Nice work from the moment when acid house was beginning to show up on the Chicago scene! We can pretty much let the track listing do the talking on this nice compilation: Loleatta Holloway "So Sweet" produced by Farley Jackmaster Funk, Peter Black "I Can't Stop", Frankie Hollywood & Ricky D "Feel The Fire", Chip E "If Only You Knew", Fingers, Inc. "You're Mine", Full House "Communicate", Nightstar "Body Groove (Get In The Groove)" and Frankie Knuckles' "You Can't Hide". LP, Vinyl record album

An essential look at the key years of the Chicago house scene – the time when the city's musicians were carving out a whole new space in sound! Although early house first began as an extension of some of the later modes of disco and 80s club, influences from European post-punk and post-disco work soon crept into the mix, and pushed the Chicago artists to work in a darker, edgier sound that was completely unique! The work from this period is filled with stark, spare electronics – not the cheesy kind that showed up often in New York electro records, but intense analogue bits that had a really dark, dystopic space age sort of quality – laid out over harsh beats and bass, and often presented with no additional vocals at all. For the collection, Soul Jazz do a great job of picking out the best of the early acid house scene in Chicago (the key recordings before the term got picked up overseas, and used to make some very dodgy dance music at the end of the 80s) – and then they go on to pull together some of the best strands of the house revival in Chicago in the early 90s, including key work from the Cajual label. 2 CD set features 17 tracks in all – including "This Is Acid" by Maurice, "Do You Want To Percolate" by The Sweat Boyz, "Beyond The Clouds" by Mr Fingers, "Go Wild Rhythm Track" by Virgo, "Acid Crash" by Tyree, "Dum Dum (part 2)" by Fresh, "Acid Bass" by Roy Davis Jr, "Phuture Jacks" by Phuture, "I've Lost Control" by Sleezy D, "Take Me Higher" by Virgo Four, "Acid Over" by Tyree, "Box Energy" by DJ Pierre, "Video Clash" by Lil Louis, "Explorer" by Green Velvet, "Like This" by Two Of A Kind, "Acid Tracks" by Phuture, and "Downfall" by Armando. CD

A classic compilation from the Chicago scene – one that stood as one of the key full-length releases of house music that was bubbling under in the Windy City – important at the time, as most other albums of house music were from overseas labels issuing Chicago recordings! As you'd guess from the title, Mickey Oliver's at the helm throughout – producing the work with a nicely soulful quality – one that takes things a bit past some of the starker, colder modes that sometimes showed up on Trax Records – and which really illustrates that great second chapter as Chicago house was maturing a bit. The beats are nice and crispy throughout, the keyboards get cool and moody – and titles include "I Can't Stop For You" by Pierre's Fantasy Club, "Take It To The Top" by Joe Magic, "House Rights" by Phortune, "Suavesito" by Ralphi Rosario, "I Want Your Love" by Jamie, "Lost Me Boy" by Mickey Oliver with Dari Mor, and "Anticipate" and "I Need A Beat" by Mickey Oliver. CD featuers bonus tracks – "Anticipate (12" rmx)" by Mickey Oliver and "I Need A Beat (12" mix)" by Ralph Rosario. CD