Jesus Jones, Double 99, Neneh Cherry, Corona, CeCe Peniston, N Joi, Sydney Youngblood, Matt Bianco, 911, Janet Jackson, M People, Zig & Zag
They are the performers of twelve vintage dance tunes that were ranked in various charts, this week but in the Nineties 90s.
Here, they are reunited in one glorious playlist. Enjoy!
For TWENTY FOUR more ‘Music For The Dancers’ – Vintage 90s Music Videos – week 02/52 – click here and here
Tracklist
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1 . Jesus Jones – International Bright Young Thing“International Bright Young Thing” gleams with the nervous energy of the early 1990s—an era when rock and electronic music were forming uneasy but thrilling alliances. Released as the third single from Jesus Jones’ sophomore album, “Doubt,” the song bursts out of the gate with pounding beats, sample-drenched layers, and the kind of slick, hyperactive production that demands attention. Its frenetic pace mirrors the elation and chaos of the time, with its optimistic lyrics laced with ambition and a touch of irony—qualities indicative of a band straddling the cusp of cultural shifts. The track captured enough fervor to land high on both the UK Singles Chart and U.S. Modern Rock Tracks, a testament to its cross-Atlantic appeal, though it’s likely the glossy MTV visual treatment—directed by Matthew Amos—that drove its mainstream visibility. More than just a catchy single, it became an emblem of the burgeoning collision between indie swagger and digital ambition, reflecting a period when confidence and individuality courted rebellion in equal measure. Featured on the 1989 album “Doubt”.
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2 . Double 99 – RIP GrooveReleased in 1997, “RIP Groove” by Double 99 is a cornerstone of the UK garage scene, capturing the late-’90s energy with surgical precision. Built on a fierce bassline and fragmented vocal samples, the track melds breakbeat fragments with a hypnotic momentum that shaped the genre’s blueprint. Seeped in the euphoria of dimly-lit clubs, its initial release on the *Speed Garage Anthems* album indicated just how hard UK garage was pushing its way into the mainstream. Although it peaked modestly at No. 31 on the UK Singles Chart, it cut deeply into the underground club circuit, expanding its influence as DJs worked it relentlessly into their sets. The remixes, especially those featuring MC Creed, became notable artifacts of a burgeoning scene in flux—testing just how elastic and dynamic garage could be under the growing spotlight. Its gritty, addictive groove was not just background noise for weekends but a declaration, broadcasting the unfiltered thrill of the underground to a world that couldn’t yet categorize it. Many compilation albums welcomed “RIP Groove,” swiftly turning it into a nostalgic callback for any playlist trying to encapsulate the UK’s late-’90s electronic mutations. Though unadorned by awards, its cultural resonance outstripped such validations, leaving behind a legacy that’s both unrefined and unforgettable.
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3 . Neneh Cherry – Inna City MammaNeneh Cherry’s “Inna City Mamma” folds together the grit and vibrancy of late-80s urban landscapes with a production style that refuses to sit neatly in one genre. Released as part of her landmark 1989 album *Raw Like Sushi*, the song sits at the intersection of hip-hop swagger and funk-tinged rebellion, capturing a snapshot of Cherry’s unapologetically forward-thinking ethos. The album itself became a critical and commercial success, reaching No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart and pulling off an impressive fusion of genre-defying experimentation. Though this track didn’t receive its own spotlight as a single, it helped establish the larger narrative of Cherry’s debut—headstrong, self-aware, and unwilling to compromise. The production, handled by Bomb the Bass and Mark Saunders, anchors the song in punchy beats while Cherry’s socially observant lyrics explore themes of survival and empowerment within the city’s chaos. It’s not just a song; it’s a statement, delivered by an artist who had no interest in fitting a mold, and whose resilience remains palpable within every line. Featured on the 1992 album “Raw Like Sushi“.
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4 . Corona – I Don’t Wanna Be a Star“I Don’t Wanna Be a Star” is an unpretentious slice of ‘90s Eurodance that stands as both a homage to club culture and a critique of its superficiality. Beneath its glossy beats lies a contradiction: the desire for freedom from the very spotlight that the genre thrives upon. Francesco Bontempi’s production fingerprints are all over the track, with pulsating basslines, sharp synths, and a tempo tailor-made for crowded dance floors. Vocals, provided by Giovanna Bersola (uncredited at the time), balance warmth and precision, though they’re fronted visually by Olga de Souza, creating a curious disjunction between sound and image. Thematically, its attempt at rejecting fleeting stardom contrasts amusingly with its infectious, chart-ready package, making it less a refusal and more an inevitable embrace (despite its protests). The music video is a time capsule of ‘90s aesthetics, doused in neon hues and frenetic choreography covering ground between camp and earnestness. Chart success was respectable, but this isn’t a song remembered for its peak positions; instead, it lingers as a vestige of an unabashedly synthetic era. While not the centerpiece of Corona’s catalog, it’s a fitting closer to an album brimming with unapologetic pop confidence and the echoes of mirrored disco balls. Featured on the 1990 album “The Rhythm of the Night”.
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5 . CeCe Peniston – We Got A Love ThangCeCe Peniston’s “We Got A Love Thang” is a pulsating house track that radiates pure early ’90s energy. With Steve “Silk” Hurley at the production helm and Chantay Savage contributing to its writing, the song is a vivid slice of club culture that shouted its way into mainstream charts. Reaching a high point of number three on the US Billboard Dance chart and even climbing into the UK’s top 10, it cemented its place as a global dancefloor favorite without overcomplicating its message—love and rhythm, plain and unapologetic. Peniston’s commanding vocal delivery—powerful yet accessible—hovers just above the hook-heavy beats, making the track as much of an earworm as it is a body-mover. The accompanying music video, set in electric urban and club landscapes, visually amplifies the song’s relentless energy. Though it doesn’t necessarily stray from house music’s formulaic exuberance, it leverages that predictability to create familiarity rather than monotony. While some may argue it lacks lyrical depth, that critique feels irrelevant when your feet are busy keeping up with its unyielding thump. More than 30 years later, “We Got A Love Thang” lives on in remixes and compilations, carried by its simplicity and ceaseless energy. Featured on the 1989 album “Finally”.
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6 . N Joi – AnthemReleased in 1990, “Anthem” by N-Joi distills the euphoric pulse of early UK rave into four and a half minutes of pure energy. A concoction of techno, house, and breakbeat, it’s a track that doesn’t waste time, opening with a relentless bassline while synth stabs cut through like strobes slicing a warehouse ceiling. It first featured on “Music From A State of Mind” before earning a spot on their 1991 album “Mindflux,” though it thrived most in the sweat and chaos of packed clubs and impromptu fields-turned-dancefloors. The song’s standout hook, a lifted vocal sample from Gwen Guthrie’s “Peanut Butter,” resists being coy, looping in a way that feels both immediate and hypnotic, underscoring a message of unrestrained joy. Its December 1990 peak at #8 on the UK Singles Chart marked a rare moment of underground rave culture hitting broad daylight, though its spirit remained tethered to nocturnal spaces. A particularly frenetic appearance on “Top of the Pops” mirrored the track’s unruly ethos, with visuals as jarring as the pounding rhythms themselves. The music video, a montage of grainy rave visuals, leaned toward documentary over polish—authentically capturing the DIY exuberance of the scene. While it’s been remixed, reworked, and revisited, “Anthem” retains its rebel streak, refusing to become a museum piece and instead surfacing in club sets where its weight still punches, four decades deep. Featured on the 1988 album “Anthem”.
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7 . Sydney Youngblood – Sit And WaitSydney Youngblood’s “Sit and Wait” marks a defining moment in the late-‘80s pop-dance crossover, blending introspection with undeniable grooves. Unlike his breakout single, “If Only I Could,” this track leans harder into its rhythmic pulse without losing the emotive edge delivered by Youngblood’s richly textured voice. Released in 1989 as part of the album *Feeling Free,* “Sit and Wait” quickly became a fixture on European charts, peaking at #16 in the UK and climbing into the Top 20 in Austria. Produced by Claus Zundel and wrapped in the polished sheen of late-80s pop production, the song fuses elements of funk basslines, smooth synths, and poignant lyrics on patience and longing. Its presence on iconic platforms like *Top of the Pops* tied it to the visual decadence of music television at its height, amplifying its cultural reach. The repetitive hook walks a fine line between meditative and maddening, yet there’s no mistaking the yearning etched into every note of the vocal delivery. Competing with more bombastic artists of the era, Youngblood’s approach stood apart—focusing more on emotional authenticity than pyrotechnics. Both the single and its remixes were ubiquitous in dance clubs, reinforcing its identity as an anthem of connection and persistence, even as the music itself never entirely sheds its polished polish. Featured on the 1997 album “Feeling Free”.
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8 . Matt Bianco – Wap Bam Boogie“Wap Bam Boogie” by Matt Bianco arrived in 1988 as an instrumental detour from the band’s usual vocal jazz-pop fare. Absent from any studio album, it later found a home in compilations like 1990’s “The Best of Matt Bianco,” earning its stripes as a late ’80s club staple. The track reflects the group’s flirtation with bossa nova and Latin influences, showcasing their penchant for smooth, infectious rhythms without resorting to lyrical hooks. Its presence on European dance floors was undeniable, climbing into the top 10 across several charts, though it missed the UK’s top 40—an omission that only adds to its curious charm. The instrumental setup lends itself well to live performances, and it often stole the spotlight during the band’s late-’80s tours. Visually, the accompanying music video operates like a neon time capsule, nodding to the excessive flair of the decade. Whether a playful experiment or a calculated move, the song remains a defining artifact of Matt Bianco’s genre-blurring ethos. Featured on the 1989 album “Indigo”.
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9 . 911 – Party People… Friday NightReleased in 1996, “Party People… Friday Night” by 911 landed at #5 on the UK charts, a testament to its infectious appeal to the mid-90s crowd. Produced under the steady hand of Johnny X via Sony Music, the track serves up a breezy, pop-infused anthem centered around the collective joy of camaraderie and weekend revelry. The rhythm pulses with an unabashed urgency, mirroring the era’s obsession with carefree social nights while eschewing deeper pretensions. There’s no denying the track’s adherence to the sonic trends of its time—a polished gloss of layered vocals and dance-ready beats pitched specifically to soundtrack dimly lit club floors and living room soirées. Its charm lies in being neither too ambitious nor overwrought, reveling instead in its role as a communal celebration of freedom in the glow of a Friday evening. Sure, it doesn’t break boundaries, but its commitment to simple, unfiltered fun gives it a timeless, if situational, appeal. Featured on the 2012 album “Moving On”.
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10 . Janet Jackson – Love Will Never Do [Without You]Janet Jackson’s “Love Will Never Do (Without You)” landed as an understated anthem of resilience and longing, proving that less can sometimes be more. Released as the seventh single off her 1989 album *Rhythm Nation 1814*, the track pivoted to a lighter, lovelorn tone amid the record’s more socially conscious themes. With Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis at the production helm, the song shines through its layered simplicity—syncopated basslines, sharp drum patterns, and an airy melody that lets Jackson’s hushed vocals glide. Its rise to the Billboard Hot 100’s No. 1 slot—a record-breaking seventh Top 5 single from the same album—cemented the project’s cultural ubiquity without feeling like an over-calculated move. Herb Ritts’ black-and-white music video elevated the record further, trading heavy choreography for intimate, cinematic framing, offering a stripped-back sensuality rarely seen in Jackson’s previous works. A moment that proved even in the high-octane pop machine of the late ’80s, subtlety had its place and staying power. Featured on the 1994 album “Rhythm Nation 1814“.
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11 . M People – Sight for Sore EyesReleased in 1994, “Sight for Sore Eyes” by M People marks a standout moment in the house-infused pop of the 1990s. Anchored by Heather Small’s commanding voice, the track blends infectious piano riffs with uplifting melodies that practically dragged radio and dance floors into a shared euphoria. As part of their “Elegant Slumming” album—a collection that nabbed a Mercury Prize—it carried a breezy vibe that was modern without feeling too calculated. Landing at No. 6 on the UK charts and making modest waves in European markets like Sweden and Germany, it proved to be a near-inescapable presence in its heyday. Not bad for a song that, at its heart, offers comforting platitudes paired with an almost gospel-tinged optimism. The accompanying music video, saturated in vibrant hues and stylized choreography, was designed to latch eyes as much as ears, finding a steady rotation on MTV Europe. Live performances, notably on “Top of the Pops,” captured the song’s crowd-pleasing energy, solidifying its place in the canon of ’90s pop hits. And let’s not forget the club remixes, which leaned even harder into the dance-floor DNA of the track—a nod to the genre it evolved from but without losing its chart-ready veneer. By the time M People compiled their greatest hits in 1998, “Sight for Sore Eyes” had earned its stripes, becoming an enduring fan favorite even if its lyrical themes relied more on feel-good simplicity than groundbreaking revelations. Featured on the 2003 album “Bizarre Fruit”. |
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12 . Zig & Zag – Them Girls Them Girls“Them Girls Them Girls,” a 1994 track by Zig and Zag, typifies the quirky novelty pop of its era. Released by fictional puppet duo Zig and Zag, conceived by Irish creators Ciaran Morrison and Mick O’Hara, the song rides a wave of reggae-infused pop rhythms. The lyrics, repetitive and cheerfully absurd, latch on to the refrain “Them girls, them girls, I just can’t say no.” A massive success in Ireland, where it topped the charts, it also peaked at No. 5 in the UK, an impressive feat for a pair of puppets. Its charm lies as much in its absurdist humor as its danceable beat, capturing the personalities of the puppet protagonists with a blend of tongue-in-cheek delivery and catchy simplicity. The accompanying video, a mix of puppetry, live-action dancing, and over-the-top visuals, mirrors the song’s playful irreverence. While hardly a revolutionary moment in pop, it remains a nostalgic novelty for those who appreciate lighthearted genre oddities of the ‘90s.
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For THE FULL ‘MUSIC FOR THE DANCERS’ COLLECTION click here
