The year is 1991. I was only 8 years old. A young lad. And I really didn't understand music back then, as I was only focussed on if it made me happy or not. But there was a CD series out there, which was called Turn Up The Bass, released by Arcade. My dad actually purchased a few CDs from this collection (which I nicked and ruined), as he was into this kind of music. Maybe because of my dad am I now a fan of dance music? Truth be told, I don't even think he purchased this CD back in 1991, but much later, when it was in the ''cheap CD'' section. You know the section I'm talking about, hidden away in a corner, with CDs no one wants to buy anymore, so they reduced the cost of it?
And yes, of course I had to 'borrow' this CD from my dad. I think I only returned it a few years ago, and it was ruined. Scratches everywhere, unplayable. He wasn't too happy about it, but he wasn't going to play it anymore, as it's an old CD. To me, this is everything. This megamix has been played the most out of all the CDs I've ever owned. I can literally hear the CD by just looking at the cover. I don't even need to play it to hear the whole CD. This has been so influential to me, as a kid. And still to this day I do find this CD one of the finest ones released by Arcade.
I listened to this CD over and over, and I was happy to find it on YouTube. I hope it stays on it a bit longer than usual. Arcade should create their own channel with all those 'older' albums you cannot find anywhere, to give us a glimpse on what we listened to back in the day. Arcade was everywhere, and most of my CDs were from Arcade. Including most of Turn Of The Bass albums. Yes, I borrowed a few from my dad, but I did purchase more. But some were harder to collect.
Let's take a trip down memory lane, back to 1991. When music was super dope!
Da Smooth Baron MC - Let's Kick It Off
A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Summertime
De La Soul - Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)
Awesome! - Take No Crap
De La Soul - A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays
Nomad - Devotion
Tony Scott - Love Let Love
Tony Scott - From Da Soul
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Ring My Bell
King Bee - Cold Slamin
MC Juice - Satisfaction
Sonic Surfers - Beat Of Zen
The KLF - 3 A.M. Eternal
Secchi - I Say Yeah
Trancemission - Strike It Up
The Shamen - Move Any Mountain
Van O'Mall - Sooner Or Later
F.P.I. Project - Everybody (All Over The World)
Lonnie Gordon - Gonna Catch You
2 In A Room - She's Got Me Going Crazy
Nomad - Just A Groove
Clubhouse - Deep In My Heart
2 Brothers On The 4th Floor - Turn Da Music Up
Army Of Lovers - Crucified
Right Said Fred - I'm Too Sexy
2 In A Room - Wiggle It
Monie Love - Down To Earth
The KLF - Last Train To Trancentral
Human Resource - Dominator
D-Shake - My Heart The Beat
2 Unlimited - Get Ready For This
2 Brothers On The 4th Floor - Can't Help Myself
D-Rock - I Can't Believe It's Over
Moby - Go
Katherine E - I'm Alright
Cubic 22 - Night In Motion
Channel X - Rave The Rhythm
Channel X - Groove To Move
T99 - Anasthasia
Quadrophonia - Quadrophonia
Praga Khan - Rave Alarm
L.A. Style - James Brown Is Dead
Holy Noise - James Brown Is Still Alive
Rozalla - Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)
This is such a wicked tracklist. And it's amazing to see these records. Some you hear a lot, and some are completely forgotten about. Bu they are all solid anthems. Hell, even 'I'm Too Sexy' fits in well. It's a shit song, but it fits in well.
1991 was a different year, and it cannot be compared to the present day. Music was slightly more innocent and it was experimental. It would be beneficial for us that they released these anthems, as they generated new styles/genres.
It was a fantastic year, for music, and the CD that was released, is a tremendous disc, and it's mixed all together beautifully. Is it perfect? Nah, not always. It's a bit of a mix and match, and see if it works. And sometimes it doesn't, but that was just the way they mixed all these songs together, back in they day. Cram in as many songs on one CD, and as long as it sounds well, than that's fine.
They have released many albums after this one, and I do believe that Turn Up The Bass started back in 1988/1989. It died an unfortunate death, but it was certainly influential. It was part of my youth, and gave me memorable anthems to listen to, be it in snippet form. Some records on this disc are no longer than 1 minute, so you do get a glimpse on how awesome it sounds, and then you are thrown straight into the next record. No waiting, no messing about, just hit and hit, as many as you can fit on a disc.
Is this the best megamix released by Arcade? Nope, but it is certainly one of the best ones out there. And I hold this close to my heart, as the songs are all amazing, and it once belonged to my dad. Now it's on a landfill somewhere, rotting away. And no, I'm not talking about my dad, but about this CD.
I can only give it this score, as it's one of the most important CDs I've ever listened to, and it takes me back to when I was a young lad. And whenever a CD does that, I'm happy, content.
Artist: Various Artists
Genre/Style: Electronic, Hip Hop, House, Techno
CD Info: Turn Up The Bass Megamix 1991
Length CD: 00:45:07
Tracks: 45 (fourty-five)
Release Year: 1991
Label: Arcade
Product Number: 01 6730 61
More Information: n/a