30 Tracks Celebrating 40 Years of Dance Mania, Part 2

Looking back at one of the most storied labels in house music history.

As promised in yesterday’s newsletter, below is the second half of my retrospective tour through the catalog of Dance Mania, one of the most important labels in the history of house music.

(And if you’re thinking, “Wait a minute … Wasn’t the original title “30 Tracks Celebrating 30 Years of Dance Mania”? Yes, yes it was. I have to apologize for my poor math skills, as Dance Mania was founded in 1985, which does in fact make the label 40 years old. Yesterday’s confusion stemmed from my misinterpretation of an upcoming Dance Mania event in Chicago, which is meant to celebrate 30 years of ghetto house, juke and footwork. Why not just celebrate the label’s complete lifespan? You’ll have to ask the promoters, but in the meantime, I’ve made a few adjustments to yesterday’s First Floor, and have tweaked the title of today’s edition as well. I’m still only picking 30 tracks though. I know that doesn’t match 40 years, but I think we’re all capable of dealing with the discrepancy.)

I’ll spare you another lengthy intro—again, yesterday’s mailout talked at length about my approach to making this list, and also shared a few thoughts on how Dance Mania and ghetto house have aged over the years. I will, however, repeat that my selections, which have been listed chronologically, are not meant to constitute some sort of definitive, all-encompassing “Best of Dance Mania” list. The tracks below include familiar anthems and obscure rarities alike, and what ultimately ties them together is my own personal taste—simply put, they’re the tunes I liked the best while trawling through the label’s extensive catalog. That’s it.

How do they compare with your Dance Mania favorites? Take a look and let me know.