Colonel Abrams – Music Is The Answer

Excellent proto-house / proto-garage from Yvonne Turner although her name won't show up on the label. Historically important, for both women in dance music and for dance music generally.

Amazing Track "Music is the answer" Glad to have a copy signed by Colonel Abrams & he said it best.

"We should come together as people & show more love. We gotta help our kids, We gotta motivate our kids & we gotta let them know how we grew up listening to positive music right? Alright. & I think we need more positive music for the youth".

RIP November 24, 2016, New York, NY RIP

This is neither Disco nor House Music. It's Garage, or "Club" as the Paradise Garage regulars called it. It has all the elements of House Music very clearly though.

This sound evolved from the music scene built around the Garage and the Zanzibar club in the early 80s. It might sound groundbreaking to today's ears but actually it's just the logical progression of Garage tunes like "Visual - The music got me" or The Peech Boys 1...2 years earlier. Gold standard classic, of course, but it didn't come "out of the blue."

You can hear Larry play the Dub Mix on this mix: https://soundcloud.com/heartbeatofthedancefloor/heartbeat-of-the-dance-floor-paradise-garage-soundcloud-for-david-depino-episode-005

And we should note that it was criminal that Yvonne Turner who produced this house gem was completely left off the credits. https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/yvonne-turner-helped-invent-house-music-so-why-does-no-one-know-her-name/

The lyrics to this gem have never been so relevant and inspiring. It embodies the original and dare I say 'true' spirit of house music - peace, love and unity.

'We need unity - one family'

Maybe music is the answer because it is 'something we can all relate to', as it says (though I'm not sure this track would initially be to everyone's taste...).

Larry Levan, the original maestros' approach, was to play the records he believed in again and again on the same night until mere mortals got them too and danced. Many of these tracks became anthems of the era, are still relevant and played, or formed the basis of what came next and is still happening on the best dancefloors in the world (and in the charts!).

Also of course the inspiration for Danny Tenaglia's 'Music Is The Answer' track, though not sampled or anything. It appears various key thinkers have spotted this link throughout history, sometimes singing about it and in this case dropping what is thought by some to be THE VERY FIRST HOuSE TRACK.

lever I cannot define house. I know I like this. For a variety of reasons, mainly the time I heard it first aswell as the DJ who played it and I think the radio station never played it again ever. And through time this is still a favourite of mine and it probably will be for years to come.

Many people argue that this is the firt ever house record. Many people argue that there are hundreds of records that could be the first ever house record. Regardless this is pretty early, all the elements are there and it could well be, but the wider question is; what exactly is house music? or more importantly 'house music? I'd say it isn't but nevertheless a memorable moment in dance music history.