Reagan and Nixon from The Dead Prezidents select their favourite dance records from Nineties classics such as Wink and Da Hool to their love for Positiva Records. Photos by Tara Thomas.
Positiva Records
There’s no particular song in this case, but a record label. For anyone who is familiar with the dance music scene, Positiva back in the day would be equivalent to the likes of Spinnin records now (currently the biggest dance music label). All the biggest tracks came out on this label. So when we were less musically educated at the beginning of our DJ careers, we would have just bought everything that was released on Positiva.
The Prodigy – No Good Start to Dance
This is like the record that changed everything for me. As a developing young man, I hadn’t quite found my musical direction. However, one sunny afternoon I picked up a walk-man an acquaintance had left behind. Out of curiosity I pressed play on it and this was the first track I heard. I was hooked. So for me, The Prodigy are the reason I’m doing what I’m doing now.
Together – So Much Love to Give
This track is a house classic. You know a song is good, when you can loop the vocal ‘So Much Love to Give’ for 10 minutes and not get board. This shouldn’t be surprising though, as it’s a produced by one half of Daft Punk – Tom Bangalter. We salute you Tom.
DJ Tiesto – Urban Train
Tijs Verwst or Tiesto as he’s known to most is the subject for a lot of debate currently in the electronic music scene, along with the likes of David Guetta. However, there is no denying the fact that Tiesto has been on top of his game for many many many many years now. He is someone I looked up to back, when I had fewer wrinkles.
Rozalla Vs Gitta
When you start collecting vinyl first, you buy a couple of records each week to play in your bedroom or in the clubs. However, as the obsession grows, you start trying to find more obscure tracks to kind of one up your fellow vinyl hunters. So this record in particular isn’t one we would be playing anytime soon, but it was more a record for the collection.
Wink – Higher State of Consciousness
This is a timeless record. Josh Wink must have had some sort of crystal ball where he could see 20 years into the future and know that his track would still sound as bad ass as it did in 1995. If he could just lend us that crystal ball, so we could see what the f*ck is going on in 20 years we would be very grateful.
Jay J & Chris Lum – Freaks Like Us
The joy of spending afternoons in record stores listening through a fat stack of vinyl is almost a thing of the past. This is just one of the many gems we discovered. A house track that still sounds as good today as it did back then. We still drop this when we are feeling particularly funky.
Da Hool – Meet Her at the Love Parade
This record holds a bit of sentiment to it. We bought this record back in 2001 not having a notion that fourteen years later as producers, we would remix this track (with John Gibbons) and officially be releasing it in the coming months on one of our current favorite labels. It’s a pity they don’t release on vinyl as much anymore, as we would be able to put our release along side this.
Bob Sinclar – The Beat Goes On
This record brings us back to our younger disco-ing days in Spirit nightclub on Middle Abbey Street (now The Academy) Dublin DJs like Hugh Scully and Shay Hannon played the best funky house music week in and week out to an always packed out club. The shenanigans that went on there, it was like the Studio 54 of Dublin. This vinyl brings us right back.
