25 Years Since....July 1996

Oh how I wish it was 1996 again, but the best I can do is listen to what I was listening to then:

Pianoman - Blurred

It's quite a simple concept, take a sample of "Better Days" by Jimi Polo like several other dance records have done, and mix it in with a vocal sample of "Girls & Boys" by Blur. 

It worked though, this was one of my favourite commercial dance records at the time. I kind of didn't want to like it but I couldn't help but enjoy it.

The Divine Comedy - Something For The Weekend

In the summer of 1996 I moved to a house that had a wood shed. Next thing I'm hearing this record which was quite bizarre.

It was the Top 40 debut for The Divine Comedy. They didn't really fit in with anything else that was happening at the time let alone anything else I was listening to. But that concept of old fashioned music with humorous lyrics really worked for me. I love the line "there's nothing in the wood shed except maybe some wood".

Underworld - Born Slippy

This is the ultimate drunken singalong tune. Just mumble any old rubbish and it will more or less sound the same until you get to the bit that goes "lager, lager, lager".

It's a commercial record in that it was hugely popular and used on a film soundtrack. As a tune though it doesn't sound commercial at all.

Reading what the lyrics actually are, there's a mention of The Ship and Tottenham Court Road and I've since been for a drink at that pub many times.

Subliminal Cuts - Le Voie Le Soleil

This tune was originally from 1994. That explains why the first time I'd heard that piano riff was from a tune called "Cheese n Beats" by DJ Paul on "A Nightmare In Rotterdam" which was before I'd heard this particular tune.

Like Paul Elstak (DJ Paul), Subliminal Cuts also hails from Holland. I'm a big fan of mid-90s Dutch music, even the really commercial stuff.

Alex Reece - Candles

A drum & bass record in the Top 40 that's melodic without sounding commercial. Always a winner in my book.