various: classic jams

Poker Flat Recordings -- surely one of the most essential and influential labels of the past couple of decades, treat us to something a little different -- and very, very special. Classic Jams reaches back to the roots, pulling out long-lost, forgotten gems -- the music that first inspired and invigorated a generation of electronic producers and dancers including Steve Bug. Take a trip into the deep, jacking, acidic house and raw techno expressions that had a profound impact on the current Poker Flat roster -- from the late '80s up until the present. Most of these tracks are long since out-of-print on vinyl, and fetch considerable amounts on the second-hand market. Likewise, some have never been available digitally. Selected and compiled by label-boss Steve Bug, these are secret weapons for open-minded DJs, and a valuable document of house music's enduring legacy for the home listeners. Aquarius' warehouse anthem, "Jam to It Again," originally out on City Limits in 1990, still sounds like a jolt of adrenaline to the system. Likewise the obscure but stunning "Magique Noir" by Transcendence will no doubt ignite dancefloors in exactly the same way it did the first time around. Going even further back, Classic Jams also shines a light on Larry Heard's sublime "Never No More Lonely" under his Fingers, Inc. moniker, as well as the 1988 deep house bomb "Muzik" by Myoshi Morris, which appears in a brand-new exclusive Steve Bug edit. Other highlights include Swing City from 1992 with the pure NY house groove of "Make You Mine." Hundreds of contemporary producers are desperately trying to emulate this effortlessly pure house moment -- none come close. Yet it's not all from our U.S. cousins -- tracks that helped kickstart a movement in Europe also feature -- see VDT's "It's Just a Dream" featuring MC Valium -- essential techno from 1991 out of the soon-to-be-rave-homeland of Germany. Throw in other out-and-out lost classics from the likes of Big Baby, Springboard, and Vice, and you have a compilation that stands both as a testament to the enduring genius of house, and as an essential tool for rocking any party. Includes mp3 download code.