Deep Heat 7 – Seventh Heaven (Telstar, 1990)

Review
“In heaven – everything is fine”.

Deep Heat 7 – Seventh Heaven was the series’ third volume of 1990, touching down in early July. It became a late night accompaniment to my brief sojurn in Zadkine. The inlay had some advertisements for merchandise: long sleeved hooded t-shirt £19.99, short sleeved hooded t-shirt £16.99, long sleeved round neck t-shirt £14.99, short sleeved round neck t-shirt £9.99, jogging pants £19.99, cycle shorts £19.99, baseball cap £9.99. Cheques and postal orders payable to Telstar Records plc. This offers applies to the UK only. Boo!

A goddess on a mountain top: the Bonus Mix of Don Pablo’s Animals’ Venus kicks off with the torch carried on by the Jungle Brothers and their wicked What U Waitin’ 4, the Jungle Fever Edit. Do the right thing with The Beloved and the blissful Your Love Takes Me Higher. This seems to be a shorter version of the Calyx of Isis 12″. A Way Of Life’s Trippin’ On Your Love is a beautiful summer jam while the unknown Powerjam tackle Nothing Compares 2 U in trippy fashion. Between Da Yeene’s so-so We’re On The Case and Plus + One’s icy It’s Happenin’, the beats let fly with Coldcut and Queen Latifah’s smokin’ hot Find A Way. This is the only place to find the UK 12″ mix 6:40 on CD.

One of the year’s anthems: Happy Mondays – Step On. This is the Stuff It In Mix, yet another 12″ purchased from KG Discs. It’s followed by two dodgy covers – Little Caesar going For All Mankind on The Whole Of The Moon and Respect’s ropey Light My Fire – before Rhythmatic’s crucial bass ‘n’ bleep classic Take Me Back. All the way from Sheffield on the Network label. Liaz’s Affection shows her gentler side while Tony Scott’s Gangster Boogie is energetic funky house with a commanding vocal. Meanwhile Liquid Oxygen’s Planet Dance mashes up Afrika Bambaataa’s, Unique 3 and Derrick May while the 49ers slip inside this Italo with the hot groove of Girl To Girl (7″ Remix).

“Show me your vision, your wild apparition
And sink to the depths of your soul”.

CD2 starts with Techtronic’s Megamix; then it’s time to roll over the melody on one of the era’s hottest hip house joints. Give her body! Queen Latifah’s Come Into My House as mixed by Mark, The 45 King. The vibe stays on Trax with Poochiz / DJ Stevie P’s steady Dope On The Mic and Over 2 U’s What’s It All Mean? Leftfield’s Not Forgotten is actually the dub version; moody and atmospheric disco biscuits. Elsewhere Salt ‘N’ Pepa’s Expression is a passable groove while Ultra Nate kicks some serious heat on the fierce and fiery It’s Over Now. Then it’s back to a more organic club sound with 808 State’s deep and funky Ancodia before Massivo’s chilled-out twist on Minnie Ripperton’s Loving You.

Mikki Howard really turns it up with a smooth version of Until You Come Back To Me. Da Posse and The Underground Crew keep the quality intact with the jacking sound of Feel The Melody. There’s a tighter sound from Boom Club on Free Expression which reminds me of the Stereo MCs. And it’s great to see the return of producers Smith and Mighty on Carlton’s mournful Do You Dream. Also imbued with magic fingers is Frankie Knuckles who wrote and produced the wistful And I Loved You; Satoshi Tomiie featuring Arnold Jarvis. We wind down with another hip house number, Latrice’s crucial Wouldn’t U Like To Be N Love and a tidy Balearic ender, Natural Experience’s Don’t Leave Me.

“And with every breath we take
And the illusions we create
Will come to you someday”.

Favourite tracks
Coldcut featuring Queen Latifah – Find A Way

Jungle Brothers – What U Waitin’ 4

Leftfield – Not Forgotten

Queen Latifah – Come Into My House (Mark 45 King Mix)

Lest we forget
Rhythmatic – Take Me Back