Jellybean* Featuring Steven Dante – The Real Thing

West 26th St mix very early Shoom tune, late 1987 in the gorgeous Southwark very early soul house sessions (not just that mix though). What an incredible tune and spirit. When I discover it again, it takes a few listens, preferably of the W 26th mix, for it really to start to have its effect.

What an early house club classic from Jellybean, which actually kind of came to have two lives in the UK. (It also needs to be said how crucial Jellybean, not remembered so much these decades later, was to the development of the house scenes.)

Properly this was the coolest warehouse music at the time, and it was hard to find much of it still in clubs in London. Even in late 87, but for Shoom, Phuture, Clink, Ziggys in Streatham (which was ok), and a couple of others (and I'm really sorry as usual I can't remember one club and famous DJ critical to the UK house scene's development) London was actually mostly worse off for on the pulse night clubs than some places further afield. It wasn't a case of finding on the pulse clubs in early to mid 87 in London as much as finding even half bearable, regular clubs, those now famous names aside.

It was still in 87 the city where the underground warehouse events happened. But who knew when these would happen, generally. Or where. There were disappointed nights. It wasn't a case of being able to tell someone you'd meet them at club x for a decent night. That was unlikely - while The Wag could have its moments and maybe another place or two. I was sure, without a doubt to me the best nights to be found in the world were the warehouse nights.

I was never much of a fan of the self-obsessive hedonism of mid to late 80s Ibiza. Not only did I disagree that Ibiza had brought dance culture to the UK, I think the relatively more decent times in Ibiza of 1987-88 until around 1990 were brought there FROM The UK. Majorca had a bit more independent flavour and was far more on the pulse globally than Ibiza, I thought. I've remembered the famous London DJ, of course Nicky Holloway, but drop the 'it came from Ihiza' nonsense, guys. Yes there had been a very independent, quite different and very indulgent party and disco culture for years in Ibiza. But the UK house scene, emerging from years of warehouse, soul nights and weekenders, was a much purer, more real phenomenon and very connected to New York, Chicago and Detroit. Wheras Ibiza was really a flamboyant, quite well off party scene, not the everyman, inclusive house scenes of USA and UK.

Sorry for the huge tangent, but perhaps relevant in defining the immensity of what was happening in 87 to 88 UK, NOT defined underneath the Balearics, not defined under anything or anywhere, but very independent and unique. Jellybean and Steve Dante bring it all out again!

This track was big in many other UK clubs of course, when this kind of soul house mix in standard clubs in mid 87 was still often the closest you'd be able to get to deep house in most towns in the UK. (Along with the charting, freestyle influenced stuff such as MARRS.)

1988, creeping from early months as if in the mind of an evolving egg, growing parabolically, was a revolution beyond description. But things were still so underground in 88, generally. If being underground itself mattered to you personally, 88 spoiled you rotten.

Summer 88 was the first part of the 2nd Summer of Love and I spent many days and nights in fields. It really was all properly underground still, so we were sometimes hardly sure what we were involved in or if everything would suddenly stop tomorrow or next week or what we were doing there.

The meaning of 87's "The Real Thing" replayed mid 88 began to take on a new meaning in what was clearly a movement which we who were a part of it began to realise was stunning and taking on surprising proportions.

87's smooth rhythmic warehouse style track, "The Real Thing" became an anthem in the summer of 88 particularly in the fields, played in most raves, as we started to understand what had manifested, was becoming and growing.

"Ain't no doubt about it, I can't do without it, This is the real thing. You've gotta believe.
Ain't no way around it, Love has finally found us, this is the real thing. Now I know."

Still in those heady days in Summer 88 without two Brixton clubs weekly, at The Fridge and The Academy, and without regular times in Manchester at the Hacienda, I kept saying I wouldn't fully be getting the deep house music fix I really needed by then. That old world had disappeared by early 89, when you there were too many deep house nights all over the country to begin to remember.

So, Jellybean's "The Real Thing" meant something entirely different in 87 to 88. In early to mid 87 we needed this track because even 1 hour deep house sessions back then amongst a more normal club night with the chart 7" versions everyone knew, were crying out for more house music to fit in. By 88 though the tracks were starting to come thick and fast. By early 89 there were many waterfalls of underground to crossover house tracks. This song recalls the beginning of the excitement and sense of preciousness in that you could genuinely have great times with the best music.

It starts with that unassuming, calming but infectious bassline.