Turn me over to the hands of the law

Despite being a perennial favourite of virtually everyone I know, a record that you rarely see actually being actively praised and held up as a classic of its time is Colonel Abrams' 1985 monster cut, "Trapped". I know it gets critical acclaim and has had its fair share of plaudits, but it is never a song that is referenced perhaps as much as it should be, whether in pop terms, or as a key offering in the emergence of house music as a commercial and credible genre of music. Similarly Colonel Abrams has never really been given full dues as an artist who is far from a one-hit wonder, and rather has provided some quite brilliant music throughout a career that has spanned over three decades and is still ongoing today.

But let us begin with "Trapped", simply a stormer of a song in any timeframe. From the incredible synth-led opening and hand-clap snare beat, to his Pendergrass-esque vocal delivery and amazing gospel-tinged echo of the chorus, the song is a perfect merging of pop accessibility and emergent house sensibilities. And, as I say, it is far from the only achievement of this Detroit-born, Brooklyn-raised funk-merchant. As far back as 1976 Abrams was a singer with an outfit called 94 East, featuring none other than Prince on guitar duties, and in the early 1980s he was an active part of the scene which would soon become house music, taking disco's club-based aesthetic, classic funk and soul and mixing in the technology and drive of electronica to create a relentlessly funky hybrid.

His 1984 12inch release "Music Is The Answer" is a classic example of just this mix, and 1985's eponymous "Colonel Abrams" album served up more of the same, giving us the title track as well as the brilliant bonafide classic "I'm Not Gonna Let You", and other gems such as "Speculation" and "The Truth". Produced in large part by none other than the legendary Cerrone, the album still stands up today, and even features some nice ballads for those post-club moments.

If you are able you should also try to find the Cerrone-produced "How Soon We Forget" 12 inch. Fantastic. As stated, Abrams is still delivering music today, and while he has never punctured the mainstream as he did with "Trapped" his music remains creatively interesting and his influence undimmed. Criminally his music is not the easiest thing to find, even in the internet age, but any efforts will be richly rewarded. And so if you, like me, were always curious about what the Colonel did when he did finally escape from his amorous incarceration, you can now rest easy. He was simply lost in the music and like a fool he couldn't escape.