Progressive rock and dance music share some DNA. Both are enamoured of the latest technology and long form explorations of the music. Both are known for incorporating influences from genres as diverse as classical music and third world rhythms. At their best, they are looking for new means of expression that further their credibility. Whereas good prog feeds the mind, good dance music energizes the feet. As you might expect, there is a “but” coming. Rather than develop a mood through intricate composition and melodic development as in prog, dance adheres to a formula which demands that the composer keeps the body engaged and moving. As a result, repetition and relative simplicity are the key in dance. Melody takes a back seat to rhythm. Technology (I’m looking at YOU drum machines and synthesizers) is used to pander to the lowest common denominator instead of opening new doors. Don’t get me wrong – there are bands in the dance music sphere who break free of the commercial chains and take the genre to new places (think Pet Shop Boys, Scissor Sisters, Prince). Burn It Up, however, does not feature that sort of music. This is generally by the book, colour by numbers, and synth and vocal studio gimmickry that rarely rises above the bland.
Over the course of four discs, Burn It Up shows how anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of tech was able to create a dance floor smash using the barest hint of melody (if that), recycled beats and cannibalized riffs. In too many instances, these are not songs so much as monotonous rhythms not even bothering to find somewhere more interesting to go. The result is largely interchangeable tracks that rarely make any sort of impression. Even the track by track liner notes (for which Cherry Red is justifiably famous) are dropped in favour of an essay that spends more time extolling the likes of progenitors OMD, Gary Numan and Bowie than praising the drivel that followed.
Disc One passes by in a blur. It isn’t till The Cookie Crew’s Females (Get On Up) that anything catches the ear. It does so by hearkening back to old school R&B, channelling James Brown for some serious funk. M.E.S.H.’s Meet Every Situation Head On is a perfect example of every sin committed in a single song: relentless hi-hat rhythm, a plethora of unrelated cut and paste vocals, synths programmed to try every sound that previously made a dent in the dance charts, all of it mixed into a tune that goes absolutely nowhere.
Disc Two begins with Bomb The Bass’ Beat Dis, offering some hope with a sample of the wah wah guitar from Issac Hayes’ Theme From Shaft, then reneging on that promise with more of the same formulaic crap. The KLF show signs of life on What Time Is Love?. Even though it relies on repetition, it throws in enough sonic curve balls to keep things interesting, if not exactly riveting. Theme From S-Express by S-Express incorporates some psychedelia and an outside-the-lines synth tone to garner some attention. The Beatmasters featuring PP Arnold offer up what serves as the compilation’s title track, Burn It Up; still within the mold, but elevated by Arnold’s old school vocal approach. Paul Rutherford’s vocal rescues Get Real, closing the disc with a track that at least feels like a journey with a destination.
Electribe 101’s Talking With Myself introduces the third disc, placing the melodic vocal up front and relying on an arrangement that features acoustic piano for a genuine song. A layered arrangement slowly builds to make Julian Jonah’s Jealousy And Lies worthy of repeated listening. Chapter And The Verse sprinkle some quirk into All This And Heaven Too for another worthwhile tune. Richie Rich’s Salsa House adds some much needed ethnic flair but, like so much of the set, fails to use it meaningfully. Such is not the case with The Beloved’s The Sun Rising, which relies on an understated melody and a softer than usual approach to make the grade. Dina Carroll’s Me Sienta Sola (We Are One) is a dose of disco throwback which ends the disc.
The final disc in the set begins promisingly enough with 808 State’s Pacific 202, buoyed by a strong melody and interesting background sounds combining in a smooth jazz/dance tune. An edit of Orbital’s Chime is an oddball but engaging entry that borrows as much from New Age as it does from disco. Techno Gangsters is N-Joi’s disco homage, but Ubik’s Techno Prisoners feels locked inside a tiny jail cell. Cabaret Voltaire’s Easy Life is joyously anthemic, but ultimately undone by the repetitiveness. Teknologi Pt 1 by Urban Hype is just so much thump thump bang. An extended mix of The Cure’s Lullaby stands out for being so, well, Cure-ish!. Circuit ends the set with the cookie-cutter Shelter Me.
Typically, I look forward to Cherry Red’s compilations, not just for the incredibly curated music but also for the well written and informative liner notes. Burn It Up falls short of those benchmarks. Maybe I’m being harsh, and this era of dance music simply fails to resonate with me. Either way, the disappointment is real.
TRACK LISTING
Disc One
01. Coldcut ft Floormaster Squeeze – Beats + Pieces (Mo Bass remix) (6:00)
02. Mel & Kim – System (House Mix) (3:49)
03. Midnight Sunrise with Nellie “Mixmaster” Rush ft. Jackie Rawes – On The House (Chicago Mix) (8:16)
04. John Rocca – I Want It To Be Real (Farley’s Hot House Piano Mix) (5:48)
05. Rick & Lisa – When You Gonna (Home Boy Mix) (5:50)
06. Krush – House Arrest (The Beat Is The Law) (6:36)
07. T-Coy – Carino (5:15)
08. The Cookie Crew – Females (Get On Up) (Pile Up) (4:31)
09. Judge Dread – Jerk Your Body (Edit) (3:35)
10. Simon Harris – Bass (How Low Can You Go) (Bomb The House Mix) (4:50)
11. M.E.S.H. (Jack The Tab) – Meet Every Situation Head On (5:25)
12. The Beatmasters ft. The Cookie Crew – Rok Da House (3:27)
13. Us – Born In The North (5:10)
Time – 68:32
Disc Two
01. Bomb The Bass – Beat Dis (Extended Dis) (5:59)
02. The KLF – What Time Is Love? (7:07)
03. Humanoid – Stakker Humanoid (4:57)
04. S-Express – Theme From S-Express (6:03)
05. Coldcut ft. Yazz & The Plastic Population – Doctorin’ The House (3:48)
06. Baby Ford – Oochy Koochy (F.U. Baby Yeh Yeh) (7:47)
07. D-Mob ft. Gary Haisman – We Call It Acieeed (The Radio Edit) (3:17)
08. The Wee Papa Girl Rappers ft. 2 Men And A Drum Machine – Heat It Up (Acid House Mix) (8:11)
09. The Beatmasters ft. PP Arnold – Burn It Up (7” Version) (3:22)
10. The Moody Boys – Acid Rappin (5:15)
11. Samantha Fox – Love House (The Black Pyramid Mix) (6:44)
12. Paul Rutherford – Get Real (Happy House Mix) (7:27)
Time – 69:57
Disc Three
01. Electribe 101 – Talking With Myself (7:01)
02. Anne Clarke – Our Darkness (Remix) (6:30)
03. 2 Men, A Drum Machine & A Trumpet – Tired Of Getting Pushed Around (The Mayhem Rhythm Mix) (6:36)
04. Julian Jonah – Jealousy And Lies (6:14)
05. Chapter And The Verse – All This And Heaven Too (Club Mix) (5:50)
06. Shades Of Rhythm – Just Feel It (6:47)
07. S-Express – Special & Golden (Parts I and II) (8:08)
08. Monie Love – Grandpa’s Party (Love II Love Remix) (5:49)
09. Double Trouble & Rebel MC – Street Tuff (Longsy D’Mix) (5:17)
10. Richie Rich – Salsa House (7:01)
11. The Beloved – The Sun Rising (4:59)
12. Dina Carroll – Mi Sienta Sola (We Are One) (Funky Z-Bar Mix) (5:45)
Time – 75:57
Disc Four
01. 808 State – Pacific 202 (5:44)
02. Adamski – N-R-G (6:24)
03. Nightmares On Wax – Let It Roll (3:12)
04. NAD – Distant Drums (4:42)
05. Orbital – Chime (Edit) (3:16)
06. Professor Supercool – If You Love Somebody (12” Mix) (6:35)
07. N-Joi – Techno Gangsters (3:44)
08. Pop Will Eat itself – Touched By The Hand Of Cicciolina (The Renegade Soundwave Mix (Smoothneck)) (5:55)
09. Ubik – Techno Prisoners (4:33)
10. Cabaret Voltaire – Easy Life (6:16)
11. The Cure – Lullaby (Extended Remix) (7:45)
12. Urban Hype – Teknologi (R.J. Flip Mix) (6:15)
13. Circuit – Shelter Me (Helter Skelter Mix) (5:51)
Time – 70:12
Total Time – 284:38
MUSICIANS
Way too many to list…
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Cherry Red Records
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 21st November 2025
LINKS
Cherry Red Records – Compilation Info at Cherry Red Records
