Great range of styles on this EP. "Just Play" sounds like a Jeff Mills track with lo-fi percussion and bell sounds ala Mills' "Shifty Disco" ep. "Low Life" sounds like an old Peacefrog tune ala Luke Slater or Dan Curtin circa 1993. "Another Side" has a subdued mid-90's Techno sound with lots of pads and floating synths. "In A Lonely Place" delivers an early 80's Electro vibe with nice breaks and thick analog synths. Genuine old-school style with great arrangements and production throughout every track.

First up is "The Buzz", a 133bpm secret weapon that mixes great with House or Breaks as well as old-school Techno. Lo-fi subbass and Todd Terry influenced snares combine with subtle unfiltered synths with a Laurent X / House Nation Records flavor making for a deep and rockin' tune.

The A2 and AA1 tracks are also classic tracks sampling Stevie Nicks and Phil Collins, respectively. The AA1 track I would say is on the same level as the A1 track as far as having an old-school yet timeless sound, and making great use of a wide range of samples without overdoing it.

Rounding out the AA side is a lovely hardcore tune, appropriately named "Raggamuffin Mayhem", yet another old-school classic with clever samples, funky basslines, and cheesy rave stabs and melodies.

This is a subtle, sophisticated House release along the lines of labels such as Low Pressings, DiY, and Toko. I heard this played by my friend DJ Sjon Paul at a party in San Diego California on New Years Eve 1997 with Spiral Tribe Sound System. There were about 40 cabinets and 25,000 Watts of sound from the Spiral Tribe and Sunsonic Sound systems, and I remember this was one of the best House tracks I heard on the system that night.

"For Grandma" is a fantastic acid track, which to me captures a certain quality of 1995 very well. Some of the best Techno at that time had a particularly innovative, fresh, dynamic sound, which could be melodic, very accessible, and not the least bit concerned with boundaries or trying to sound a certain way. This track is a perfect example. (Other examples might be early releases by Richard Bartz, Hardfloor, or Dan Curtin.)

In this track, an incessant, rolling 303 rides over some really well programmed and frequently changing drum patterns, while subtle step-sequenced synths underneath give the production a weightless feel which seems to effortlessly move forwards and backwards at the same time. Definitely a timeless classic.

A timeless classic. Side B mix is one of my favorite mixes on this label. Side A mix is essential as well. Both mixes are well mastered and packed with up-front low-frequency subs, relentless breaks, and well-placed '92-style rave samples.

The A Side mix running time is actually 3:15, not 4:25 as is listed above, and in addition, this same mix is on the "Various - Strictly Underground - Compilation II" CD (STURCD 03), but is there labeled the "Migraine Mix". So it appears the name of the side A mix is either incorrect on this release, or is wrong on both the STHC CD 2 and STURCD 03 CDs (which came out in '93, whereas this record came out in '92).

Vocal sample at the start of the side B mix is the same one from the beginning of "Sonz of a Loop Da Loop Era - Higher" (SUBBASE 08) but pitched down a little bit.

Many classics here ranging from some of the earliest Acid House classics (1986 Phuture "Acid Tracks"), up to some early/mid-90's tunes such as Hardfloor "Acperience". Also includes some Chicago House classics (Steve Silk Hurley "Jack Your Body", Housemaster Boyz "House Nation"), and a number of lesser known, more obscure tracks such as The House Gang "Cool J Trax", an LL Cool J samplefest that would fit right into a mashup/club set, or S'Express "Superfly Guy", an excellent track I haven't seen on other compilations.

The mixing throughout both CDs is such that only the last 15 Seconds or so of each track is mixed, making it suitable for home listening and DJ use. At the start of each track there's no mixing, so you can cue up any track, hit play and mix it in. Then mix out with 15 Seconds to spare and the mixing on the CD won't be heard. Unmixed might have been better, but overall this release has a wide selection of numerous classics (many of which are going for $25 to $50+ for the original 12" pressings).

House 89 megamix is expertly done, incorporating numerous Chicago and Detroit classics as well as numerous samples from the era.

There appears to be no track listing available, but I did recognize the following tracks in the mix:
2 In A Room - Somebody In The House Say Yeah!
Two Without Hats - Try Yazz
Reese - Rock To The Beat
Doug Lazy - Let the Rhythm Pump
Lil' Louis - French Kiss
Kraftwerk - Numbers (Underground Resistance remix?)
Rhythim Is Rhythim - Strings of Life
De-Lite feat. Osca Child - Wild Times (Mayday Mix)
Tyree Cooper - Turn Up The Bass

There are numerous other tracks that are excellent as well but that I have not yet identified.

Overall a great release for sampling or for use as a DJ tool.

Though a classic compilation with many important titles from the "Golden Era" of Chicago House Music, most of the versions/mixes on this compilation are NOT the same ones that were played by Chicago radio DJs (on radio stations WBMX and WGCI for example), that originally made many of these songs into the classics that they are. There are some good versions/mixes here, but unfortunately it has more filler/budget versions and Disco tunes than the versions known and loved by those who grew up on House in Chicago in the 80's.

A useful compilation if you can get it for a reasonable price, but by no means an accurate representation of the true history of Chicago House. For Chicago House of this era it was the Chicago DJs and their talent, high standards, and hard work that were a primary ingredient of the Chicago House sound, a style that was much more than the sum of its parts. Chicago DJs were very selective and would often only play a key minute or two of a track if that's all they thought was good, then flawlessly mix into something else, rarely letting a mix get monotonous or uninspiring. There was a certain level of consistency and quality control in Chicago radio in the mid-80's, that filtered out the weaker versions, set a standard for what stylistic excesses were allowed, made up for a lot of mastering issues common at the time, and played a key role in defining House Music during the mid-80's. Unfortunately that doesn't get carried through to many compilations and releases in general and it can be difficult to track down the best versions of many of these classic tracks.

Major funk for the dancefloor, I recommend playing these tracks at high volume. Funky step-sequenced melody line hits from the start of the A-side, then the White Knight-style samples drop and it's time to jack. Next track doesn't let up, then flip for a stripped down version with just the 808 and 909, then rounding out the B side the instrumental which includes the melody (also sampled in Terry Mullan pres. the Acid OG's "Breakin' em off EP" CHC004).

The Acid Mix is a definite jacker with a similar feel to Pierre's Pfantasy Club "Fantasy Girl". Lots of change ups in the percussion, different sounds coming in and out, and excellent 303 work keep the track moving and the energy high throughout. The Radio Mix brings the vocals to the front of the mix, adds a familiar sounding bass keyboard line, and the classic Roland TR727 "Agogo" sounds (as used in The Night Writers "Let The Music (Use You)"). The Hitman Mix delivers more of a straight up classic Chicago sound with the emphasis on the percussion, adding flanged incessant high hats, and filling out the mix just right with the soulful vocals that can only be associated with classic Chicago House Music.

Well produced and mastered, every track is good. Definitely a classic and probably one of Pierre's more overlooked releases.