Tracklist
| A | Set It Off | 9:51 | ||
| B | Set It Off (Instrumental) | 12:24 |
Credits
- Arranged By, Co-producer, Written-By – Steve Standard
- Executive Producer – Doris Smilowitz, W.C. Daniels
- Mixed By – Walter Gibbons
- Producer – George Logios
Notes
The original first US pressing with multi-color Jus Born logo, only one telephone number on centerlabel, and small circle indentation from stamper die mount.
Mixed with LOVE by WALTER GIBBONS for JUS BORN Productions
(P)(C) 1984 Jus Born Productions/ASCAP
There are various different releases of "Set It Off".
As in 1984 this seminal record was a massive crossover hit out of the box, and demand for the record was so high, the label didn't bother with the cool artwork and label-copy when they needed to deal with a surprise hit on their hands, so they rushed out the second pressing with very basic lettering and no logo-artwork, on a yellow label.
The yellow-label pressings were also cut at STERLING and have the same dead-wax inscriptions as the first pressings.
The bootlegger/counterfeiter who released 95% of Danny Krivit's edits, the "Loft Classics", as well as the "Garage Classics" series a.o., pressed a counterfeit with a red-label that copied, though not exactly, the lettering and fonts of the yellow-label pressing.
He recorded it directly from the vinyl version of the second, yellow label pressing and increased the amount of treble when he had his own, "in-house" lacquer-cutter re-master from the original wax. The red-label counterfeit was not mastered at Sterling and is not a legitimate product.
Other Versions (Showing 5 of 13) View All
| Title, Format | Label | Cat# | Country | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set It Off (12", RP) | Jus Born Records | JB 001 | US | 1984 | ||
| Set It Off (12", RP) | Jus Born Records | JB 001 | US | 1984 | ||
| Set It Off (12", Unofficial) | Jus Born Records (2) | JB 001 | US | 1987 | ||
| Set It Off (Remix) (12", Gre) | Jus Born Records | JB006 | US | 1986 | ||
| Set It Off 2004 (12") | FunkTeck Recordings | FTR-009 | US | 2004 |
Recommendations
▸ show all 3 reviews
Reviews & Discussion
This song was one of the best examples of New York Underground Music circa 1984. A small label from Brooklyn finds itself with a unique electro-funk cut that has every DJ in New York playing it in heavy rotation. This was in an era where The Paradise Garage & The Fun House clubs in Manhattan were running two different scenes. First being Larry Levan spinning to a more mature and sophisticated gay crowd and Jellybean who was spinning to the kids of The Bronx, Brooklyn & Queens (Later known as Bridge & Tunnel and included New Jersey). This song found huge success within both camps and with heavy radio support, it became the classic it is right up until today. Walter Gibbons provided the mix and was welcomed back to the scene after a long hiatus. This would be his last before his passing. The dub mix was long and had weird dub effects which made it an excellent mixing tool.
It was a New York disco-era deejay, Walter Gibbons, who pioneered many of the techniques of disco mixing that would become the lifeblood of house deejays-turned-producers in the `80's.
After years out of the spotlight, Gibbons resurfaced in 1984 with a mix of a 12-inch single called 'Set It Off' that would define the New York dance underground. It created a sensation at the Garage, where it was championed by Levan, and spawned countless remakes by the likes of C. Sharp and Masquerade and at least one answer single, Number 1's 'Set It Off (Party Rock)'.
Perhaps the definitive version of 'Set It Off' was Strafe's, with its mesmerizing vocal hook woven into a spare but hauntingly atmospheric rhythm bed.
After years out of the spotlight, Gibbons resurfaced in 1984 with a mix of a 12-inch single called 'Set It Off' that would define the New York dance underground. It created a sensation at the Garage, where it was championed by Levan, and spawned countless remakes by the likes of C. Sharp and Masquerade and at least one answer single, Number 1's 'Set It Off (Party Rock)'.
Perhaps the definitive version of 'Set It Off' was Strafe's, with its mesmerizing vocal hook woven into a spare but hauntingly atmospheric rhythm bed.
[r19828]
Cozmo D and Strafe and were big friends back then, and not long after "Jam On It" became a hit, Strafe decided to borrow Cozmo D's Roland TR-808 to make his own electronic production - "Set It Off" itself).
"Set It Off" was included later on several compilations such as "The Perfect Beats Volume 2" and "Disco Box Vol. 6 - Work It Out", standing the test of time; its lyrics were later copied by other artists on their club hits - specially the beginning which has the well-known quote "Yo want this party started right? Yo want this party startin' quickly... right?" whose first part was adapted years later on the House hit 'Kraze - The Party'.
The mixing part belongs to the multi-skilled DJ Walter Gibbons, an early Disco DJ who was resident at the Galaxy 21 Club on the seventies) and it is considered one of his best works ever.