Welcome back, music lovers. Last week was 1979, so let’s use 1989 as a bookend. Change was all around us, although we hadn’t quite figured out what that would mean until much later. House music was hitting the mainstream. This track by 808 State was released in the UK in 1989 on the ZTT label and later in the US under the Tommy Boy label:
This was one of those combos who hit their peak very early on. But during the waning days of the 1980s and the first few years in the 1990s, they were a big deal. Perfect chill-out music.
While this blog is a thing, I’ll keep up with the themed music cafes and hopefully can spin a few tunes as time permits. Cheers!
Since I’ve already started with a bit of a rave-themed video, let’s keep that going. This was the opening track to Technique by New Order. I was very excited to get this one when it came out in 1989. From start to finish it did not disappoint, and no matter how many beats per minute, somehow always pensive.
This is short documentary on a duo of tape-jockeys from Latvia (or what was then still Latvian SSR) just before independence from the USSR – so probably pretty close to the time that the Berlin Wall would fall or perhaps the year after. There is something universal about music and dance. They’re right on that one.
This was released in 1988, but I was still hearing this one in 1989:
Over the course of the 1980s, club remixes became more recognizable as works of art in their own right. Different mixes could sharpen sonic textures and moods that might not have been obvious in the original. That was definitely the case by 1989, and one reason I loved to pick up singles and EPs whenever I could. CD singles were a bit odd…for starters they were so small, yet they contained more than enough info for a 12″ single. Of course, sometimes the original is best left alone. But for those curious how Wire could sound as a high-octane synth-based and edgy dance act, this would suffice.
Whenever I see 808 State, it reminds me that the area code for Hawaii is 808. Therefore, I’m serving Hawaiian and Polynesian-inspired drinks all week, beginning with Hawaiian Honey Bee from Tipsy Bartender.
Today’s Hawaiian-themed drink from Tipsy Bartender is the Blue Hawaiian Cocktail.
Today’s drink is a variation on yesterday’s, the Blue Mountain Hawaiian.
Instead of another variation on the Blue Hawaiian, for what will probably be the last day of this diary on the rec list, I am serving a Scorpion Bowl.
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That’s it for March. I already have an April Fools drink or two in mind for later this week.
I can hardly wait to see what you have in store for April Fools drinks – and other April-themed drinks. Thanks for all the cool postings.