Kym Mazelle - Useless

If one track deserved to be a standard for the feminist point of view in the end eighties was this one, just pay attention to the lyrics. "Useless" by Marshall Jefferson & Kym Mazelle was recorded in England. Marshall was very good at feeling where Kym was coming from emotionally back then, and felt she was pretty pissed off. There's a lot of stuff on that track that Jefferson had to leave off because Kym got a little too pissed off; he felt heard feelings were properly conveyed by what they laid down.

The importance of this acappella cannot be questioned and, as a natural consequence, it was sampled by several producers later such as Anticappella - 2SQR231 (1991) and Hyper On Experience on "Deaf In The Family" EP from 1993, as well as "Lords Of The Null Lines (The Extremely Bootlegged Remixes)", 1994.

This song naturally turned out into a feminism standard-type; Kym Mazelle said about "Useless" she was just pissed off at the time she recorded - according to her, it was an 'unrequited love' kind of song, but as a matter of fact it didn't mean she was angry with all the men, just some of them... "Definitely not Marshall!", she joyfully declared about her friend and production partner.

Kerri Chandler was asked in an interview about his definition of House Music. He just answered that House Music was Love. This record just epitomizes what House Music is. Kym Mazelle delivers a stunning vocal performance, shouting all her despair and disappointment. David Morales top production builds, emphasises and maximizes a highly dramatic atmosphere. After long, meditative introductions, Kym Mazelle powerful voice finally finds its way to the listener's ears, exploding in an ecstatic achievement, while the cleverly added piano lines enlarge the musical spectrum. One of House Music's Mount Rushmores in my opinion.

The elegant (and powerful) vocals of Kym Mazelle in “Useless (I Don’t Need You Now)” are situated among what we should call the eternal lyrics of the history of the dance music. "Useless" tells a story about a girl blaming her boy by all means, in a very sarcastic and ironic way. Congratulations must also be given to Marshall Jefferson, who produces the tune, David Morales for these remixes, and Eric Kupper, for the piano lines. "There's a void where there should be ecstasy" sample was used on 'Lords Of The Null-Lines' hardcore piece by Hyper On Experience; the "How Longer" italo-house tune of 49ers also borrowed fragments of Kym's acappella, and the same did Exoterix in "Void", though perhaps the most well-known artist to pick up a part of Kym Mazelle's vocals was Gianfranco Bortolotti in his Anticappella project with "2SQR231".