Perfect 10: Classic House Anthems of 1996

Since the mid 1980’s House music has grown into a global industry dominating the charts and influencing almost every aspect of modern electronic music. Back in 1996 it was in roughly it’s tenth year and was enjoying a wealth of tunes that would go on to become absolute classics, many of which still rock dance floors to this very day. So let’s take a look at our favourite House anthems of 1996. Todd Terry – Keep On Jumpin’ (Tee’s Freeze Mix) You can’t underestimate how big this tune was in 1996 it really was everywhere. Featuring the stunning vocals of Martha Wash & Jocelyn Brown this was a big room anthem with a soulful vibe and a big off beat bassline to literally keep you jumping. Pulse – The Lover That You Are Another slab of soulful house that is still guaranteed to get any dance floor singing along with their hands in the air. Who can forget that vocal, performed by the brilliant Antoinette Roberson, along with that massive synth that really cuts through the track. Lil’ Mo’ Yin Yang – Reach (Yin Yang Dub) One of the deepest tracks on our list this is a great Balearic house track which rolls along nicely with a great rhythm. One for the underground clubs at the time it was, unsurprisingly, picked up by all the big DJ’s at the time. A true classic. Full Intention – America (Original Sugar Daddy Mix) With it’s rhythmic swirling vocal loop and funky as hell bass line this was a real head down and dance track in the clubs. Whilst getting its original release in the Netherlands in 1995 it wasn’t unleashed to the rest of the world until 1996 and when it did it was massive. Heller & Farley Project – Ultra Flava Ultra Flava was minimal but hugely effective. Produced by house legends Terry Farley and Pete Heller the track dominated the underground scene for most of 96 and beyond. Gusto – Disco’s Revenge Disco’s Revenge is the sort of track that could only have been made then. By modern standards it’s a twisted, winding jumble of samples with a repetitive tune that just goes round and round. This didn’t stop it from becoming a huge tune with a sound that would be perfected by the likes of Daft Punk. DJ Supreme – Tha Wildstyle A fine example of a sub-genre that disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared. Happy House was a big deal in 1996 and this was a fine example of it. The hip-hop samples, taken from Hijack’s ‘The Badman is Robbin’, off beat bass and string stabs typified this sound. Some say that the genre went on to become Hard House but at the time it would fit in with most House sets, even if it often meant speeding the set up or slowing the track down. Souvlaki – Inferno (Fired Up Mix) There was a big disco influence to this track that would go on to lead the sound in 1997. Inferno features a fantastic hip hop sample, disco stabs and a huge build up that breaks with a typical euro house rhythm. This was streets ahead at the time and still sounds great today. Tori Amos – Professional Widow (Armand’s Star Trunk Funkin’ Mix) Ravers around the world were confused when this was finally released as a single as the opening track was the original Tori Amos track, a beautiful piece of music in a style that only Tori Amos can achieve. The remix couldn’t be further away, the massive funky bass line and looped vocals absolutely blew the minds of dance fans, propelling the track to number one in the UK charts. Rusty – Everything Is Gonna Change (Sasha’s Vocal Mix) In case you don’t know, Sasha was the master in the ‘90s and to be fair he still his. This remix of an Italo House classic is a masterpiece, fusing the mid ‘90s sound with an almost ‘80s Acid House feel. Complete with acid bass and a huge string section. The fantastic vocal may put some people off but get into it and you’ll adore this track. So those are our ten top house tracks of 1996, we know there are loads more so what are your favourites? let us know in the comments or on our Facebook page where the banter is. Up Next: 10 perfect Chillout tracks from 90's that we all vegged out to after a hard night out!

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