With more than 10 years of experience in the industry, she is known for her masterful skills in being able to blend the best in classic house with today's beats. And she has played at every big-named Chicago club, and at concerts and festivals.

I recently caught up with her to find out more on the fest, and what she is working on. Lady D says that she is "excited about the event." So what will the show be like? She notes that it's being held "in a huge pavilion, and thousands are expected to attend. Summertime in Chicago can be like a slice of heaven. Our skyline is the most beautiful in the world. Add to that the best music in the world and you have the makings for a one of the most beautul experiences in history. She adds, "Just think if you could have Ultra fest or Ibiza come to Chicago for a weekend. I think its going to be nothing short of amazing. "

In a male-dominated industry, she also reached another milestone as co-owner of the D'lectable Music label. This label has a teriffic lineup with major house music artists such as Jamie Principle, Mark Grant, Ron Carroll, Stacy Kidd and Glenn Underground to name a few.

Lady D is currently working on signing projects and adding new acts to the roster. Also, she is touring this summer to support the single PUMP Dance by OGC. "We're releasing it in two parts this July and August. " Also, she is working on a remix for Ron Carroll.

If you've never heard her on the decks before, you're indeed missing a real treat. To me what's great about her style is the tremendous versatility she projects. She doesn't limit her style to one type of beat tempo. For example, she is working on an unmixed compilation that features more downtempo music, with the second mix that's more uptempo.

For more information on Lady D, make sure to check out her web site. Also, if you're interested in checking out her music, you can purchase tracks from beatport.com and traxsource.com

Up and Coming House Music Events in Chicago

If you're visiting Chicago this summer and are looking to take in as much house music as possible, a variety of activities are being planned to help you do just that.

First, get ready for a house music festival in Chicago this summer. Finally, Chicago, gets a festival that it rightfully deserves. The Chicago International House Music Festival will be held July 22 and 23 at Chicago's Charter One Pavillion. Frankie Knuckles, David Morales, Danny Tenaglia and Derrick Carter will be among the festival's participants. A variety of entertainers will include house diva Barbara Tucker, who has already notched up Top 10 hits with "Beautiful People" and "I Get Lifted." Also on hand will be Jocelyn Brown, who did the eternal house music classic "Somebody Elses Guy."

The festival will also feature a variety of "home grown" house music legends such as Lady D, Maurice Joshua, Dajae, Ralphie Rosario, Steve Hurley, Jamie Principle, Andre Hatchett, and Terry Hunter.

For tickets or more information, check out the festival's offical web site at http://chicagohousemusicfestival.org/

The City of Chicago also will be holding the "SummerDance Nomadic DJ Series 2006 at Outdoor Venues Around City" from June 19 through Aug. 23. During this weekly event, local and international DJs wil, spin three hours of various styles of electronic dance music including disco, techno, funk and soul, electro, breaks, and various styles of locally grown house music. Among the DJs on hand will include Derrick Carter, DJ Pierre, Justin Long, Paul Johnson, Roy Davis Jr. and Chip E. For more information, you can visit the City of Chicago's Cultural Affairs Department's web site.

My New House Music Program

I am now doing a weekly 2-hour house music program for Pulseradio.net. During the show I will feature a blend of new house music releases, as well as a mix. Also expect a feature that will showcase a house music classic back in time. We'll also talk with the artists and DJs who are creating the music. The program will also feature a mix.

This is a great web site for playing some of the best in dance music. I am greatly impressed with the lineup they have. There is a variety of different styles ranging from techno to drum N bass.

I'd like to also give a big thanks to Lady E.C. Lexia who did a great job of doing the voiceover for the mix portion of the program.

You can check out more info about the show on the site's House Dimensions program page.

What Was the First Techno Record?

Wax Poetics magazine has an interesting article in the April/May 2006 Issue No. 16 about the Detroit techno dance music scene. The article entitled "Detroit Beatdown" talks about the techno scene from its earliest days, and the DJs who helped shape the scene. There also are some cool record label scans of such rare classics as "Sharevari" A Number of Names, which is thought of as being the first techno record, D Train and "Weekend" by Pkreak. The article also has some charts by various DJs who pick their favorite tracks. This list is real useful for anyone looking to expand their collection and get into some old school house music. The list contains more deep house and disco than techno, since it reflects on the earlier days of the dance music scene there.

This magazine is a great resource to learn about rare music and read more about the artists who were instrumental in shaping it. Although its not strictly about dance music, there are some articles such as the one just published that make it a good read.

Although this blog covers house music, I think there is a lot of good information that any house music enthusiast can learn from. In particular, the list of records and how DJs started in the early years is quite interesting. So give it a read.