30 Tracks Celebrating 40 Years of Dance Mania, Part 1
A curated tour through some of the best bits of the vaunted Chicago label's extensive catalog.
As a general rule, I’m not big on electronic music anniversaries. Five years, 10 years, 20 years … these are arbitrary milestones, and yet the industry seems intent on flooding the market with nostalgia bait, commissioning a seemingly endless stream of deluxe reissues and anniversary label compilations, oftentimes in celebration of things that weren’t necessarily all that remarkable to begin with.
Some things, however, are absolutely worth celebrating.
Dance Mania is one such thing, as the Chicago label is responsible for some of the most storied chapters of house music history. (I won’t try and recount its history here, mostly because it’s been done many times before, but for those in search of a primer, this 2013 Resident Advisor feature by Jacob Arnold is a solid place to begin, as is this mini-documentary that Strut Records released the following year.) Founded in 1985, the label last week unveiled the details of a forthcoming party in its hometown, one that will bring together multiple generations of Dance Mania contributors and celebrate 30 years of ghetto house, juke and footwork.
I most likely won’t be in attendance—geographically speaking, Chicago and Barcelona aren’t exactly close to one another—but the news did prompt me to dive back into the Dance Mania catalog, which is almost comically extensive. Before the label embarked on a lengthy hiatus in 1999 (it eventually relaunched in 2013), it offered up approximately 300 releases, and I decided to start at the very beginning, reacquainting myself with familiar anthems and also unearthing some gems I’d never heard before along the way. It wasn’t always easy; in all honesty, the quality of Dance Mania releases varies wildly from one record to the next, and the label’s archives also include a number of unexpected (and not always pleasant) surprises, including a wildly corny Christmas rap and an extremely NSFW rework of house classic “The Percolator.”
As arguably the defining ghetto house label, Dance Mania has long been associated with raunch, and while it’s inaccurate to paint the entire catalog with that brush, the imprint was unquestionably responsible for a whole lot of dirty, sexually explicit and downright misogynistic records, particularly during the mid-to-late ’90s. Appetites for that sort of thing will vary—speaking for myself, it’s not really my cup of tea—but it’s fair to say that many Dance Mania records, including some of the label’s defining releases, exist in a zone that’s well outside what’s considered to be politically, socially and culturally acceptable in 2025. (Then again, considering the ongoing rise of far-right politics and the rapidly disappearing sense of decorum on social media, established notions of what’s “acceptable” currently appear to be on rather shaky ground.)
In honor of the label’s 40 years of existence, I slowly but surely started putting together a list of my own Dance Mania favorites, and though they don’t include much of the XXX material, they do represent a rather broad range of sounds, from blippy acid house and pensive deep cuts to speaker-rattling jack tracks. The 30 tracks I ended up with are not meant to constitute a “best of” list; what I’ve put together is more of a curated survey, one that’s been deeply colored by my own musical lens. But whether you’re already a Dance Mania lifer or you’re someone who’s barely acquainted with the label’s catalog, I’m confident that you’ll like what you hear—and, hopefully, will encounter at least a few tunes you haven’t heard before.
The songs have been listed chronologically, and in the interest of space, the list has been divided in two. Part one is below, and the second half is now available here.
The House Master Boyz and the Rude Boy of House “House Nation” (1986)
The House Nation 12-inch was only the third Dance Mania release, and yet its title track might be the best thing the label ever released. This is jacking house at its dark and sleazy best, the bassline confidently strutting across the dancefloor as the song’s eerie keys sound like something from a low-budget slasher flick. Add in some slapping drum-machine rhythms and a seemingly endless (albeit ever-mutating) array of “House Nation” vocal outbursts, and you have an absolutely classic tune—one that was also the source of controversy for many years.
The Housemaster Boyz were a collaboration between Windy City duo Irving Nicholson (a.k.a. Nick “Non Stop”) and Kevin Jones, and while they wrote the original track, the version that appeared on the Dance Mania release was “beated” by The Rude Boy of House (a.k.a. Farley “Jackmaster” Funk), who reportedly remade and released the track without permission. In 1987, Jones—working in collaboration with another artist, James Anderson, under the name Pleasure Zone—released his version of “House Nation” on a record for Chicago label Trax that also included “Fuck Charley,” a not-so-subtle jab at Farley “Jackmaster” Funk that sounds a lot like his unauthorized take on “House Nation.”
Li’l Louis “How I Feel” (1987)
Before tracks like “The Original Video Clash” (a song that has its own complicated history) and “French Kiss” made Lil’ Louis an international house hero—and apparently before he’d settled on the location of the apostrophe in his artist moniker—the Chicago native debuted on Dance Mania with a 12-inch called Frequency / How I Feel. A lo-fi effort in which the compositions are minimal and the snare drums often sound like patches of static, the record’s most charming selection is also its most chilled. “How I Feel” dials down the bass, allowing its whimsical melodies to float atop the song’s persistent rat-a-tat.
Suburban Boyz “Insane (Crazy Mix)” (1988)
Dance Mania boss Ray Barney did most of his work behind the scenes, but he does have a few writing and production credits to his name. The Insane 12-inch was essentially his debut record, and “Insane (Crazy Mix)” sits somewhere between Giorgio Moroder and Jesse Saunders, its synths bubbling away as pianos tinkle and the song’s strings—which could have been lifted from an old ABBA tune—playfully dart to and fro.
Duane & Co. “Boyz Town” (1988)
Although the first Dance Mania release was technically What’s That by The Browns (an alias of Jesse Saunders), the first catalogued record (i.e. DM001) was Hardcore Jazz by Duane & Co. Headed up by Duane Buford—who would later become a member of bands like Revolting Cocks and Ministry—the project was responsible for several early entries in the Dance Mania catalog, including Ultimate J.B. Trax, an EP highlighted by the piano-flecked electro-funk of “Boyz Town.”
Victor Romeo “Acid Rain (Rain Dance U.K. Mix)” (1988)
It’s impossible to tell the Dance Mania story without Parris Mitchell, but in his early years, he went by the name Victor Romeo. The B-side on his Love Will Find a Way 12-inch, this version of “Acid Rain”—which, oddly enough, only has a little bit of actual acid in it—was mixed by a young Tyree Cooper, who in 1988 had already done a slew of records. Cooper, of course, would later be responsible for some seminal Dance Mania releases himself, but here he adds a touch of neon glamor to his rubbery drum-machine grooves, elevating “Acid Rain” beyond the realm of a mere jack track.
Lincoln Boys “Get Up Get Down (House Mix)” (1989)
Who were The Lincoln Boys? The credits for the project’s only record, Check It Out, lists four supposed members of the Lincoln clan (Glen, Hoff, Bob Scumaci and Hank Gulliunone), but they also include Ray Barney and Chicago house producers like Neal Howard, Terry “Housemaster” Baldwin, Frankie “Hollywood” Rodriguez and Bad Boy Bill, which makes it seem like perhaps the whole thing was some sort of in-joke. Regardless of who exactly was behind the music, “Get Up Get Down (House Mix)” is a enticingly funky—and fun—slice of house music, one that employs vamping pianos, classic Korg M1 synths (which were not yet ubiquitous back in 1989) and some lightly vocodered lyrics that sound like something from an early-’80s electro / breakdance anthem.
3.2.6. “Just Like Heaven” (1991)
A project with only two records in its catalog, 3.2.6. is best known for its 1989 debut, Falling, and that’s largely due to the involvement of Armando, who not only executive produced the release, but slipped in two different reworks of the title track. That said, the record also included a version of “Just Like Heaven” that was billed as “Mike’s Club Mix,” with the Mike in question most likely being Mike Dunn. Two years later, the original “Just Like Heaven” surfaced as the lead cut on a second 3.2.6. 12-inch, and it’s a wonderfully weird tune. Veering away from the usual Dance Mania formula, the track—which from a percussion standpoint, is relatively minimal—is both melodic and deliriously loopy, its pitchy strings (which are just shy of annoying) whimsically intermingling with a persistent cloud of fluttering pastels.
Vincent Floyd “I Dream You” (1991)
Dance Mania will forever be known for its hard-hitting beats and party-starting bravado, but the label’s catalog does have a deeper side, best personified by the work of Vincent Floyd. “I Dream You”—which led off an EP of the same name—follows in the footsteps of fellow Chicagoan Larry Heard, offering up a dreamy blend of cool, softly glowing textures and relaxed, jazz-inflected grooves. A jack track it most definitely is not, but it’s a beautiful piece of music—and a stone-cold classic.
Robert Armani “Ambulance” (1991)
Never afraid of a little flash, Robert Armani—who claims that his artist moniker was coined by female fans in Italy, who loved his penchant for wearing designer clothes—was one of those producers who made a splash right away. After getting an assist from Armando on his debut, 1990’s Armani Trax, Armani quickly returned with the solo Ambulance, and that record’s blaring—and at times squealing—title track almost immediately became one of Dance Mania’s enduring anthems. In truth, it doesn’t sound much like an actual ambulance, but it is an invigoratingly raw tune, its sweaty pulse fueled by Armani’s talent for throbbing machine funk.
Robert Armani “Invasion” (1991)
Another gem from the Ambulance EP, “Invasion” doesn’t get nearly as much attention as the record’s title track, but it’s a bona fide screamer. Led by a jagged, distortion-laced synth that sounds likes a malfunctioning ’90s modem, this stomping tune feels like a precursor to not just Daft Punk and Mr. Oizo, but the more gnarled variants of electro-house that would later emerge from the Ed Banger universe in the mid-to-late 2000s. Tunes like this laid the groundwork for multiple generations of producers around the globe, but irrespective of its place in dance music history, it’s a scratchy, riotous banger.
The Dance Kings “Climb the Walls (Climb the House Walls Mix)” (1991)
A collaboration between Victor Romeo (a.k.a. Parris Mitchell) and singer Kevin Irving, The Dance Kings released only a single record, but it was a doozy. Keen-eyed readers might recognize “Climb the Walls” from its inclusion on Honey Dijon’s 2024 DJ-Kicks mix / compilation, but the track has been moving dancefloors for decades, thanks to its soulful vocal loops and disco-infused groove. Another example of a Dance Mania record that veered from the label’s most familiar sound palette, it’s proof that the crew knew all sorts of ways to get down.
Tim Harper “Toxic Waste (Club Mix)” (1992)
Produced by Tim Harper and Glenn Underground, “Toxic Waste” is a swirly house cut, one whose psychedelic blur is quite possibly enhanced by the fact that the mastering on the original release was either extremely poor or altogether nonexistent. (Mastering and pressing issues plagued the entire Chicago house circuit, Dance Mania included.) With drums that sound like they’ve been tapped out in the next room and a bassline that is essentially a procession of boomy thuds, that version of “Toxic Waste” practically existed in its own soundworld. The version linked above has been cleaned up somewhat—unlike its predecessor, it can actually be played in a club without people wondering if something is wrong with the soundsystem—but it’s still one of the trippiest cuts in the Dance Mania catalog, and one of the few times that the label flirted with sounds that might be described as Mediterranean or even Balearic.
Glenn Underground “Shout It, Sing It” (1992)
Between his work on the aforementioned Tim Harper record and his own Different Sides EP, Glenn Underground was the victim of some severe mastering malpractice on the part of Dance Mania, which perhaps explains why he never again released on the label. Different Sides was actually the Chicago artist’s debut, and while its contents may be lacking in sound quality, the man’s talents were readily apparent, particularly in the sauntering deep house of “Shout It, Sing It.” A floaty, funky and tastefully crafted tune, it set in motion a long career of top-shelf production.
Eric Martin “Fire Alarm” (1993)
A member of the Traxmen—a crew that also included Paul Johnson and Robert Armani—Eric Martin debuted with 1993’s Sump Pump, and though the record’s tracky slappers all have their charms, “Fire Alarm” is the real standout. That may be because—at least according to the credits—the song was actually written and produced by Robert Armani. Regardless of who did what, “Fire Alarm” is joyous and playful, with synths that have been molded into a near-whistle atop the track’s smacking underbelly.
DJ Funk “Move Your Body (Radio Edit)” (1993)
One of Dance Mania’s most legendary figures, DJ Funk debuted on the label with the House the Groove 12-inch. The record’s title track—which shares a lot of sweat-inducing DNA with early Dance Mania anthems like “House Nation”—is a certified classic, but another song from the EP, “Move Your Body (Radio Edit),” has its own enduring charms. Though its drums may not hit quite as hard, it’s still a high-stepping jack track, its chunky bassline accentuated by robotic vocal refrains and some sensual moans. Sexy without being raunchy, it hints at the filth that DJ Funk would make his calling card in the years to come, but ultimately keeps things pretty PG-13.
Thanks for reading. For more Dance Mania favorites, part two of this list can be found here.
Shawn Reynaldo is a freelance writer, editor, presenter and project manager. Find him on LinkedIn and Instagram—and make sure to follow First Floor on Instagram as well—or you can just drop Shawn an email to get in touch about projects, collaborations or potential work opportunities.