Lemme take you to a place I know you wanna go..

House music is a scene that bursts with seeming one-offs, certainly in its fledgling period. Although many artists from the scene’s early years have matured and gone on to create album length records of note, and indeed dance music generally has evolved into a genre of impressive breadth, depth and innovation, many favourite records of the era are by artists whose best worked seemed to be encapsulated in just 12 inches of vinyl. And of course this is fitting for a music that exploded through and onto dance floors, with the idea of pop stardom or even simple mainstream acceptance or artist visibility anathema to the do-it-yourself aesthetics of the scene, and the rise of the bedroom DJ and producer.

However, as house music developed in the late 1980s and the rave scene grew pace there were records that began to puncture the charts, though again the presence of a face behind the music was less forthcoming, except in the form of novelty acts that watered down the house sound for a radio-friendly audience. To prove my point, think of some of the classic tunes from the early house days. “Can You Feel It?” by Fingers Inc, Kariya’s “Let Me Love You For Tonight”, “Strings of Life” by Rhythm Is Rhythm, Lil Louis’ “French Kiss”. All massive and important tunes, but all essentially faceless. And the list goes on and on. One major exception to this trend however is of course the impeccable, and in many ways peerless, Inner City, a band that slayed the mainstream while retaining a position of pre-eminence and major importance in the development of the underground scene that spawned them.

Far from a crossover act, Inner City were instead a certain type of house music royalty, comprising Detroit techno innovater Kevin Saunderson as producer and composer, and renowned Chicago vocalist Paris Grey. Saunderson’s importance in the history of dance music is a story for another time, but suffice it to say that with fellow “Belleville Three” cohorts Derrick May and Juan Atkins, Saunderson literally changed the face of dance music. But with Inner City a different kind of revolution took place, because here was music with critical and dance floor acclaim, but which also enjoyed unprecedented commercial success. Inner City clocked up 11 UK and US dance chart Number Ones, sold 6 million records, and were in the UK Top 40 eight times.

In fact it was arguably the UK crowd who really provided the initial impetus to such heights of success, with success in the US and worldwide following to differing degrees and heights. And they did so with a sound that simply takes your breath away, bringing the driving technical precision of the Detroit techno sound into the arena of straight up soul music through Grey’s incredible vocals, all with tinges of jazz structuring, gospel aesthetics and of course a pop accessibility. But the popular applications were a by-product to the effect of the music on the dance floors for which it was written.

Because hearing an Inner City record is often to be transformed to a state of sheer euphoria through the epic scale of the compositions and orchestrations, and the uplifting content and vocal sweetness and power of Grey’s voice, like a gospel choir on E, but channelled through one voice. “Pennies from Heaven” is massive, “Watcha Gonna Do With My Lovin’” fantastic, “Hallelujah” is heaven sent, and “Big Fun” is exactly what it says in the title. Debut album “Paradise” is a rare treat in early dance music as I have suggested above, because it works as a whole offering, and although follow ups “Fire” and “Praise” fared less well commercially they still contained moments of genius, including a couple of the singles listed previously. But king amongst their tunes is surely 1988’s “Good Life”, a record which to my ears is some kind of perfection. From the “Paradise” album it just never gets dated or loses its impact.

From the opening electronic bass drum single beat, to the synth melody and chugging twisted out accordion stabs, to the dropped beats and introduction of Grey’s vocals with the immortal line that forms the title of this blog, the song simply takes off for the stars and never looks back. It affirms life and music, and the power of getting lost in the good vibes of both. Inner City deserve a celebrated place as pioneers of house, and also for their role in making the music accessible and acceptable to the masses, a music which now dominates much of pop culture. Life, as they say, is good. Very good.