Review
There was a definite air of finality about the last volume of Deep Heat. Six months had elapsed since Deep Heat 10 – The Awakening with two volumes of Thin Ice emerging during the interim. Spirit Of Ecstasy saw shrinkage: a single CD with “20 pumpin’ club hits”, released in time for Christmas 1991; livening up the Harold’s Cross basement.
Hardcore – you know the score. First blood to Altern-8; the magical rave anthem Activ-8. Check out their live PA from a car park outside Shelley’s nightclub. Come with me as Bizarre Inc. bang out the sublime Playing With Knives. UHF aka Moby drops the mega synth monster UHF. Sound familiar? This compilation was released around the same time as The Ultimate Rave so there is some overlap. Quick step sideways with Oceanic’s Wicked Love; criminally overlooked. The mysterious Anticappella really did their sums on the pounding 2√231 while Control pull you right in with the pleading Dance With Me (I’m Your Ecstasy). And ZTT’s Shades Of Rhythm’s undeniably euphoric Extacy. Spot a theme?
I still get chills down my spine when I hear the break loops on SL2’s techno beast DJs Take Control. Immortal and ruff. Next: Fierce Ruling Diva’s squelchy Rubb It In and The Love Decade’s So Real – in full effect cheese. Time for Congress and a sweet muncher 40 Miles. Heavy hitters are 2 Unlimited’s Get Ready For This, Seal’s Killer and Rozalla’s Faith (In The Power Of Love). Meanwhile Manix’s Feel Real Good gives off good memory tingles. Written by David Morales, Robert Owen’s I’ll Be Your Friend reminds me of New Gold Dream gone jazz. The thread continues with Sabrina Johnston’s soulful Friendship before ending on an inexplicably anti-climatic note: Right Said Fred’s Don’t Talk Just Kiss.
Postscript: Keep on Pumpin’ It. A keen techno sound from The Visionmasters (Paul Taylor and Danny Hybrid) and Tony King featuring Kylie Minogue. It was written by Kylie, Mike Stock and Pete Waterman. It samples Freestyle Orchestra’s Keep On Pumping It Up and Kylie’s vocals / lyrics from her song I Guess I Like It like That. While the song became a huge club dance hit in November 1991 it only peaked at #49 on the UK singles chart.
Favourite tracks
Altern-8 – Activ-8 (Come With Me) (Hardcore Holocaust Mix)
Oceanic – Wicked Love (Radio Mix)
SL2 – DJs Take Control
Lest we forget
UHF – UHF (Edit)
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This was my first Deep Heat purchase, in a Swansea second hand music shop in 1993. I spent about a year getting the entire series. I thought it was disappointing. Lots of unambitious fillers, lots of releases trying to create a great series. Telstar’s dance output changed quite a bit after this series went. So many double cds in such a short space of time was a feat in some ways.
The lack of comments on here throughout the series says a lot as well. Telstar must have done something right as it sold well.
Yes, certainly seemed to run out of steam, particularly after mid-1990. The two end of year round-ups are great and the PDO-infected disc rot (some pressings were later on Nimbus) didn’t help.
One for consideration – ‘Rubb It In’ by Fierce Ruling Diva. This compilation was released a couple of weeks before Christmas 1991 yet the single, depending on what source you use, was released either on Jan 6, 1992 (discogs) or Jan 20, 1992 (Music Week magazine, the track reappeared in the club chart the weekend of 25 Jan but not the few weeks before, so that seems to be more accurate). I know the track had originally been released in 1991 but the ‘Ruling Radio Mix’ by Frank De Wulf version wasn’t released until early 1992.
Would it be some record for a track to appear on a compilation 6 weeks before release?
Hi Andrew – pretty long lead-in time. I think the promo with the new mix was in circulation back in December. Pretty sure I heard it in the Harp Bar NYE 1991.