Now Dance ’94 – Volume 2 (EMI / Virgin / Polygram, 1994)

Review
Just two months after the slamming sounds of Now Dance ’94 – Volume 1, the compilers Box Music released NOD 12 which contained “20 of the greatest dance tracks”.

We start with 2 Unlimited and their mantra for a state of mind, Let The Beat Control Your Body. East 17’s pounding It’s Alright (The Guvnor Mix) follows. Fast forward to 25 June 2015 and just 20 people turn up to see them play in Dublin’s Academy. No Brian Harvey. The Mad Stuntman joins Reel 2 Real for the simple melody play of I Like To Move It. Those were the days my friend: time for Urban Cookie Collective’s lesser suit Sail Away before Eternal’s classy and soulful Save Our Love. The R&B continues with Shara Nelson’s coolly-delivered Uptight and Carleen Anderson’s sultry funk on Nervous Breakdown.

River Ocean’s tribal Love And Happiness is a Saturday evening throwback with the vocals of India, the Princess of Salsa. Meanwhile Juliet Roberts’ gets the disco heat flowing on the classic old skool rhythms of I Want You. Sub Sub stalled at #49 with Respect; Nina Henchion ain’t no use. Get back in the groove; the return of D-Mob and Cathy Dennis on Why? complete with wicked bassline. The Fresh Prince gives us the fun rhymes and fat beats of Can’t Wait To Beat With You while Joe drops the I’m In Luv bomb. Do the right thing and check out Urban Species’ Spiritual Love, a cool and laidback acid jazz classic.

The Orb reissued 1991’s Perpetual Dawn in January ’94. The Solar Youth Mix is wicked stuff; MTV memories. Hopefully Thrash won’t mind me mentioning it. And the second coming of Enigma: Return To Innocence is fantastically atmospheric, while the Julien Temple video depicts a man’s life in reverse, starting with him dying and ending with his birth. Atlantic Ocean’s ambient techno fury Waterfall kicks in next, an endless late-night loop. We crash back to earth as the Bass Bumpers spin right round on The Music’s Got Me while Barbara Tucker’s Beautiful People will always remain a RíRá banger. And the end of night set closer belongs to Joey Negro and the positivity anthem What A Life.

Favourite tracks
Atlantic Ocean – Waterfall (Radio Edit)

The Orb – Perpetual Dawn (Solar Youth Mix)

D-Mob with Cathy Dennis – Why? (Radio Edit)

Lest we forget
Urban Species – Spiritual Love (Natural 7″)