Music » House Music

The debut by this Paris based trio is a relaxed blend of tango dance rhythms and Argentinean instrumentation. The group was brought together by their passion to combine sound with image and to marry electronic and acoustic music. They built on their house, dub, and hip-hop influenced productions by adding two of Argentina's finest tango musicians, the musical result being supremely distinctive, incorporating bandonion (a form of accordion), violin, and vocals. This release includes 2000's most memorable jazz-house hit, "Triptico", which has already sold over 400,000 copies worldwide. The US version features the original ten tracks from the European release, along with a special bonus disc of the "Santa Maria" video plus four audio tracks.

Where would the '80s have been without the Pet Shop Boys? Discography makes a compelling case for the notion of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe as pioneers, if not geniuses. Mixing the cold feel of Euro-techno beats with the Boys' quest for something warm between the sheets, "What Have I Done to Deserve This" and "Suburbia" sound almost soulful. Although they seemed to be suffering from a terminal case of boredom, they managed to alchemize their ennui into touching sentimentality in "Love Comes Quickly," "Rent," and, especially, the AIDS-oriented "Being Boring." Discography begins with the Pet Shop Boys' beginning, "West End Girls," traveling past "Domino Dancing" and including their covers "Always on My Mind," and the medley "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off of You.)" --Steve Gdula

The French twosome behind Daft Punk, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo, get away with an awful lot. They go around impersonating aliens and robots in their interviews, they put records out only once every three years, and they make music that evokes a million other artists--while not really sounding like any of them. The keyboard noodlings of Jean-Michel Jarre are in there somewhere, along with the otherworldly imagery and giant hooks of '70s rock icons like Boston or even Electric Light Orchestra. There are dashes of 1999-era Prince and oodles of new wave and disco cheese, from Harold Faltermeyer and Gary Numan to the Bee Gees, all set off with efficient house beats. So how have they managed to position themselves as electronic music's next great crossover artists? On Discovery, the follow-up to the 1998 worldwide smash Homework, the answer is obvious: they have no shame, and they know how to make us dance. Starting off with the irresistibly hummable "One More Time," the record blows through a head-spinning array of styles and samples, creating a pop-culture stew of funky loops and dance-floor anthems. "Aerodynamic" eschews breakbeats for an Yngwie Malmsteen-ish guitar interlude that somehow ends up meshing in a crazy blend of stomping bass lines and hyped-up harmonics. "Digital Love" starts off silly and gets sillier, but the monosyllabic lyrics lull the senses just right, allowing the song's summery groove to grab hold with authority. "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" is a resounding standout amidst the retro/Vocoder deluge that transpired after Cher's Believe turned the kitchy disco device into a worldwide pop music trend, spinning a clever groove around an ever-escalating string of computerized seduction. Everywhere on the record, gigantic beats are dropped with pinpoint precision, giving songs a momentum that transforms repetitive melodies into sudden revelations. The record's only misstep, the aptly named "Short Circuit" utilizes a keyboard riff that is nails-on-a-chalkboard awful, but it can't keep this from being one of the best records of 2001. --Matthew Cooke

Includes 3 Bonus Tracks Not Found On The U.S. Version: Megablast, Run Away (House Mix), Love & Devotion (Development Corporation Mix).

Release Date: 1995-08-29, Audio CD, Bad Boy

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: BASIA
Title: CLEAR HORIZON-BEST OF BASIA
Street Release Date: 11/17/1998
Domestic
Genre: ROCK/POP

Import only vinyl pressing of their 1991 debut album available at a great price.

Release Date: 1990-10-25, Audio CD, Sire / London/Rhino

Release Date: 1991-06-11, Audio CD, Sire / London/Rhino

This debut is Deee-Lite's most consistent record, and subsequently their best. By freebasing the previous three decades of pop culture, World Clique is a rush of beats, hooks, and fashion sensibilities. "Groove Is in the Heart" brings one of the best and funkiest bass lines ever to the dance floor. Lady Miss Kier establishes herself as a stylist--both vocally and visually--capable of casting some serious shade. World Clique manages a seamless merger of house beats, a trippy '60s vibe, and an over-the-top '70s funkified sound, thanks in part to DJ Towa Tei. "Good Beat" serves up what its title promises, while "Power of Love" goes one better by adding one of the strongest melodies of the band's career. By punctuating their songs with quirky bleeps and rhythmic kitsch, Deee-Lite predicted the DJ-dominated craze that would spin the latter part of the '90s into a tizzy. --Steve Gdula