To coincide with the terrestrial broadcast of Jeremy Deller’s documentary film Everybody In The Place: An Incomplete History of Britain 1984-1992 we thought we’d take a look at some of our favourite proto-house songs from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s.

What is proto-house? We tend to use the term to describe songs and sounds from the post-disco / pre-house period that signalled what was to come in dance music in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Though we often think of house music (and more specifically rave culture) as a 90s movement it has been argued that the seeds of house were actually sown more than a decade earlier. We’d like to present a selection of songs which give us an insight into where some of the musical ideas and sounds of house music originate from.

1. You Don’t Know – SERIOUS INTENTION (Easy Street 1984)

I have to admit that the first time I heard this song I didn’t really get what was so great about it, but it’s often said that the mark of a great song is that it improves with every listen. Here we have a classic case of less is more. The simplicity of the composition is exactly what I didn’t get at first but when I really got it I understood that the use of space and the minimal approach to instrumentation are what make it so good. And therein lies the key to many a great house tune.

2. Walkin’ on Sunshine – ROCKERS REVENGE Featuring DONNIE CALVIN (Streetwise / London 1982)

A benchmark for me in so many ways. I have so much love for this song (or rather version, as the original was written by Eddy Grant) because it captures a really exciting period in dance music and pretty much contains something from every sub-genre from that time. The early to mid-80s was arguably one of the most experimental periods in the history of dance music, not least because of the use of both live instrumentation (bass guitars, acoustic percussion etc) and drum machines and synthesizers.

You might think me insane for suggesting that house music was present in dance music as early as 1982 but just listen to that breakdown at the six-minute mark. Pure house vibin’.

3. Electric Baile (Commercial Mix) – MASTER PLAN (Sunset 1986)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joUzl0j8jTo

A record that always makes it into my DJ sets to the point where I probably play it too often, but it’s just a peak-hour banger. On first listen I thought that it sounded way too European to be from Chicago but it’s good to have your ideas and expectations challenged by music sometimes isn’t it? This song opened my ears to a different Chicago sound and really made me realise how varied a community it really was back then.

This one has a great pounding kick and snare and gnarly synth bass line. Together with the conga pattern and sweet vocal it’s a pretty irresistible mix.

4. Let Me Down Easy – RARE PLEASURE (Cheri 1976)

1976?! Yes, really. I mean, listen to that piano motif. Okay, so it’s a stretch to call this song proto-house but along with Dancin’ And Prancin’ by Candido (Salsoul 1979) it does shine a light on the roots of the classic house piano hook and helps us understand the lineage from disco to house.

It’s one of my favourite ever songs and was also a eureka moment for me in terms of my love for disco. It’s a beautiful composition and is one of the first disco songs that really connected with me in a big way. I still think it’s really ahead of its time too.

5. Release The Tension – J-A GROOVE (Studio 1986)

Another favourite that rarely leaves my record bag between DJ sets. The artist name is apt. It has such a tight groove and I love the overall production on this one. The original is a Boyd Jarvis composition and as far as I know there are several versions of it including one featuring Colonel Abrams, however this one is my favourite. It’s just really pumpin’ and soulful.

6. The Music Got Me – VISUAL (Prelude 1983)

“When the weekend comes around, I can’t wait to hit the dance floor”. Pretty good lyric to open a song with. Here’s another Boyd Jarvis creation which is one of the more well-documented proto-house jams. Boyd was definitely ahead of his time and sadly passed away last year, arguably still without the credit he deserved.

Jarvis created a musical sound through the use of home made, reel to reel and hand-played sparse synthesizer & drum machine tracks that were featured extensively as overdubs on early-mid ’80s NYC WBLS FM “extended music sweeps” with DJs Timmy Regisford and later, Merlin Bobb.

7. Through The Night (Dub Mix I) – BLUE MODERNE (Sunnyview 1986)

I hadn’t heard this jam prior to buying the Running Back Presents Front compilations, which are a celebration of Hamburg’s Front club (which hosted parties from 1983 to 1997) and its residents Klaus Stockhausen and Boris Dlugosch.

I particularly love the moment where the instrumentation kicks in at around 1:15 and the way the mix moves along from there.  The super-soulful vocal by Audrey Wheeler really lifts the whole arrangement and it’s a very classy mix overall.

8. Call Me Mr Telephone (Street Dub Mix) – ANSWERING SERVICE (Third Label 1984)

Another song featured on the Running Back comp series, this Italo monster features a sweet gnarly bass line and heaps of reverb and delay applied to the drums and percussion. I love the double-time kick in the early breakdown followed by the rap and the atmospheric synths that come in and out through the track. It doesn’t really move anywhere in terms of melodic development but it doesn’t need to, it’s just a great groove and sometimes that’s all you need.

9. Out’A The Box (Club Vocal Dub) – JIRAFFE (GoldQwest 1988)

There are lots of great things about this jam from 1988. The drum programming, pumpin’ production, and the sparse funky arrangement make it impossible not to move to. You could argue that it isn’t specifically proto-house as it was made at the time house music had already developed some of its signature sounds and an identity, but I’m including it because it sits so well next to any post-disco or house track and everytime I play it in a set at least one person asks me what it is.

That semiquaver snare roll gets me every time. Love it.

10. Dancing Therapy – INTERNATIONAL MUSIC SYSTEM (Emergency 1984)

I first heard this Italo banger in a record shop in London and it was one of those moments where you just like the look of a record and then you listen to it and wonder how or why you haven’t ever heard it before. Having thought I was alone in my love for it and having never heard it anywhere in a DJ set or playlist I heard it at a Love Muscle party in Leeds sometime last year and it was wonderful to know that I wasn’t alone in my admiration for it.

Born in the Bronx, New York, John Morales made his name as an editor, remixer and producer, and as a DJ at clubs such as Studio 54, Limelight and Stardust Ballroom.

For a large part of his early career Morales worked alongside Sergio Munzibai, and utilising their heritage (Morales is of Puerto Rican descent) they distinguished themselves with their Latin percussion-heavy arrangements and remixes, known collectively as the M&M Mixes.

Here we present 10 of our favourite Morales remixes and productions. Enjoy.

1. Barely Breaking Even  – UNIVERSAL ROBOT BAND (Moonglow Records 1982)

Where else to begin than with a song many regard as Morales’ masterpiece. It’s hard to disagree with that opinion because it’s just so damn good, from the outrageous bass guitar (pushed right up front in the mix) to the way the instrumentation and orchestration weave in and out, building and dropping. Add to that an incredible vocal from Leroy Burgess and jaw-dropping musicianship from his fellow LOGG band members, it’s a collaboration made in heaven.

Before I heard this song I wouldn’t have thought it possible that an 11-minute jam with a drummer playing barely anything more than a kick drum could be so funky and satisfying.

2. Nice and Soft (Uptown Version) – WISH ft. LA-RITA GASKIN (Perspective 1981)

Another post-disco Morales gem that is just New York through and through, from the sultry keys at the beginning to that squelching synth bass line. There are a few versions of this and being a drummer I do generally prefer the ‘drummier’ version with it’s crazy fills and syncopated snare hits, but this Morales mix is certainly no slouch and does include some of those busier drum parts in the breakdown.

New York producer and songwriter Greg Carmichael (famed for his collaborations with Patrick Adams and Leroy Burgess) also appears here on arranging duties.

3. Saturday Night, Sunday Morning – THELMA HOUSTON (Universal UMC 2014)

It’s a shame this remix was a CD-only release as I hate CDs and would pretty much kill to have this on a 12. Hey ho. One of Morales’ recent treatments in which he really ramps up the kick sound and polishes the production so it shimmers with a really clarity and crispness. Aside from the technical elements it’s just such a soulful song and a super-tasteful treatment, and quite frankly once it’s kicked in I never want it to end.

One of Morales’ great talents is the way he considers the space and uses everything in the composition to get the maximum impact out of the orchestration and the individual parts.  Listen to the way he allows the string section to sing on its own for parts of the song, maximising the emotional effect. Stunning.

4. I’m Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair) – INNER LIFE (Prelude 1979)

Where to start. Difficult to accurately describe my feelings for this song in a couple of paragraphs but I’ll give it a shot.

People often talk about disco being dead by 1979. Not so. Disco simply went back underground where it nurtured its roots once more, to give us incredible songs such as this.  From the heart-wrenching vocal by Jocelyn Brown (and those “ah-ah-ah-ah, caught up!” backing voices) to the lush strings and sweet chord changes, it really is a thing of beauty and there’s always plenty of whistling and hollering from the dance floor whenever I play it out. Morales also produced the full album of the same name.

5. Do You Wanna Lover (Club Mix) – HOT BOX (Polydor 1983)

Dodgy name aside, this banger from 1983 displays all the percussive hallmarks of a Morales production: layers of agogo bells and cowbells over drum machine beats and a seriously wicked breakdown where you hear nothing except drums and percussion. I’m a sucker for live acoustic percussion over sequenced classic drum machine sounds, particularly the Linn Drum kick and snare.

This one has a vibe reminiscent of The System’s ‘You Are In My System’ and is a great example of the early electro / proto-house sound that got kids breakdancing all over the damn place.

6. Breakin Down (Sugar Samba) (JM After-Session M&M Mix) – JULIA & COMPANY (Columbia 1983)

Staying with 1983 here’s a somewhat lighter but no less potent jam with a really swinging Latin vibe and some great drum programming (those triplet tom rolls!). One of the things I love about this is that even though it’s a really busy arrangement at times it’s never not funky. It has a fun and joyful air but it still feels raw somehow. Sits nicely in a DJ set next to Teena Marie, too.

7. Lay It On The Line (After-Session M&M Mix) – LOGG (Salsoul 1981)

I could probably make a favourite list of Morales mixes that feature Leroy Burgess and his LOGG compadres as there’s so many great ones.

This one is a strong contender for numero uno, because it actually improves on the original (sorry, Leroy!) in two ways. Firstly, it absolutely rejoices in all the individual voices and elements of the composition, and I don’t know about you but I want to hear those elements, one by one, until everything is pumping away. It’s just so satisfying. Secondly, it takes a more polite original version and bumps the rhythm and bass guitars right up to maximum effect, making it twice as funky. It’s a bonafide boogie bomb.

8. Down For Double (After-Session M&M Mix) – CUBIE BURKE (Rissa Chrissa 1983)

This was Cubie’s only solo effort (he spent most of his career as a professional dancer) but it’s made the cut here simply because it’s a fine example of boogie and of Morales clean, tight remixing approach. It’s a low-key affair for sure, and not quite as developed as some of his reworks but it has a classy vibe and great groove, especially in the brilliantly-phrased bass guitar part. Recorded at Blank Studios by the legendary Bob Blank.

9. Once Is Not Enough (Dub Mix) – LEON LOVE (Still Rising 1984)

1984 was a good year in the post-disco, pre-house club landscape. Take Rocker’s Revenge’ dub/electro/proto-house masterpiece ‘Walking On Sunshine’ which for me embodies the experimental nature and musical joy of that period. When you listen to it you hear disco, garage, electro, house, all in one song. This Morales dub mix from the same year shares some of the same characteristics and I think I prefer it to the a-side.

10. You And I Together – BRENDA GOOCH (Salsoul 1981)

A new discovery for me and while it isn’t in the league of Morales’ well-known classic mixes I wanted to include something slightly more obscure because we’ve all heard ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ and ‘Hooked On Your Love’ a hundred times, right? Of course there’s a reason why those remixes are so highly regarded, but just for the sake of curiosity and interest I thought I’d end on this one.

Really feeling the intro here, in particular the repeating ‘flats in Dagenham’ snare drum and tom fill, the descending piano motif, and the unexpected but altogether soulful chord changes.