Description
NOW Music is proud to present a new series of vinyl compilations, NOW Thatrsquos What I Call 80s Dancefloor. Each edition will feature an essential collection of tracks representing key genres from the incredible diversity that were all part of 1980s Dance music. The first volume, across 30 tracks on 2LPs, pressed on 1 Green and 1 Blue vinyl, presents the best in HINRG and POP. Originating in U.S. gay clubs in the late 1970s and early 1980s, this uptempo Disco, often with synth driven electronic instrumentation and characterised by a pulsating rhythm and itrsquos unrelenting beat became hugely popular in the charts of the mid80s. The then new production and writing team of Stock, Aitken and Waterman, produced their first 1 for Dead Or Alive with lsquoYou Spin Me Round Like A Recordrsquo, a huge hit for Hazell Dean with lsquoWhatever I Do Wherever I Gorsquo, and crucially lsquoYou Think Yoursquore A Manrsquo for Divine ndash which, courtesy of a truly fabulous lsquoTop Of The Popsrsquo appearance, brought this underground genre in to the livingrooms of lsquo80s Britain. DJ and producer Ian Levine created a huge anthem with Evelyn Thomasrsquo lsquoHigh Energyrsquo and popularised hot U.S. club tracks through his Record Shack label, and Jimmy Somerville enjoyed massive chart success as part of Bronski Beat, who with Marc Almond covered lsquoI Feel Loversquo, the 1977 Donna Summer classic, often cited as the influence and basis for lsquoHiNRGrsquo, and as the lead singer of The Communards, who had the bestselling single in 1986 with their energised cover of the Disco standard lsquoDonrsquot Leave Me This Wayrsquo. Essential HiNRG club tracks are included from Barbara Pennington, Miquel Brown, and Sheryl Lee Ralph. Established club hitmakers Boys Town Gang, Man 2 Man and The Weather Girls all enjoyed huge crossover chart hits. By the late lsquo80s, Stock, Aitken amp Waterman produced classics of the genre for Bananarama and Donna Summer, whilst using components of HiNRG to create pure Pop smashes for Kylie Minogue and Mel amp Kim. HiNRG influenced Pop consistently produced some of the decadesrsquo biggest Dance tracks including lsquoRelaxrsquo from Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Bananaramarsquos lsquoVenusrsquo, the sublime lsquoVoyage Voyagersquo from Desireless, London Boysrsquo lsquoRequiemrsquo, lsquoTell It To My Heartrsquo by Taylor Dayne, and Sinittarsquos lsquoSo Machorsquo ndash plus established artists enjoyed huge floorfilling hits including lsquoJump For My Loversquo from The Pointer Sisters, Kim Wilde with lsquoYou Keep Me Hangin Onrsquo, and the incredible Pet Shop Boys produced lsquoLosing My Mindrsquo by Liza Minnelli, whilst a fusion of styles created irrepressible PopDance smashes from Malcolm McLaren, Laura Branigan, Sabrina and Maria Vidal. The influence of Disco was pervasive across many genres during the 1980s ndash but Disco itself was far from over. It evolved throughout the decade, often in conjunction with other genres, in particular Electronic Dance Music. So stay tuned, as the next journey back to the 80s Dancefloor is all about DISCO amp ELECTRO NOW Thatrsquos What I Call 80s Dancefloor HINRG amp POP 2LP Released October 13 th 2023.
