Prince - 1999

'1999' is my favourite Prince album, more experimental and outrageous than the preceeding 'Dirty Mind'/'Controversy', and less eclectic than the follow-up, 'Purple Rain'. Plus I can't imagine the release of this album to have been better-timed as it came when very exciting things were happening in the scene, namely the emergence of Electro and a wider use of new technology. Despite most of the album being synthetic, it rarely sounds mechanical as Prince's ever-present funk sensibilities show through in a way where the songcraft is never overshadowed by neither the Linns or the Yamahas. Indeed, his use of the new technology simply take his compositions to a new level; the electronic underbellies of tracks like '1999', 'Let's Get Married' and 'D.M.S.R.' give the songs a unique robotic perfection which would not have been possible had they been solely recorded on real instruments (use your common sense when drawing the line between "real" and "fake" instruments). The whole album is a wet dream come true for anyone who digs on both classic groove and the angular perfection of MIDI. It has also proved to be my own personal bible when it comes to composing or producing. The sheer original brilliance of '1999' makes it perhaps the best funk album of the 80's; you're hard-pressed finding anything else as insatiable or unique.

1982, Prince invented House with this masterpiece new-wave-funk-rock double LP (check the first Jamie Principle or Jesse Saunders EPs to be sure).The Linn drum M-1 rhythm box is omnipresent, as Prince: doing all, singing all parts, playing all instruments (with a little help from The Revolution).So fresh and inventive 20 years later.